Bronx, N.Y. – The Lehman College women's basketball team forced 34 turnovers and used a strong third-quarter to earn a 72-62, come-from-behind victory over SUNY Canton in the opening game of the 2017 Coaches Versus Cancer Tournament from the Apex on Thursday.  The team will face FDU-Florham in the championship game on Friday at 2PM.
 
In a game where both sides struggled on the offensive end, the Lightning used its familiar, frenetic defensive press to help erase a two-point halftime deficit and earn the win.  Lehman started out slowly, trailing by five points late in the first quarter.  A Lillybeth Garcia jumper in the closing seconds made the score 18-15, Roos, after one quarter.
 
The SUNY Canton lead got as large as 12 points, when a pair of foul shots made the score 34-22, with 2:33 left. From there, Lehman closed out the half with a 10-0 run.  Aliyah Dorsett scored six of the points, while Selena Lopez tallied the other four.  The Roos led at the half, 34-32.
 
Lehman held Canton to just 14 points in the each of the third and fourth quarters.  Garcia opened the scoring in the third with a three-pointer that put Lehman ahead, 35-34.  Lehman never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the second half.  Three different times, the Roos pulled within a point and each time they were turned aside by baskets from Dorsett and Garcia.  The final score of 72-62, marked the largest lead the Lightning had in the victory.
 
Garcia led all scorers with 24.  Dorsett shot 8-14 with 21 points and nine rebounds.  Lynda Fields finished with a dozen. The Lehman College women's basketball team improved to 6-4 with the win.