Northwestern Ohio scored the game's first 10 points and raced out to a 20-2 lead on Wednesday evening, as the Racers defeated Lourdes 71-59 at the Racer Gymnasium in Lima, Ohio.
 
The Gray Wolves trailed 22-5 after the opening period, and after scoring the first basket of the second quarter, saw Northwestern Ohio score the next 15 points, as the hosts built a 37-7 advantage midway through the period.  Lourdes was able to cut into the deficit before halftime, cutting the Racer lead to 22 before trailing 43-17 at intermission.
 
"Our team has to come with a more competitive mindset from start to finish in all aspects of the game," head coach Summer Quesenberry said.  "Rebounds count.  Turnovers add up quickly and put you at a deficit that is hard to overcome.  More than anything it is the controllables of the game that are hindering our ability to succeed."
 
Lourdes shot just 24.1% from the floor over the opening 20 minutes and committed 12 turnovers.  The Racers outscored the Gray Wolves 30-8 in the paint while shooting nearly 53% from the field.
 
The third quarter was nearly even before the Gray Wolves attempted to make a fourth quarter comeback, coming up short.  Lourdes trailed 69-41 with just under five minutes to play before closing the game on an 18-2 run, scoring the game's final 14 points, for the final margin.
 
Daja Whiteside (Auburn Hills, Mich./Avondale H.S.) led all players, scoring 16 points for Lourdes, but was the lone Gray Wolf to tally double figures.  Payton Ramey (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas H.S.) and Rachel Losey (Otter Lake, Mich./North Branch H.S.) added nine and eight points respectively off of the bench for the Gray Wolves.
 
Keundra Cox and Sogona Sidibe led Northwestern Ohio (7-10, 5-4 WHAC) with 10 points each as all 11 Racers that saw action found the scoring column.
 
"With a stronger focus and more competitive mindset we can still finish strong as we pursue a conference tournament berth," Quesenberry concluded.
 
Lourdes (5-12, 3-6) will remain on the road Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves travel to Southfield, Mich. to battle Lawrence Tech.  Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Ridler Field House.