Alternating playing time, Triton College women's basketball "bigs" Jordyn Coleman and Lauryn Hunt combined for 35 points and 21 rebounds to power the Trojans to an 80-71 victory over Lincoln Trail College in the finale of the Dan Hull Memorial Classic Nov. 9 at the Jorndt Athletic Complex gymnasium.

Coleman (6-foot-1) and Hunt (6 feet) normally play together in the starting lineup. But Triton Coach Drew Winston wanted to employ a smaller, quicker lineup against the guard-heavy Lady Statesman. With that strategy, the visitors had no answer for the Coleman-Hunt combination in the Trojans' first home win of the season that evened their record at 2-2.

Coleman was particularly effective with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting in just 18 minutes of play. Hunt had 17 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. Their production canceled out a stellar day from Lincoln Trail guard Laniya Richardson with 30 points, including 11-for-14 free-throw shooting.

"I love that one-two punch," said Winston. "But I wanted to spread the court and play fast so I had them coming in for each other."

Hunt dominated early on as Triton got off to a 17-4 start. Lincoln Trail then surged to tie the game 18-18 before Triton scored 10 straight points. Richardson tried to keep the Lady Statesmen in the game with a productive third quarter, but the Trojans were never seriously threatened.

Coleman had a strong freshman season. Hunt showed flashes of her potential last season and now Winston believes she is ready to take the next step.

"Lauryn worked pretty hard over the summer, developing a 15-to-18-footer," he said. "I can put her on the wing and she'll still be a threat."

Guard Jayla Rankin contributed nine points as no other Trojans tallied double figures after their "bigs" in an overall sub-par team shooting (38 %) performance.  Winston envisioned Rankin maturing as an on-court leader as the season progresses.
"She's even-keel," he said. "I mean, that's just the way she is. I love it, that keeps us poised.  She calms us down and keeps the offense going."

The victory in the tournament named for legendary Triton women's coach Hull concluded a challenging four-game stretch to open the season. The Trojans had split their first two games on the road in Missouri the previous weekend before losing 68-57 to Jackson College (Mich.)  Nov. 8 in the tournament opener.

"We bounced back pretty good," Winston said. "In the home opener, we had some nerves. It was a little faster than we expected. We learned from every loss."

Regional rival Highland Community College arrives for a game on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Winston viewed that game as important in his team's development.

"They're respected every year," he said. "It's always a good match with them and with it being our first regional game of the year, want to set an early tone."

Follow Triton Athletics on Twitter @TritonTrojans1 or on Instagram @Triton_College_Athletics
 
(Story by tritonathletics.com contributor George Castle)