Great Lakes Christian College Ends 139-Game Winless Streak

Nov 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A general view of a basketball goal prior to a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A general view of a basketball goal prior to a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Great Lakes Christian College ended a 139-game program-wide winless streak on Wednesday with a 55-42 win over Andrews University in women’s basketball.

Great Lakes Christian College, a school in Delta Township, Mich. with an enrollment of about 150 students, ended a program-wide 139-game winless streak on Wednesday with a 55-42 women’s basketball home win over the Andrews University Cardinals.

Great Lakes jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, led by Icesis Chandler-Poole’s 17 points and Alisha Schneider’s 14 rebounds. Rebekah Wrisley also scored in double-digits for Great Lakes with 14 points. Great Lakes only shot 18/60 (30%) from the floor, but held Andrews to 14/65 (21.5%) shooting in the game and out-rebounded the Cardinals 31-22.

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Before Wednesday, none of the Lakes’ four sports teams, which compete in the Mid-East Region of Division II of the National Christian College Athletic Association, had won a game since its men’s basketball team defeated Moody Bible Institute 91-82 on December 6, 2014—a run of 139 games without a win. The program’s only non-losing result during the winless streak was a 2-2 men’s soccer draw with Fairhaven Baptist College on September 21, 2015.

The program introduced women’s basketball and women’s volleyball in 2015-16. That season, the program finished with a combined 0-80-1 record in all sports—including losing every set in their inaugural women’s volleyball season and losing 91-1 in women’s basketball to Siena Heights University on November 29. During the 2016-17 season both the men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams lost all of their games and neither men’s nor women’s basketball had won until Wednesday’s win by the women’s team.

However, with the win after the addition of new coaches and players in 2016, there is optimism at Great Lakes about the future success of the program.

“I think it’s such a great start,” assistant coach Kelly Zotos said after the game, “I can’t wait to keep working with these girls… it’s just a really good step in a positive direction, so I’m excited for them and us.”

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“I feel that the girls needed this…” head coach Sandi Solomon-Williams said. “This means a lot that we got this first win… we’re doing something right. I’m so proud of these girls.”