Leading for more than 37 minutes of game time, the Dominican University women's basketball finally pulled away in the fourth quarter, wrapping up a 63-42 win over the visiting Rockford University Regents at the Igini Sports Forum on Saturday evening.  With the win, the Stars close the 2017-2018 season with 14 wins, the third most since the Stars joined the NCAA Division III ranks in 2000.
 
"Tonight's win was the perfect bookend to our season," commented Gabby Johnson, the Stars' head coach in her sixth season. "We struggled for the first three quarters but we were able to use our speed and athleticism in the fourth to pull away.  We got contributions from a number of different people and that is what makes this team special. This was a big week for Alisha Markley, catching fire over the final two games—just when we needed it."
 
Holding a just a 34-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Stars used a 17-6 run over the first four-plus minutes and never looked back.  Senior Shamia Clark capped her career with seven points in the fourth, tallying 11 points in the game on 5-for-12 shooting from the field.  Clark added 12 boards for first double-double of the season.  Freshman Alisha Markley led the Stars with 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting from three while Amari Stafford posted nine points, seven rebounds and six assists.
 
For the Regents, Linzy Keller scored a team-high eight points as Rockford managed to shoot just 17-for-79 from the field.
 
"I'm really happy for Shamia," continued Johnson. "She has continued to grow as a player and a person. She has been a part of some of our worst seasons as a program, but she kept working.  I'm happy we were able to send her off with a win and a winning season."