Cuyahoga CC’s inside duo got going in the second half.

Young scored 16 of her game-high 20 points and Smith-Isom scored all 16 of her points in the second half as the Triceratops pulled away from the Jayhawks for a 77-63 NJCAA Division II win at the Physical Education Complex.

“They were just a little more physical. You could see it in their bodies,” Jamestown CC head coach Travis Wells said. “It was like they were a year more mature than we were. I wouldn’t say we were outworked, but maybe outmuscled.”

For the game, Tri-C outscored Jamestown CC 50-22 in the paint and pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, which helped lead to a 23-10 advantage in second-chance points.

Jamestown Community College's Abi Lisciandro sets up the offense. P-J photos by Matt Spielman

“Every game, we’ve been pretty much the smaller team,” Wells said. “We knew that coming in, but we have to adjust to it.”

Gabby Iuculano scored a team-high 16 points while Abi Lisciandro was the only other Jayhawk in double figures with 12 points.

“We changed the defense to stop her penetration,” Cuyahoga CC head coach Derrick Williams said of Iuculano. “If they were going to beat us it was going to be from the outside.”

Jamestown CC actually led for a majority of the first half, going up 6-5 on a Iuculano layup 3:49 into the game and not trailing until the Triceratops’ Diamond Merced made a 3-pointer with 1:16 left in the second quarter.

“We had better ball movement at times, and we were hitting some shots,” Wells said of the opening 20 minutes. “The press had Cuyahoga hesitant and that was to our advantage.”

After the Jayhawks retook the lead with 1:03 left, Tri-C’s Traci Wright made a layup to give the Triceratops the lead going into halftime.

The third quarter was Jamestown CC’s undoing.

Tri-C outscored the hosts 25-16 over the 10 minutes with Young and Smith-Isom each scoring eight points in the quarter. After a pair of Iuculano free throws at the 9:09 mark, the Triceratops scored the next eight points to take a 39-32 lead. A Courtney Hemminger free throw for the Jayhawks made it 50-45, but Tri-C scored five of the final six points of the quarter to take a 10-point lead into the final 10 minutes.

“They were pressing a little bit,” Williams said. “We went into halftime and settled down a little bit. Then they started playing like they normally play.”

The lead eventually grew to 17 on a layup from Young with 7:12 left, and Tri-C won going away.

Christian Massey chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds for Tri-C, which improved to 5-0 on the year with the victory.

“We just had to fight through the adversity,” Williams said. “We usually start slow.”

Jamestown CC, which fell to 2-4, is off until Monday, Dec. 2 when it hosts Lorain County CC at the Physical Education Complex.

“It’s a marathon,” Wells said. “This is Game 6. A year ago they are playing against Brocton and Sherman. Now they are playing against Cleveland and Philadelphia. … It’s an adjustment period. We are making progress.”

CUYAHOGA CC (77)

Harris 1-1 0-4 2, Massey 6-17 7-10 29, Starks 2-4 1-4 6, Smith-Isom 8-17 0-1 16, Wright 4-7 1-2 9, Merced 2-3 0-0 5, Young 10-17 0-0 20. Totals 33-66 9-21 77.

JAMESTOWN CC (63)

Iuculano 5-11 5-7 16, Lisciandro 4-8 1-1 12, Schuppenhauer 3-5 1-2 7, Jimerson 2-5 3-6 7, Zenns 1-3 0-0 2, Hohl 1-7 0-0 3, Fardink 2-3 2-2 8, DeMarco 1-1 0-0 2, Lundmark 0-0 2-2 2, Hemminger 0-3 2-2 2, Team 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 20-47 16-22 63.

Cuyahoga CC 15 16 25 21 — 77

Jamestown CC 18 12 16 17 — 63

3-point goals–Cuyahoga CC 2-7 (Massey 0-2, Starks 1-2, Smith-Isom 0-1, Merced 1-2), Jamestown CC 7-21 (Iuculano 1-3, Lisciandro 3-6, Schuppenhauer 0-1, Jimerson 0-1, Hohl 1-6, Fardink 2-3, Hemminger 0-1). Total rebounds–Cuyahoga CC 37 (Young 13), Jamestown CC 32 (Lisciandro 9). Assists–Cuyahoga CC 13 (Starks 4), Jamestown CC 12 (Iuculano 4). Total fouls–Cuyahoga CC 18, Jamestown CC 18.