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The No. 24 Menlo College women's basketball team continued its bid to move up in the NAIA rankings, beating visiting No. 13 Taylor University, 82-75, Friday night.

"We are really excited about this one," Oaks coach Shannon Osborne said. "We faced adversity and persevered. We did a good job of maintaining our composure throughout the course of the evening."

Taylor pulled to within 61-60 with 5:52 remaining to play, erasing a double-digit deficit but Menlo's Jolise Limcaco, who scored a game-high 23 points, hit a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer to give the Oaks (12-2) some breathing room. Lauren Adamek, who added 12 points, followed by converting on a three-point play

Menlo sophomore forward Laurel Donnenwirth helped give the Oaks the early advantage, recording a double-double with 21 points and 18 rebounds.

"It was a good win for us," Donnenwirth said. "We bounced back after a loss to the No. 25 team in the nation (College of Saint Mary on Dec. 16) in our last home game and showed what we are capable of."

Senior Jenna Marinaro, who finished with 10 points, put the finishing touches on the victory with an acrobatic layup with 1:20 to go.

Menlo hosts La Sierra on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Oaks beat the Golden Eagles, 63-52, on the road on November 16th.

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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