ARLINGTON, Va. – The Marymount (Va.) University women's basketball team opened up the 2015-16 season on Saturday afternoon, cruising past the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown College, 62-42, as eight different Saints registered points. 

Leading the offense was senior guard Kievanna Lacey with a game-high 16 points, shooting 7-8 from the field. Sophomore center Nicole Viscuso added the other double figure in points for the afternoon, dropping in 10 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds and a game-high two blocks.

The Blue Jays may have cashed in on the first basket of the afternoon, but the Saints wouldn't trail for the remainder of the game after going on a 13-2 run five minutes into the first quarter, led by seven points from Lacey. Although Elizabethtown tacked on another jumper to get within seven, MU extended the deficit to 23-6 by the end of the first quarter with 10-unanswered points off four points apiece for Lacey and sophomore Leah Hurst and a jumper by Viscuso. 

In response to a 17-point hole, the Blue Jays put together a six-point run of their own to start the second period, closing the deficit to 11, 23-12. A layup by junior Kiki Laux ended the run, as Marymount continued to push the spread back out before the break. As a team, the Saints ended the first 20 minutes shooting 51.6 percent from the field resulting in a halftime score of 37-18. 

The second half was more evenly matched, with MU just edging Elizabethtown, 25-24, through the final 20 minutes of play, but the first-half surge was more than enough for the Saints to coast to their first victory of the season. Laux, Lacey and freshman Tyffani McQueen all registered five points in the second half. 

Marymount's defensive pressure forced 21 Blue Jay turnovers during the course of the game, led by a game-high three steals by Hurst. On top of the two blocks Viscuso tallied, sophomore Brenna Cook and freshman Erin Earhart both collected their first collegiate blocks. Cook also tallied a career-high eight points through her 15 minutes on the court. 

The women will take the road for their next game, traveling to Randolph-Macon College on Tuesday, November 17 for a non-conference tilt. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.