SCRANTON, Pa. – In a game of runs, the No. 24 Marymount (Va.) University women's basketball team proved to be the better squad in the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Friday evening, overcoming Cabrini College, 60-49, to advance to the second round on Saturday at Scranton University. 

A close one through the first quarter saw both teams take an 8-8 draw into the break, but the Saints never trailed in the opening 15 minutes, kicking off the game with a five-point run. 

After a strong defensive series to open up the contest, forcing the Cavaliers to throw a poor pass out of bounds, Marymount answered on the other end when senior Aileen Maknati found the lane for the floater and the first bucket to start the NCAA tournament. Sophomore Nicole Viscuso followed on the next offensive possession, pulling down a three-point attempt for a strong finish inside for the and-one play to push the 5-0 lead by the 8:06 mark. 

The Cavaliers eventually battled back and obtained an eight-point advantage with roughly three minutes remaining in the second quarter, the largest lead of the game for Cabrini. It wasn't a deficit the Saints couldn't overcome though, using an 11-2 run to close out the half to take a 25-23 lead into the locker room. Maknati heated up in the stretch, scoring 10 of the 12 including a buzzer beater in transition off a dish by senior Miranda Krott to fire up MU as it headed to the half. 

"When you play in the NCAA (tournament), it's going to be a game of runs," Maknati said about the stretch before heading to the locker room. "But, it's about which team can dig deep and get that stop first. And, that's what we did." 

"We really felt like the first half we were playing (Cabrini's) style of basketball," Head Coach Ashlee Rogers said. "We wanted to clean that up, be more disciplined and play Marymount basketball." 

The Saints maintained the lead throughout the third quarter, but Cabrini remained in striking distance until it reclaimed the advantage on the opening basket of the fourth quarter. It was just for a moment and the last time the Cavaliers had the advantage, as sophomore Leah Hurst found Viscuso for the baseline jumper to takeover the lead for the remainder of the game on the Saints next possession.

The deficit continued to grow for Cabrini as Krott swatted away an attempt in the paint, which transitioned into a lay-in for freshman Abby Fisher on the other end. Viscuso followed in suit with another layup after pulling down the offensive board and going back up strong to push a 43-38 lead. 

In the closing minutes, the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the country in the Saints held strong to keep the Cavaliers off the scoreboard. Pulling down the rebounds off the shot attempts or picking off the cross-court passes, Marymount was sent to the charity stripe where it capitalized on enough to push a double-digit advantage to seal up the 60-49 victory. 

Three Saints finished with double-figure scoring nights, as Viscuso led all with 18 points. The sophomore forward also tied with Krott pulling down 10 rebounds, notching her eighth double-double of the season. 

"These last couple of games, I haven't scored as much as I might have earlier in the season," Viscuso said. "Being able to come out and finish and make tough shots off great dishes from my teammates in the NCAA, it's a great feeling." 

Hurst registered 16 points to go along with four steals and three assists, while Maknati notched her second-straight double-digit game with 14 points. 

"I feel like I'm better when I let the game come to me," Maknati said about her performance. "When we were working the ball and getting the inside-outside movement, and running the play correctly, I was able to execute better." 

The women advance to Saturday's second-round matchup with host No. 3 Scranton, who defeated WPI in the second game of the night, 67-42. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m., in the John Long Center.