SALISBURY, Md. – A strong first half was more than enough for the Marymount (Va.) University women's basketball team to register its fifth Capital Athletic Conference victory on Wednesday night, cruising past Salisbury University, 62-48. 

It was a quick start for the Saints, opening the game on an 8-0 run to force the Sea Gulls to use up their first timeout by the 6:20 mark of the first quarter. Senior Kiki Laux, who led MU for the night with a game-high 20 points, dropped in four of the points while sophomore Tyffani McQueen and junior Nicole Viscuso added two points apiece. 

Salisbury came out of the break to score its first points, but the Saints would keep their distance through the first quarter, 16-6, behind an eight-point effort from Laux. 

Not much changed in the second 10-minute stretch, seeing the Saints push ahead as much as 17 points with three minutes until halftime when McQueen caught a dish by junior Leah Hurst for the strong finish inside for a 31-14 advantage. Trading baskets through the remaining minutes, MU took a 35-20 lead into the locker room. 

Laux led all scorers at the half with 13 points off 6-for-8 shooting, as the Saints shot an impressive 53.6 percent from the floor through the first 20 minutes. Additionally on the defensive end, Marymount forced 12 Sea Gull turnovers including eight total steals from six different Saints. 

The second half started up in similar fashion for MU, knocking in five-straight points to eclipse a 20-point advantage. Freshman Regan Lohr opened up the third quarter finding Viscuso inside for the post move and finish before Laux dropped in a free throw and a layup of her own to push a 40-20 lead at the 6:46 mark. 

The rest of the third would remain in that range with the Saints getting as far as 22 points and the Sea Gulls getting as close as 16, but MU held an 18-point advantage heading into the fourth, 50-32. 

The Sea Gull offense gave the Saints a little trouble in the fourth quarter, outscoring MU, 16-12, and getting as close as nine points, but the Saints rallied off six-straight points to get back out to a 15-point lead and seal up the victory. In the stretch, Viscuso, Lohr and Laux all dropped in two points. 

Behind Laux's 20 points, Viscuso and Hurst both put away 10-point games. Viscuso and Laux were also both shy of double-doubles by one rebound, registering a tied team-high nine boards. Hurst, who still leads the CAC in assists, added another seven on Wednesday night. 

The women return home on Saturday, January 14 for their next contest, hosting Frostburg State University in another league tilt in the Verizon Sports Arena. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.