ARLINGTON, Va.- The Saints used stellar defense with the help of double-digit points from juniors Leah Hurst and Nicole Viscuso to lead the Marymount (Va.) University women's basketball team to a hard-fought 53-42 Capital Athletic Conference victory over Salisbury University on Saturday afternoon.

The Saints fell behind early after seven unanswered points by the Sea Gulls. The Saints struggled to find their rhythm on offense, but Marymount rallied its way back into the matchup, adding six-straight points to get within four at the end of the first quarter, 12-8.

Marymount started the second quarter with a 5-0 run thanks to its stifling defense and quick transitions giving its first edge of the game, 13-12. The Sea Gulls were forced to burn a timeout and regroup, eventually finding an answer to the Saints' defense and managed to pull ahead at the half, 25-20. Viscuso paced the Saints' offense with six points, and on the defensive end, Marymount forced 13 Sea Gull turnovers.

The third quarter saw the momentum shift back-and-forth in action with a late surge from the Saints. The Saints spread the wealth offensively, having six different players score in the quarter, while still playing tenacious defense. The defense held the Sea Gulls to eight points and forced five turnovers to regain their lead, 37-33, at the end of the quarter.

Marymount's momentum carried into the fourth quarter as it built upon its lead. In a last-ditch effort, Salisbury put the Saints to the test on the line. Down the stretch, Hurst and sophomore Tyffani McQueen were perfect from the line, hitting 6-for-6 at the charity stripe, boosting the Saints to a 53-42 win. Hurst led the way with six points followed by freshman Regan Lohr and McQueen who added four points apiece. The Saints' stunning defense forced 27 turnovers that converted to 12 steals.

In a team effort, the wealth on offense was spread among several Saints, led by Hurst with 12, followed by Vuscuso with 10 and McQueen with nine. Marymount's defense was led by McQueen who notched four steals, and senior Kiki Laux with three. Viscuso went to work on the boards, pulling in eight rebounds.

Following Marymount's fourth-straight win, the Saints will travel to another CAC matchup against Frostburg State University on Wednesday, January 25. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.