LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Transylvania University women's basketball team continued their winning streak on Saturday against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Defiance College. The Pioneers picked up a 78-65 victory to push their streak to seven, including three straight wins to open up the HCAC schedule.

Senior guard Nicole Coffman put Transy up with a layup on their first possession after the Pioneer defense forced a turnover. The teams would trade baskets for nearly 10 minutes until sophomore guard Jordin Fender knocked down three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Transylvania an 18-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the opening period.

After a Defiance three-point shot drew the score to 18-16, Transy would go on a run over the closing minutes of the half, started by a free throw from senior forward Alex McKenzie. The Pioneers would score on nine of their next 11 possessions, sparked by Coffman and junior guard Katelyn Smith, while holding the Yellow Jackets of Defiance to only 10 points during the stretch. Smith would hit one of her game-high four three-point field goals with two minutes remaining in the opening period to give Transylvania a 40-26 lead.

A jump shot from freshman forward Rachel Cox with 1:30 left closed the Pioneer scoring for the half, as they would enter the locker room holding onto an 11 point, 42-31 lead. Transy closed the first 20 minutes after forcing six Defiance turnovers and pulling in 22 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Transylvania would continue to press the issue and build their lead. A hot shooting start that included makes on six of their first eight shots gave Transy the opportunity to expand its lead and a layup from senior center Elizabeth Thomas at the 15:25 mark gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at 55-38.

Transy would keep Defiance at bay for the remainder of the game, never allowing their margin to slip below 11. Defiance would mount a small run of their own over the closing minutes of the game, outscoring the Pioneers 8-1 over the closing three minutes but it was too little, too late as Transylvania held onto their lead and picked up the victory.

Much of the Pioneers' success can be attributed to their dominance in the paint, both offensively and through rebounding. Transy outscored Defiance 36-26 in the paint and outrebounded the Yellow Jackets by margin of 45-29.

Head coach Juli Fulks was pleased with her team's performance in the key during the game. "I was really excited that we executed better inside on offense and got great looks at the basket," Fulks said. "We have been working hard at our effectiveness in the key and it was evident today. This was a really strong team win."

Smith, who was recognized before the game for joining the 1,000 Point Club earlier this season, led the Pioneers offensively, scoring a team-high 25 points on 9-17 shooting. Coffman contributed 13 points as the only other Pioneer to score in double-figures. McKenzie pulled in eight rebounds to lead Transylvania.

With the win, the Pioneers move to 7-0 on the season, including a perfect 3-0 mark in HCAC play. Transylvania will take a break from conference play to take part in the Pat Deacon Classic next weekend at the Clive M. Beck Center on Transy's campus. They will take on Blackburn College (0-5) on Friday, Dec. 19.