LISLE, IL - The Benedictine University women's basketball team pulled away from St. Mary's College in the second quarter to improve to 5-1 on the year.

FINAL SCORE
Benedictine 87, St. Mary's 58

THE DETAILS
• St. Mary's scored the first points of the game and did not lead again as Benedictine held the advantage for 37:28
• Samantha McCarthy tied the game with a jumper on the first Benedictine possession
• Payton Sims knocked down a three-pointer with 7:28 to play in the opening quarter to give Benedictine the lead for good
• The opening quarter stayed close with Benedictine never leading by more than five
• McCarthy capped the quarter with a jumper, making the score 16-13 after one
• Back-to-back baskets from Alena Moro followed by a three from Roxanna Gaddis enabled Benedictine to move ahead by double figures early in the second
• Sims opened a 10-0 run to close the half with a three-pointer as Benedictine built a 48-23 edge at the intermission
• Moro extended the lead to 57-27 with 6:08 left in the third quarter
• Benedictine opened a 33-point lead late in the third and found themselves on top by 38 early in the fourth, finishing with a season high output

FROM THE COACH
"We came out with great energy from the opening tip," said head coach Charlie Averkamp. "Our shots didn't fall in the first quarter but we produced solid looks. The defense did a wonderful job of forcing St. Mary's to take tough shots. We have some great shooters on our team and told them to keep shooting. Payton (Sims) and D'Asia (Williams) were on fire tonight! Venita (Parsons) did an outstanding job running the offense and finding open shooters. Anytime your point guard doesn't turn the ball over it will be a good night for your team. I am so proud of how we are coming together as a team and am excited for what is to come."

STAT LEADERS
• 15 players saw the floor with 13 scoring points
• Three players reached double figures with Sims scoring 19 off the bench
• D'Asia Williams, the NACC Player of the Week, tacked on 16 while McCarthy finished with 14
• Benedictine held a 57-37 advantage on the glass, with 13 players grabbing a board
• Benedictine finished the game shooting 44.1 percent and tallied 13 three-pointers

UP NEXT
Benedictine (5-1) returns to conference action on Saturday at Marian