Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania women's basketball team opened up the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule with a 64-46 win over the Anderson University Ravens on Thursday evening at the Beck Center.

Transylvania broke open an eight-point halftime lead with an impressive defensive performance in the third quarter holding the Ravens to just six points to forge a 50-30 lead after three quarters, clinching the first victory of the season against an HCAC opponent.

The Pioneers jumped to 4-3 on the season and have won four straight games against Division III opponents. The game was the first of the 2020-21 season for Anderson.

Laken Ball paced Transylvania with a career-high 19 points along with four rebounds, two assists, and one steal, hitting on 5 of 8 treys and shooting 7 for 12 from the floor.

Dasia Thornton came off the bench to match her career-high in scoring set last Saturday at Adrian with 13 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds in the win. The sophomore's prowess on the boards provided a 39-26 rebounding advantage in favor of the Pioneers.

After the Ravens carved an early 5-2 lead, the Pioneers embarked on a 12-0 run to climb ahead for good and claim a 17-9 lead after one quarter, keyed by back-to-back buckets from Ball, including a three-pointer inside the final half minute.

Anderson dug in its heels to play the Pioneers even in the second quarter and trimmed the home team's advantage to 32-26 coming out of the halftime break. But the Pioneers would hold Anderson without a point for over seven minutes while scoring 14 straight points of their own, sparked by another Ball triple and capped off with a 3-pointer from Grace Shope, who had eight rebounds and two steals for the evening.

The Pioneers knocked down four more 3-pointers in the final quarter to cruise to victory and win the first contest of their 12-game HCAC regular season schedule.

Madison Kellione added 12 points for Transylvania, posting a team-high five assists and shooting 5 of 10 from the floor.

The Pioneers assisted on 19 of 24 made field goals and shot 13 for 29 from deep (45 percent). Thursday's win marked the third time in seven games the Pioneers have held an opponent to under 50 points.

The teams will rematch on Saturday, January 16 at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana at O.C. Lewis Gymnasium. Transylvania and Anderson are scheduled to tip-off at 3 p.m.

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