ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Marymount University women's basketball team started the 2021 Pablo Coto Tip-Off Tournament on the right foot on Friday evening with an 81-69 win over the Eastern University Eagles. 

Before the start of tonight's contest, senior forward Katie McShea was gifted her 1,000-point ball after she reached the milestone in last season's finale. 

An offensive explosion in the first half resulted in smooth sailing for the Saints for the remainder of the contest.  The Saints scored 47 points across the first two quarters and held Eastern to just 26 points. Marymount was deadly efficient from the floor, with marks of 64.3% (9-for-14) and 55.6% (10-for-18) in the first and second quarter, respectively. 

MU's offensive outburst was buoyed by an intense effort on the less glamorous end of the floor. The Saints pressure was highlighted in the first frame, as MU held the Eagles to a paltry 20.5% (3-for-15) clip from the floor.

The Saints asserted themselves early against the Eagles with an 11-0 run that spanned the first five minutes of the contest. Terra Dzambo highlighted the barrage with a pair of makes from beyond the arc. Marymount cruised for the remainder of the opening quarter as a last-second three from Symantha Shackelford brought the period to a close with the Saints up, 24-8.

Marymount continued its strong showing in the second quarter, as it outscored Eastern 23-18. Dzambo led the way during the frame with eight points, while McShea, Claire Smith, and Chandler Eddleton all chipped in four points to give MU a massive 21-point lead at the half-time break. 

While the third quarter saw more of the same, the Saints were forced to dig in during the fourth quarter as Eastern mounted a comeback attempt. The Eagles fast-paced approach led to 28 points for the visitors during the frame. As time wound down, Eastern had whittled MU's edge down to nine points. Eddleton stepped up late for the Saints, however, as the sophomore nailed three key free throws to preserve the victory for the Blue and White. 

Eddleton led all scorers on Friday evening with a career-high 20 points on 63.6% (7-for-11) shooting from the floor. The sophomore also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Dzambo finished just behind her classmate with 19 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Kyla Treadwell chipped in 11 points off of the bench. 

Marymount plays for the title at the Pablo Coto Tip-Off Tournament tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. against Catholic University.