BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University women's basketball team is off to a hot start to their season, defeating MIT 71-47 on Wednesday evening in the Campus Rec Center in Bristol.

The Hawks shot 48.3 percent from the floor, knocking down just under half their attempts.  They added 11 points from the free throw line, and knocked down four triples. The Hawks scored 20 second chance points, with 38 points in the paint.

Individually, Sophie Araneo (Branford, Conn.) led the Hawks with 16 points in the contest. Caroline Elie (Rockland, Mass.)  had a game-high five steals to pair with two blocks defensively, with seven rebounds and 14 points. Katie Galligan (Pembroke, Mass.) also added 13 points in the contest.

Roger Williams led 6-4, before a 7-0 run gave the Hawks a nine-point lead. The Hawks expanded their lead to as many as 14 in the first quarter, before ending the first half with a 22-9 advantage.

In the second quarter, the Engineers were able to shrink the Hawk lead to seven, before Roger Williams took a 17-point advantage into the halftime break, leading 40-23.

Sophia Coppola (Madison, Conn.) knocked down a pair of free throws late in the third quarter to take a 55-34, lead but MIT shrunk the lead down by four before the end of the quarter. The Hawks outscored the Engineers 16-9 in the final frame, winning by 24 points.

Roger Williams (1-0, 0-0 CCC) will travel to Medford, Mass. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 for a 7 pm matchup with Tufts.  They will then face Babson on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1 pm before hosting UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday, Nov. 22 in the Campus Rec Center.