BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Cairn University women's basketball team won their season-opener for the third-straight season following a 61-53 win on the road at non-conference foe Pratt Institute on Tuesday evening. The win marked the first career head coaching victory for first-year Head Coach Allen Kuiper in his first contest at the helm of the Highlanders.
 
"I thought the team showed resilience tonight." remarked Kuiper. "We spoke all week about being tougher both mentally and physically. I thought we displayed growth in that area tonight."
 
Cairn (1-0) engaged in a tight, defensive-centric battle against Pratt (0-1) in the early going, leading to a 12-8 lead after one quarter of play. The Highlanders got their lead up to nine points at its highest in the second stanza following a jumper by sophomore Kailee Sobrino (Tucson, AZ / Empire HS) with three minutes left in the half. The Cannoneers responded with a 6-0 run to end the half, and the Highlanders held to a 28-25 lead at intermission.
 
Cairn responded with a big third quarter, igniting an 11-3 run to start the frame to take its largest lead at 39-28 at the 4:16 mark, and commanded an eight-point lead (46-38) heading into the fourth frame. Pratt made things interesting, cutting the deficit down to two (52-50) with 3:52 to play, but the Highlanders closed the contest on a 9-3 run to seal the victory.
 
Cairn posted a 39.7% (25-63) mark from the field compared to 27.9% (19-68) shooting for the Cannoneers. The Highlanders dominated inside, doubling up Pratt (32-16) in the painted area.
 
Sophomore Taylor Hinson (Carney's Point, NJ / Collingswood HS) led the way for the Highlanders with a double-double, tying a game-high with 23 points to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds. Sobrino followed with her first career double-double to the tune of 15 points and a career-high 10 assists. Junior Kyla Reciniello (Robbinsville, NJ / Robbinsville HS) matched Hinson on the glass with 12 boards to pair with 10 points, while freshman Kaitlyn Barry (Brick, NJ / Brick Memorial HS) added 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists on the stat sheet.
 
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Thursday, November 10 when they travel to Hackettstown to take on non-conference adversary Centenary University (NJ). Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.