'Roos Pull Away From Lyon for First Win of the Year

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College women's basketball team got out to a big lead before having to fend off visiting Lyon College late, as the 'Roos topped the Scots 82-62 to capture the first victory of first-year head coach Olivia Hunt's career. The 'Roos are now 1-1 on the season.

Avory Miller led the 'Roos with the first 20 point game of her career, as the junior guard knocked down 5-of-11 shots from the field and 10-of-16 from the free throw line to finish with 20 points on the dot. She also added eight rebounds, five steals, and four assists in the win, and Lexi Martin made 4-of-7 threes on her way to 17 points. Maya Dodson came off the bench to score 13 points, and Kaylee Smith rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points while also dishing out four assists.

Austin College got off to a fast start in the game, pouring in 30 points in the opening quarter on 71.4% shooting to grab a 30-15 lead. Martin was 3-for-3 on three pointers, scoring 11 of her 17 points in the first frame. The 'Roos struggled to knock down shots in the second quarter, however, going just 3-of-23 from the field as Lyon made 7-of-9 shots to trim the margin to 38-34 at the half. The Scots went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the quarter to help close the gap.

The offensive struggles continued into the third quarter for Austin College, hitting just 5-of-18 shot attempts, but the 'Roos hounded the Scots into 11 turnovers in the period to help extend the lead to 51-45 entering the fourth. Lyon battled back and knotted the game at 58 points each with 5:27 left, but Miller scored to give the lead back to Austin College, and Dodson scored four quick points to push the margin to 64-58 with 3:35 left to play. The 'Roos grew the lead from there, going back up by double figures at 70-60 with 1:23 left, and the game was never back in single digits in the closing moments.

Natalya Kaza led Lyon with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, hitting 3-of-5 from deep, and Molly Mason chipped in nine points. Savanna Lopez had eight points, eight rebounds, and six blocked shots, and Kaysharia Woods added eight points, seven assists, and five steals for the Scots. Austin College forced Lyon into 38 turnovers in the game, and the 'Roos also pulled down 20 offensive rebounds while outscoring the Scots 22-9 from the free throw line. Emma Potts had a strong game for Austin College coming off the bench, pulling down seven rebounds to go along with six points, four steals, and a pair of assists, and Trinity Williams scored eight points for the 'Roos in the win.