Elizabeth Flynn had a double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds and the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team used strong second half defense to beat the Oswego State Lakers 62-44 in their season opener Friday night in Canton, N.Y. 

The win gives them a victory in their first game of the season since the 2021-22 season.

"We played a great second half defensively and slowly but methodically kept the pressure on and built the lead," said Dan Roiger, the team's head coach. "We didn't shoot the ball well but otherwise got decent shots. Our point guards did great work, combining for seven assists and only one turnover, and we did a good job on the boards despite being much smaller than them. It was a solid first game for us."

The Saints began the game up 10-5, but then the Lakers went on a 9-0 run to take a 14-10 lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the game was closely contested with several ties and lead changes.

Neither team had more than a four-point lead although while down 27-23, the Saints ended the half scoring seven straight points. Elizabeth Flynn started this run with a mid-range jumper, then Hannah Van Dyke hit a jumper with 50 seconds remaining, and Annie Perry drained a three with eight seconds left in the half and St. Lawrence headed to halftime leading 30-27. 

The second half was where the Saints really got going. A layup by Norah Niesz capped off an 8-4 spurt to open the half, as the Scarlet and Brown earned their largest lead of the game at that point, 38-31, four minutes into the third quarter. The Lakers were bothered by the Saints defense from the start of the second half, only scoring six points in the first seven minutes of the third quarter. The Saints then headed into the fourth quarter with a 45-37 lead. 

The Saints started the fourth red hot from the field, scoring seven points before two minutes elapsed. Flynn had five of these points as the Saints began to run away with the win, now holding a 52-37 lead. Oswego's offense continued to struggle and the Lakers didn't score until 6:18 remaining in the fourth quarter. A three-pointer by Niesz with 3:51 left in the game gave the Saints a 60-38 lead and the Saints were able to open the season with a 62-44 victory over the Lakers. 



Caelan McHarney was second on the team with eight points and also contributed with three assists. Mason Baker-Schlendering had seven rebounds to go along with two assists and Jackie Malley and Norah Niesz each had seven points. 
St. Lawrence held Oswego to just a 27 percent field goal percentage and only 17 points in the second half, also beating the Lakers 27-10 in second chance points. 

The Saints will be back in Burkman Gymnasium in short order, as they engage in an early-week non-conference match-up Tuesday, November 12 against the SUNY Potsdam Bears at 7 p.m.