LEXINGTON, Ky.—The No. 15 ranked Transylvania University women's basketball team used a 21-6 run in the opening minutes of the second half to cruise to an 88-61 victory over Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Earlham College on Wednesday night.

The Pioneers opened up the second period of play up six points, 42-36 and would quickly extend their lead when sophomore guard Jordin Fender hit a layup on the opening possession and senior forward Kayla Dobson drilled a three-pointer from the wing on the next trip down the court to give Transy an 11 point lead. Junior guard Katelyn Smith made a midrange jumper at the 17:48 mark, forcing an Earlham timeout and giving the Pioneers a 13-point advantage.

Two minutes later, Smith grabbed a defensive board and pushed the ball up court and dished a pass to senior forward Alex McKenzie who fought through contact to make the layup and the ensuing free throw to give the Pioneers a 61-40 lead, capping the half opening run.

The Pioneers' lead would hold steady for the remainder of the game and with 6:36 left, Fender knocked down a three to expand the margin to 26. Despite a brief cold stretch, the Transy defense held strong and limited opportunities for the Quakers. Earlham never got closer than 20 over the last four minutes of the game.

In the opening minutes of the game, Transy fell behind after Earlham came out shooting 73% (8-12), as the Pioneers trailed 22-16. The slashing ability of the Pioneer offense got them to the line however, putting them in the bonus with nine minutes left in the first period. At the 8:46 mark, senior forward Chelsea Pharris came off a screen on the left wing and hit a tough layup while being fouled, sending her to the line for a three-point play opportunity. After making the free throw, the Pioneers trailed by four points, 25-21.

Transy would up the defensive pressure and dominated the boards in the next few minutes, forcing several Quaker turnovers and holding Earlham scoreless for three minutes. With six minutes left Alex McKenzie picked up an offensive rebound and dished to sophomore guard Lindsey Hieronymous, who dropped in a layup to bring the score to 25-23. One minute later, Katelyn Smith hit a runner in the lane to tie the game at 25.

The teams would trade baskets over the rest of the half. Inside of two minutes, Earlham looked poised to make a run until Smith nailed a three from the left wing and on the next defensive possession, sophomore guard Jordin Fender recorded a steal and fast break layup to put the Pioneers up two.

After Earlham made a mid-range jump shot to tie the game at 36 on the next trip down the court, Transylvania made back-to-back three pointers, one from Fender and one from sophomore guard Hannah Neeley to take a six point lead with under a minute to play in the half.  The 42-36 lead Transy took into halftime was their largest of the first twenty minutes.

Transylvania dominated the boards, outrebounding the Quakers 45-21, including 17 offensive rebounds. Smith and senior guard Nicole Coffman tallied 20 points apiece to lead Transy in scoring, while Dobson pulled in 10 rebounds. The Pioneers recorded 24 assists on 36 made field goals, led by Smith with four.

The win extends the Transylvania win streak to nine as they remain undefeated in HCAC play on the season. Transylvania (17-1, 11-0 HCAC) travels to Manchester (9-9, 6-5 HCAC) on Saturday.