Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania women's basketball team displayed its long-distance shooting prowess on Saturday afternoon, picking up a 74-38 win against the Bluffton University Beavers in the 2018-19 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams at the Beck Center.

Applying the defensive clamps upon the Beavers in the first quarter, the Pioneers crafted a 17-5 lead and never looked back, splashing 11 of 20 three-point attempts to cruise to victory and move to 4-1 overall as they started off the first of 18 HCAC contests with a victory.

Senior guard Celia Kline was the outside pacesetter, hitting on all three of her three-point shots to finish with nine points in 22 minutes of play.

Transylvania also excelled inside to complement its behind-the-arc attack, outscoring Bluffton 26-8 on points in the paint.

The Pioneers and Beavers heated up offensively in the second quarter as Transylvania carried a 37-22 advantage to the halftime break. Transylvania initiated the second half the same way it did the first, outscoring Bluffton 19-6 in the third period to put the game out of reach. The Pioneers won every quarter, notching a 18-10 margin in the fourth quarter to power their way to their largest margin of victory thus far in 2018-19.

The 11 for 20 performance from outside was a season-high in both three-point makes and percentage for the Pioneers. Transy also shot 46.4 percent from the floor as a whole, marking a season-best in field-goal percentage in a contest.

Senior guard Kristen Hayes led a trio of double-figure scorers for Transylvania, finishing with 13 points on 4 for 6 shooting and hitting all four of her free-throw attempts. Junior forward Shelby Boyle provided 12 points and was matched by senior guard Taylor Jackson, who scored 12 points off the bench and hit on all five of her field goal attempts.

Sophomore guard Zenoviah Walker grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to go with five assists and three points.

Transylvania continues its HCAC schedule on Wednesday, December 5 when the Pioneers welcome the Hanover College Panthers to town. Tip-off at the Beck Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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