The women’s basketball team opened their season in style on Saturday, delivering a win in an away contest against Northeast-10 Conference rival Roberts Wesleyan. The win was a crucial one for the Dolphins, especially after coming off a 2012-13 season that saw the team go 6-20.

“It always feels great to win your first game of the season,” said team captain and senior guard Madeline McKnight. “We just need to keep working hard and use this momentum to continue improving and building off the success we had.”

The Dolphins got off to a fast start in the game with an 8-0 run in the first two minutes of the game that was kickstarted by a three-pointer courtesy of junior guard Alex Marple.

Roberts Wesleyan was finally able to get on the board at the 3:16 mark with a layup from Chelsea Sanders to bring the score to 8-2, but that didn’t stop the scoring onslaught from the Dolphins.

Le Moyne was in control for the remainder of the first half, leading by a score of 41-31. Just before halftime, Roberts Wesleyan went on a quick 7-0 run that appeared to provide the team with some momentum, but that momentum evaporated quickly once the second half kicked off.

Marple once again led the charge for the Dolphins in the early part of the second half, scoring five of the first seven points for the team to increase her team’s lead to 48-33. From there, Le Moyne never looked back, and thoroughly dominated Roberts Wesleyan in seemingly every facet of the game for the rest of the contest.

Marple and junior forward Emily Greer were the primary catalysts for the Dolphins’ scoring explosion in the second half of the game, with Marple dropping 21 and Greer contributing 18 points on the game as a whole. Greer also led the team in assists on the day with seven.

Le Moyne’s lead was as high as 28 points with four minutes left in the game, and the team had no trouble closing things out. The Dolphins would go on to win by a score of 77-52.

When asked after the game, McKnight attributed her team’s success to great team work.

“Everyone played really well together…everyone contributed and executed the game-plan very well,” said McKnight. “It was an all-around team win.”

The Dolphins will continue their season this Saturday with a home matchup against Mansfield. McKnight believes the team has what it takes to maintain it’s winning ways through the rest of the season.

“I have high expectations for the season,” said McKnight. “We worked hard in the offseason and have great leaders that push and set high expectations that are definitely achievable.”