CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Spalding University women's basketball team defeated conference foe Blackburn College, 85-46, Wednesday night in Carlinville, Illinois. With the win, the Golden Eagles improve to 12-11 on the season and 7-8 in SLIAC play.
 
Senior Maya Hardin led the way for Spalding with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, to go along with six rebounds, while Alex Martin added 12 points and five rebounds. Thirteen different Spalding players scored in the game and the Golden Eagles bench accounted for 38 points resulting the highest scoring output of the conference schedule for Spalding.
 
After taking a 6-4 lead with 7:46 to play in the first quarter, a pair of free throws by Maya Hardin sparked a 15-0 run for the Golden Eagles to make it 21-4 with just under four minutes to play in the first quarter. Spalding never relinquished the lead and led from start to finish in the contest.
 
In the second quarter, Spalding expanded upon their lead, utilizing a 17-0 run to take a 32-point lead over Blackburn heading into the locker rooms at halftime. The Golden Eagles held the Beavers to just 28% shooting in the first half (7-of-25) and held an 18-13 rebounding advantage.
 
During the second half, Spalding capitalized on a 13-2 run early in the third quarter to take full control of the game. The Golden Eagles held the Beavers to just 34% shooting in the second half (10-of-29), while converting on 48% (14-of-29) of their own shots. A late run by Blackburn in the fourth quarter wasn't enough, as Spalding was victorious 85-46.
 
Up next for Spalding is Senior Day against MacMurray College. Tip off is set for 1 pm EST at Derek Smith Gymnasium.