ST. LOUIS, Mo. – On Saturday, Spalding women's basketball traveled to St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) opponent Fontbonne University. The Golden Eagles defeated the Griffins, 79-52. 

SU moved to 7-10 (5-5 SLIAC), while Fontbonne fell to 3-14 (3-7 SLIAC) on the season.

TURNING POINT
Nicole Hollowell scored the first four points for SU to help push an 8-0 run to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable lead to begin the match. Midway through the opening period, Riana Caldwell blocked a Fontbonne shot and collected the rebound, which led to another Golden Eagle basket by Isis Rodgers on the other end. The Griffins fought back into the game, hitting a layup to bring the score to 12-10 with three minutes left in the first quarter. Maelyn Ridener drilled a three-pointer on the other end, the first of many for her, opening the Spalding lead again. Ridener followed this with another basket from downtown, assisted by Rogers. Spalding closed out the quarter with the lead, 18-15. 

Spalding carried the momentum into the second quarter, with Sydney Raque joining in on the fun. Raque scored the first three SU baskets of the period and assisted on the fourth, which was Ridener's third three-pointer of the game. This extended the Golden Eagle lead to double digits for the first time, 27-16. Zaneiya Batiste came up with a steal on the defensive end, which led to a shot for the Golden Eagles. Batiste worked up the court in transition offense to collect the offensive rebound and get the put-back to keep the SU lead at 11, 29-18. Spalding continued to build on their lead, with Ma'Kaylia Lute and Ridener pairing up for consecutive Ridener three-pointers via Lute assists on Spalding's final three possessions of the first half. SU led at halftime, 46-25.

Spalding's offense cooled off to open the third quarter, unable to find the bottom of the basket for the first two and a half minutes. This time, though, the SU defense stepped up, not allowing a basket. The stifling defense continued, with the Golden Eagles not allowing the Griffins to score a point until over halfway through the third quarter. Spalding's lead stayed near 30 for the remainder of the quarter, including a jumper from Rodgers that was assisted by Makenna Roush. SU entered the final period up, 67-40.

Hollowell opened the final quarter similar to how she opened the game, scoring the first five points for the Golden Eagles. From there, Spalding held onto their large lead throughout the quarter. Batiste pushed the lead to 35 from the free throw line, the largest lead in a single game for Spalding this season. The Golden Eagles cruised to victory, 79-52.

GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES

• Maelyn Ridener shot 7-10 from behind the arc.
• Sydney Raque was all over the court, tallying 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and four blocks.
• Spalding outrebounded Fontbonne 53-23, including 18 from Batiste and 10 from Caldwell.
• This marks the largest win for head coach Ben Arsenault at Spalding.

NEXT FOR SPALDING
The Golden Eagles will travel to Carlinville, Illinois, to face SLIAC opponent Blackburn in their second time facing the Beavers this season. Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday, January 25th, at 6:30 p.m.