CARLINVILLE, Ill. – On Thursday, Spalding women's basketball traveled to St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) opponent Blackburn College. The Golden Eagles defeated the Beavers, 65-45. 

SU moved to 8-10 (6-5 SLIAC), while Blackburn fell to 3-15 (0-11 SLIAC) on the season.

TURNING POINT
Isis Rodgers hit a fast-break layup to give SU the game's first points. The first quarter was a battle between both teams, as neither team could find any sort of separation. Sydney Raque made a driving layup while she earned the and-one to keep Spalding in front, 11-10. Neither team could find a bucket for the next two minutes. With 25 seconds remaining in the quarter, Rodgers hit a mid-range jump shot to give the Golden Eagles a three-point advantage to end the quarter, 13-10.

Raque scored back-to-back layups for SU, giving them a seven-point advantage, 17- 10, to begin the quarter. This provided an 11-3 run for the Golden Eagles, as Maelyn Ridener and Ma'kayla Lute found themselves in the scoring column. The Beavers kept trying to stop Spalding's run, but SU's momentum was providing space on the scoreboard. Rodgers closed the half with two layups of her own, giving the Golden Eagles a comfortable lead into the half, 32-21.

To open the half, Nicole Hollowell got in on the scoring with a three-pointer of her own. This spiked fire into the Golden Eagles as SU opened the half on a 20-2 run. It was all Spalding in the third quarter, as team ball and defense created some separation. The Golden Eagles ended the third quarter with the lead, 52-27.

 It was a low-scoring affair coming into the fourth quarter. Neither team could score many points to open the quarter. As four minutes passed, Raque and Lute got the Golden Eagles rolling, each hitting a three-pointer. From here on out, it was all SU. Spalding took this SLIAC victory, 65-45.

GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES

• Sydney Raque led the game in scoring with 17 points.
• Spalding's defense stood their ground with eight blocks and seven steals.
• SU outrebounded the Beavers, 57-36.
• Zaneiya Batiste led the game in rebounds with 18.

NEXT FOR SPALDING
The Golden Eagles will travel to SLIAC opponent Eureka College on Saturday, January 27th. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.