ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Spalding women's basketball made their way to St. Louis this weekend to take on SLIAC opponent Fontbonne. SU grabbed a big win, 59-34.

The Golden Eagles improved to 2-6 (1-2 SLIAC) on the season, while the Griffins fell to 1-4 (1-2 SLIAC).

TURNING POINT
Spalding opened the game with stifling defense, a theme that would persist throughout the game. The Griffins knocked down a basket over halfway through the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles had already built a near double-digit lead. Sydney Raque got a steal shortly after the first Fontbonne basket and took it coast to coast to push Spalding ahead 11-4. SU did not look back and finished the quarter on a 7-3 run to go into the second period ahead 18-7.

Spalding continued the intense defense into the second quarter, but this time coupled it with strong offense. Isis Rodgers led the way to start this period, nailing a three-pointer on one possession off a Nicole Hollowell assist. Then, after a steal by Ma'kaylia Lute, Rodgers went down the court and hit a mid-range jumper, assisted by Zaneiya Batiste. This gave the Golden Eagles their biggest lead, ahead 25-9. Spalding's defense stayed intense throughout the period, allowing only four points by the Griffins. The teams entered halftime with the scoreboard reading 29-11 in favor of the visitors. 

The third quarter was more similar, with the SU defense continuing to put pressure on Fontbonne. Another longtime storyline throughout the game was Spalding's rebounding dominance. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Griffins 14-8 in just the third quarter alone. While the rebounding efforts were going on, Spalding managed to keep at least a 13-point lead throughout the quarter. This lead increased to 21 points as SU carried a 44-23 lead into the final period.

Batiste continued her double-double efforts, opening the fourth quarter scoring with a jumper in the paint after collecting the rebound on the defensive end. Despite efforts by the Griffins, Spalding kept them at arm's length, never allowing the hosts to come within 15 points of the lead. A pair of threes by Rodgers extended the SU lead to 24. The game was closed out by Riana Caldwell with a big block on defense. Gabby Douglass grabbed a rebound and made her way up the court with less than a minute left. The ball reached Mackenzie Day, who sent it to Caldwell for an easy layup. Caldwell put the bow on this one with another layup as time expired, assisted by Kendall Mattison. Spalding took home the win, 59-34.

GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES

• SU grabbed their first conference win.
• Zaneiya Batiste locked in a big-time performance with a 16-point and 21-rebound double-double.
• Spalding held Fontbonne to just 24% shooting from the field and 8% from behind the arc.
• The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Griffins 49-30.

NEXT FOR SPALDING
Spalding will get a short break before returning to action on Friday, December 20th, against Rose-Hulman. Spalding will host this matchup, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.