BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A tenacious defensive front and balanced efforts powered the Millsaps women's basketball team to a 74-46 victory over Bob Jones University in the Richard Dardenne Memorial Classic inside Bill Battle Coliseum on Friday.

The Majors held the Bruins to 23 percent from the field, including a 13-percent showing in the opening quarter. Sophomore guard Haley Franklin nearly netted a double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting.

Junior DeZarae Stewart (10 points), senior Meagan Bickmann (nine pts) and senior Devan Caldwell (eight pts) had strong scoring contributions.
 
Millsaps dominated the glass (52-38), which resulted in a heavy advantage in the paint (38-16). The Majors' bench was also fantastic by more than doubling their reserve counterparts (40-16). Sophomore Emily Adams grabbed four of 18 team steals.

After a pair of Bruin free throws broke the ice, Franklin opened the Millsaps scoring by going coast to coast two minutes in for a nice run to the hoop. She then provided a steal and score to give Millsaps a 4-2 lead.
 
Senior Briasha King would provide a steal and fast-break layup of her own to give the Majors the lead at 8-7 midway through the opening quarter.
 
Stewart continued the momentum with a nice driving layup and three-point conversion, building the Millsaps edge to 15-7 in the first seven minutes of action.
 
Franklin added to her first quarter point tally when she converted an and-one opportunity, putting Millsaps up 19-7 with just over a minute remaining in the opening stanza.
 
Sophomore forward Whitney Novak drained a three-point shot to close the first quarter scoring at 22-7 providing the finishing touches of a 16-0 scoring flurry.
 
After a mini 4-0 run by Bob Jones to open the second, Bickmann answered with back-to-back pull-up three-pointers.
 
Following a Millsaps timeout, senior guard Elecia Lartigue made a nice cut to the hoop for a nifty score. The Bruins answered with a basket before Stewart drained another trey to make it 33-19 midway through the quarter.
 
Franklin then went on a 6-0 run of her own punctuated by a coast-to-coast glide to the hoop. The last score put Millsaps up 39-19 with 2:30 to play in the half. The Majors would lead 42-24 at the halftime horn.
 
She then posted a pull-up jumper and driving layup to answer a BJU 5-1 run, propelling Millsaps ahead 47-29 midway through the third frame.
 
Junior forward Helena Roe made a strong play when she tallied an and-one with a pull-up jumper at the elbow, pushing Millsaps ahead by 20 points (50-30) with 3:30 to go in the third. The Majors would hold Bob Jones off in the fourth quarter, downing the Bruins 74-46.
 
Millsaps will next face No. 5/6 Trinity (Texas) on Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m. Live video and live stats will be available at gomajors.com.


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