JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps women's basketball team broke the frantic Birmingham-Southern press to earn a 93-78 SAA conference-opening victory inside the Hangar Dome on Saturday.
 
The Majors outscored the Panthers 68-36 in the paint as result and outshot their opponents 53.5 to 32 percent on the day.
 
Sophomore Haley  Franklin (20 points) had a dominant game shooting 9-of-19, while junior DeZarae Stewart (18 points) was excellent shooting 8-of-11. Their combined strength off the bench helped Millsaps (7-2, 1-0 SAA) outscore Birmingham-Southern (5-4, 0-1 SAA) by a 49-38 reserve margin.
 
Fast breaks played a huge role in the victory running coast-to-coast as the Majors outpaced their opponents, 24-15. Millsaps tallied its sixth straight triumph in the contest.
 
Sophomore Whitney Novak was lethal on offense and defense. The 5-11 forward had an aggressive performance with 12 points, six rebounds and career-high four steals. Junior forward Helena Roe was a star all over the court, posting seven points, six boards, two steals, two blocks and a career-high four assists. Much of Roe's passes were the length of the court in order to break the Panther press.

Throughout the game, the Panthers found their way climbing back on the board, but the Majors stood their ground on multiple occasions.
 
BSC shot 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from long-range in the opening quarter, which kept Millsaps only down 18-17 after 10 minutes of play. The Panthers would continue to struggle thanks to the Major defense, shooting 16.7 percent (5-of-30) from deep for the game.

Millsaps used a crucial 8-0 run to build a 61-46 advantage midway through the third quarter. The Majors would outscore their visitors, 29-18 in the frame and hold a solid lead the rest of the way.
 
Millsaps will be back at home to face Belhaven in a rematch on Tuesday, beginning at 6 p.m. Live video and stats will be available at gomajors.com.
 

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