JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps women's basketball team put forth a tremendous effort on both ends of the court to down the University of Ozarks, 64-45 in a season-opening triumph inside the Hangar Dome on Friday.
Junior Elyse Warren led the way for the Majors with her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting.
Senior Haley Franklin chipped in 19 points, shot 7-of-13 from the floor and was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Sophomore Garin Freeman netted 16 points and added two rebounds and two assists, while shooting 7-of-11.
Senior Emily Adams netted seven points, grabbed a steal and collected three rebounds.
Millsaps outnumbered the Eagles in total bench points (22-13), dominated scoring in the paint (36-14) and took a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points.
A Franklin driving layup gave Millsaps its first points of the season as the Majors would lead for the majority of the contest.
A nifty jumper by the Baton Rouge, La., native would soon transition the Majors into a four-point lead.
A three-pointer banked by the Eagles would cut the Millsaps margin down to 6-5 early.
On the next possession the Ozarks would take their first lead of the game with a two-pointer.
Both teams would begin to trade points, before a Freeman euro-step inside the lane would put the Majors back ahead, 11-9.
Freeman then assisted Warren inside the interior for a solid layup to end the first quarter out front, 13-9.
In the second quarter, Franklin opened with a strong step back shot to help the Majors go up by six points.
A strong Freeman spin move inside the paint would soon keep the Majors ahead, 17-9.
Franklin would put Millsaps in the bonus and net two free throws to continue their stretch to 21-9 midway through the quarter.
Wide open on the court, Freeman would drive in for the and-one opportunity to further the Majors ahead by 15 points with 3:24 minutes remaining in the second quarter. The make concluded a 16-0 run that distanced the two teams.
The Eagles sank a jumper to end the scoring before halftime with Millsaps in control, 28-16.
Starting the second half strong, Franklin would get an easy bucket inside the paint.
Freeman later crossed up a couple of defenders on a scoring layup to help Millsaps move ahead, 33-20.
Franklin then used a jumper in the paint to further Millsaps ahead, 38-22 to keep the momentum going.
Senior Whitney Novak assisted on the next Millsaps scoring play to continue Franklin's scoring rampage off a driving layup.
With nine seconds left on the third quarter clock, Warren would continue to own the floor by posting an effective layup and see Millsaps maintain a 47-30 advantage to end the quarter.
After an Ozarks layup, Adams connected on a three-pointer assisted by sophomore Tia Anderson.
Warren would continue to attack the rim as an offensive threat as Anderson would collect her second consecutive assist after finding Warren in the paint.
Adams further expanded the Majors' margin to 55-34 courtesy of another three-pointer.
Sophomore Bailey Johnson would bank a three-pointer to further the Millsaps margin to 61-38 midway through the final quarter.
Classmate Mya Richardson entered and closed out the Major scoring attack with one final three-point jumper right before the final buzzer.
The Eagles added a final point from the free-throw line, but Millsaps secured a 64-45 season-opener victory against the University of the Ozarks.
The Majors will continue the Millsaps College Fall Classic with a matchup against Berea College, beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday inside the Hangar Dome.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps women's basketball program follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
