SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University women's basketball team dropped its season opener to visiting Muhlenberg College on Saturday afternoon at Maggs Physical Activities Center, 80-66.

THE RUNDOWN

Final Score: Muhlenberg 80, Salisbury 66

Records: Muhlenberg (1-0) | Salisbury (0-1)

Location: Maggs PAC – Salisbury, Maryland (Salisbury)

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

• The first basket of the season arrived via three-pointer courtesy of junior guard Amber Onyekwere just 21 seconds into the contest. The Mules answered with a 7-0 run, however, to take the early 7-3 lead which was capped off by an Ashley Polera jump shot.
• Still down 17-11 with just under a minute in the first quarter, freshman Abby Wilkinson drew a foul on Mikaela McGarvey before sinking both of her free throw attempts. However, a three-pointer from Muhlenberg's Jaelyn Swann put her team up 20-13 at the end of one quarter.

Second Quarter

• The Sea Gulls played their best quarter of the afternoon in the second, tallying 19 total points. A Jada Welbon three-pointer kicked off a 10-2 run which was capped off by another Onyekwere three nearly four minutes later for the 23-22 lead.
• The Mules regained the lead at 27-25 a minute later, but a Lauren Fortescue three briefly put Salisbury back on top, 28-27.
• A 7-4 run by Mulhenberg closed out the half with the visitors leading, 34-32.

Third Quarter

• A pair of Kaylee Otlowski free throws tied the game up early into the third quarter and kicked off an 11-4 run by the Sea Gulls, putting the team up 43-38 just over four minutes in.
• With just over two minutes remaining in the quarter and down 48-44, Muhlenberg's Mikaela McGarvey put the team on her back, scoring two three-pointers and a pair of free throws as a part of her team's 10-0 run to put the Mules up 54-48 at the buzzer.

Fourth Quarter

• The fourth quarter began with an 11-4 run by the Mules that spanned four minutes, giving them a comfortable 65-52 lead.
• Salisbury managed to draw a number of fouls in the final minutes of the game to get to the free-throw line, but it wasn't enough to overcome a hot offense at the other end of the court, as Muhlenberg held on to defeat the Sea Gulls, 80-66.

GAME NOTES

• On the afternoon, Salisbury shot 35 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 63 percent from the stripe.
• Junior Courtney Brigham was two points shy of a double-double, scoring eight points while leading the team with 10 rebounds. Sophomore Kaylee Otlowski contributed another seven rebounds to finish second on the team.
• Sophomore Lauren Fortescue scored a team-high 15 points, including going 3-for-4 from three-point range, while adding two assists, two steals, and two rebounds. Sophomore Jada Welbon, Otlowski, and Junior Amber Onyekwere all reached double-digits as well, scoring 13, 12, and 11, respectively.
• Onyekwere also led the team with four assists.

UP NEXT

• The team returns to action when it travels to Virginia Wesleyan on Tuesday, November 12 to take on the Marlins beginning at 5 p.m.
• Live stats and video will be available.