APPLETON, Wis. — The Marian University women’s basketball team built a big first-half lead and went on to a 61-38 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Wednesday at Alexander Gymnasium.
Amelia Mirsberger led Marian (1-0) and all scorers with 18 points as she hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor and went 4-for-4 from the foul line. Sarah Olewinski added 12 points for the Sabres.
Elizabeth Arco paced the Vikings (0-2) with nine points and six rebounds, and Jeannine Schulz added eight points.
Marian trailed early but went on an 18-2 run in the first half to pull out to a 20-7 lead with 9:14 left in the first half. Mirsberger scored nine points in the first half as the Sabres built a 32-16 advantage at the break.
The Vikings chipped away at the lead over the first nine minutes of the second half. Lawrence outscored the Sabres 13-8 to open the half, capped by Arco’s layup, to trim the lead to 40-29. Arco scored four points in that run and Schulz had three.
Marian responded by going on a 16-4 run to grab a 56-33 lead and seal the victory.
Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Ripon College in the Midwest Conference opener for both teams.