FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The No. 4-ranked Indiana Tech women's basketball team opened Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) action Saturday afternoon inside the Schaefer Center with a 74-51 victory over Lourdes University.
 
Alexis Hill led all players with a game-high 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks while DeAnn Kauffman had 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Kelsey Ivers added a career-high nine points off the bench while Rachel Bell had eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
 
The two teams took a few possessions to get warmed up on the offensive end of the court as the first basket wasn't scored until the 8:15 mark of the first quarter with a layup from Hill, but the Gray Wolves scored the next four points to hold a 4-2 lead at the seven-minute mark. A jumper from Ivers sparked a 17-0 run for the Warriors though, as they ended the quarter leading 19-4 and holding Lourdes scoreless for the last seven minutes of the period.
 
The visitors came out of the first break with back-to-back three pointers to make it a 19-10 game with less than a minute gone in the second quarter, but a triple from Laney Steckler started a 7-2 run for the Warriors. Tech was able to keep the Gray Wolves at bay for the rest of the half, now allowing them to get within nine points and taking a 35-22 lead into the locker room.
 
Two quick fast break baskets from the Warriors prompted an early timeout from the Gray Wolves to start off the second half as Tech ended up going on a 9-0 run to begin the quarter, with Hill and Kauffman scoring all but two of the points.  The Orange and Black continued to push their advantage as they lead by as many as 25 points in the quarter and led 63-42 at the end of the period.
 
The fourth quarter saw the Warriors put the game on cruise control as they never allowed the lead to dip under 20 points and they came out their conference opener with a 74-51 victory.
 
Tech (4-1, 1-0 WHAC) returns to action on Wednesday, November 20 as they travel to Rochester University. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. from Garth Pleasant Arena.