RIPON, Wis. -- After a closely-contested first half, the University of Chicago women's basketball team locked down defensively to win its season debut 59-45 on Friday at the Ripon College Tip-off Tournament.

A 9-0 run by the Maroons (1-0) put them ahead 18-10 midway through the first half. UChicago looked to be in the driver's seat with a 10-point lead five minutes later. However, the Eagles (0-1) got their offense rolling right before halftime and went into the break trailing by a single point, 29-28.

In the second half, UChicago broke the game open thanks to a 15-3 run over the course of five minutes. Benedictine's offense suffered a cold spell and couldn't regain any momentum, shooting only 21.2 percent (7-for-33) over the final 20 minutes.

A balanced, efficient UChicago offense resulted in six players scoring at least six points each. The Maroons shot 44 percent from the field while limiting the Eagles to 29 percent. Benedictine won the rebounding battle 39-30 thanks to 19 offensive rebounds.

UChicago Stat Leaders
Hannah Ballard - 11 points, 5 rebounds
Morgan Donovan - 10 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
Julie Muguira - 10 points, 3 assists
Claire Devaney - 7 points, 5 rebounds
Christiane Murray - 6 points, 3 blocks

Benedictine Stat Leaders
Vincenza Ranallo - 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 three-pointers
Katie Hunzinger - 8 rebounds, 4 points

NEXT GAME: Saturday, Nov. 17 - UChicago vs. University of Wisconsin-Superior, 3 PM.