BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University women's basketball team secured a win in their season opener Saturday afternoon, beating #13/#15 Babson, 70-63, in the Campus Rec Center Gymnasium.

Roger Williams was led by Sophia Coppola (Madison, Conn.) and Katie Galligan (Pembroke, Mass), who each scored 19 points in the win. Caroline Elie (Rockland, Mass.) had a double-double for the Hawks, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. Chloe Richardson (Norwell, Mass.) added nine points, shooting 75 percent from the field, and had four assists.

The Hawks fell behind early on the game. After Babson stretched the lead to six to make the score 15-9, a couple of three pointers from Coppola and Richardson helped the Hawks go on an 8-0 run and give them the lead. By the end of the quarter, Roger Williams led 21-17.

Roger Williams used their momentum from the end of the first quarter to propel them through the second. The Hawks shot 53.8 percent from the floor in the second quarter, allowing them to extend their lead to nine at halftime. They were also dominant on the glass, out rebounding the Beavers 12-7.

At the half, Roger Williams held a 42-33 lead over Babson. The Hawks shot lights out in the first two quarters, with a field goal percentage of 61.5 percent and shooting 80 percentage on attempts from three. Sophia Coppola led the Hawks with 11 points at the break, followed closely by Richardson with nine. Elie managed the paint for Hawks, securing five rebounds. Babson was led by Chloe Perreault, who had 11 points.

Babson came out of the break on fire, going on a 7-0 run in the early minutes of the third and cutting their deficit to two. However, the Hawks took back the momentum quick. After the Beaver's early run, Roger Williams outscored Babson 16-6. Galligan scored nine points in the third, bringing her game total up to 14. After three quarters, the Hawks held a 58-46 lead.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth contest between both teams. Babson opened the quarter on another 7-0 run to cut the Hawks lead to three. The game stayed close, but Roger Williams was able to pull away with five points in the final minute to ensure the win.

Roger Williams (1-0, 0-0 CCC) will host Tufts on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 6:00 pm in the Campus Rec Center, before playing back-to-back contests on the road at UMass Dartmouth and Brandeis on Tuesday, Nov. 21 and Monday, Nov. 27.