ADRIAN, Mich.--The Adrian College women's basketball team shot 63.5 percent from the field and used solid defense down the stretch to hold off non-conference opponent Hiram College, 85-80, in the Bulldogs home opener on Saturday evening. 

THE BASICS
Final Score: Adrian College 85, Hiram College 80

Location: Merillat Sport and Fitness Center; Adrian, Mich.

Records: Adrian Bulldogs, 2-0 overall (0-0 MIAA); Hiram Terriers, 0-1 overall (0-0 NCAC)

TOP 'DAWGS
= Sophomore Rylee Campbell scored a team-best 18 points for a season high, followed by junior Rachel Bucher with 16, senior Alivia Kondrath and sophomore Addison Bergman with 13 apiece and Junior Sha'Trice Graves with 10.

= Bergman finished with a statline of game-high eight rebounds, four assists and 6-for-8 field goal shooting off the bench.

= Junior Arjanae Morgan and Campbell also had four assists apiece to lead the Bulldogs.  

THE OPPOSITION
= Tashauna Wright poured in a game-high 31 points on 10-for-20 field goal shooting and 9-of-12 free throw line.

= Madison Branch added 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting and a game-high six assists.

= Alainna Conroy chipped in 15 points and a game-best five steals.

= MicKayla Baldwin led the Terriers with five rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
= Adrian made 33-of-52 field goals for a season-high 63.5 percent to build as much as an 18-point lead in the second quarter. The Bulldogs also were 6-for-11 (54.5) from three-point range.

= The Bulldogs led 24-12 after the first quarter and had its biggest lead of 18 points at 37-19 on a Campbell 3ball from the corner with 5 minutes and 35 seconds left in the second.

= Trailing 44-31 going into the third quarter, Hiram eventually cut it to 50-47 at the 4:39 mark on a Wright three-pointer. Wright keyed the run with 10 points.

= Adrian responded quickly by going up 60-48 over the next two minutes as Kondrath started the 10-1 run with a trey and Bergman ended it with a traditional three-point play of a layup and free throw.

= But in the fourth quarter, the Terriers wouldn't quit and battled back from a 71-60 deficit to tie the score 75-all after Wright was fouled from beyond the 3-point arc and made all three free throws with 3:40 to go.

= The Bulldogs, however, pushed back again and held the Terriers at bay by not giving up the lead. Campbell fed Bergman for a nice give-and-go underneath the basket to go up 77-75.

= Campbell scored six of Adrian's last eight points, including 4-for-4 at the free throw stripe, to seal the victory.

= Adrian also held the edge on the glass by outrebounding Hiram 34-25.

= The Terriers scored 25 points off 21 Adrian turnovers.

= The Bulldogs had the better bench with 22 points to Hiram's 11 and also dominated the paint, 48-34.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
= Adrian avenges last year's 69-55 loss at Hiram, as the all-time series is now even with a win apiece.

= Hiram competes in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

= The Bulldogs' five starters of sophomore Katy Shannon (2-3), Graves (5-5), Bucher (7-8), Campbell (6-9) and Kondrath (4-8) shot a combined 24-for-33 from the field, or 72.7 percent.

= Adrian's .635 field goal percentage is believed to be a single-game school benchmark. 

UP NEXT
= Adrian travels to Alvernia, Pa., next weekend for the Alvernia College Tournament. On Saturday, the Bulldogs will play Brooklyn at 3 p.m. The third-place and championship games will be held the following day. 

#AdrianBulldogs #GoDawgs #GDTBAB #BulldogProud