ADRIAN, Mich. - At the Siena Heights Fieldhouse, the homestanding Saints outscored the Adrian women's basketball team 21-10 in the fourth quarter to claim the first of Tuesday evening's crosstown doubleheader, 64-47.

Siena Heights profited largely off of its 2020-21 NAIA Second-Team All-American selection Peyton Banks. The senior paced all scorers with 28 points, including 13 from the free throw line to go along with another game-high mark of 11 rebounds.

Adrian saw offensive contributions from 10 different players, with Chelsea Palmer leading the way with a quiet nine points and eight rebounds.

Despite a near-perfect evening from the charity stripe, the Bulldogs we left searching for answers from the floor, converting on only 24.6 percent of their field goal attempts.

The hosts opened up a 9-0 advantage to set the tone early on, but Adrian was able to meet to the bottom of the net on a pair of outside shots to quickly climb back into contention and cut the deficit down to 10-8 by the end of the first frame.

In the subsequent quarter, the visitors, again took a little time to find their footing, falling behind by as many as five points. A three-pointer by Jordan Phillips drew the black and gold within one. Then, after almost two minutes of scoreless action, a perfectly-placed layup by Kiaya Warner gave the 'Dogs their first lead of the game.

Unfortunately, the single-point cushion would be Adrian's only time in front, as Siena Heights would orchestrate an 8-0 run from that point to head into the halftime break with a 31-24 lead.

The guests managed to keep things close in the early stages of the second half, but the Saints' unyielding presence in the paint was becoming too much for the Bulldogs.

At the end of the day, the home side had outmuscled their opposition down low 18-12, ultimately drawing 30 free throw attempts, of which they knocked down 22.

Adrian, on the other hand, hit 11-of-12 from the charity stripe, including a spotless 4-for-4 effort from Kourtney Crawford to make up her only points of the contest.

Rylee Campbell and Makayla Clement chipped in eight points each for the black and gold, while Phillips ended her appearance with six points.

The Bulldog women's basketball team (2-4) will begin conference-play next week, concluding their season-opening road trip at No. 11 Trine next Wednesday.