NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College women's basketball team defeated non-conference opponent, Hiram College, by a score of 62-48 at home on Wednesday for their tenth-straight victory.
 
The Titans ten-game winning streak is the longest win streak to open a season in program history and the third-longest winning streak overall. The longest overall winning streak in program history occurred in the 2000-01 campaign, when Westminster won 12 straight games to end the season.  
 
Westminster (10-0, 3-0 PAC) battled Hiram (3-8, 0-2 NCAC) to a 14-14 tie at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Titans ignited an 8-0 run, capped off by a putback layup by senior forward Kayla Bennett (Kent, OH / Theodore Roosevelt) to give Westminster a 29-21 lead at the halftime break. In the third quarter, Westminster extended its lead to 47-32 by the end of the quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Terriers closed the gap to seven points with 3:06 remaining. However, two consecutive layups from Bennett and senior forward Emily Fromknecht (Erie, PA / McDowell) pushed the Westminster lead to 11 with 1:49 remaining, essentially sealing the victory for Westminster.
 
The Titans shot 43.1% (25-58) from the field while Hiram had 29.2% (19-65) field goal percentage. The Titans forced 20 turnovers, generating 16 points off of turnovers and out-rebounded the Terriers 43-38. Westminster also grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the contest and dished out 16 assists.
 
Bennett led the way for the Titans with a game-high 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds to notch her third double-double of the season and the fourth of her career. The senior forward was a combined 8-14 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe. Fromknecht followed with 11 points and four rebounds. First-year guard Camden Hergenrother (Salem, OH / Cardinal Mooney) contributed nine points and tied for a game-high five steals with senior guard Brooke Lyczek (Cranberry Twp, PA / Seneca Valley). Senior guard Aliya Gage (New Castle, PA / Mohawk) finished with eight points on a 4-7 night from the floor.
 
Westminster will be back on the court on Saturday, December 28 when it takes on Olivet in the first day of the two-day Bluffton Holiday tournament at 12 p.m.
 
*Written by Mike Boucher