MORRIS, Minn. – The College of St. Scholastica controlled the opening minute of play on Saturday in the UMAC opener between the Saints and the University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team. The next 39 minutes were all Cougars. A dominant first quarter ended with UMN Morris up by 20 points and the result was never in doubt from there as the home side cruised to a 78-36 win at Jim Gremmels Court.

Following a layup from Eve Turner on St. Scholastica's first possession, Minnesota Morris locked in on defense and held the Saints scoreless for more than seven minutes, going on a 19-0 run in the process. By the time the dust settled, the Cougars led by a score of 26-6, fueled by nine of Haley Wollschlager's 14 points on the afternoon.

Relentless on the defensive side of the floor, UMN Morris kept turning turnovers into points in the second quarter. At the half, the Cougars had scored 27 points off of 24 St. Scholastica turnovers and took a 48-15 lead into the break.

Though the Cougars had a slow start to the third quarter due to some sloppy possessions, they eventually came around to extend their lead to 64-25 after 30 minutes of play. Malory Anderson scored seven in the frame for Minnesota Morris. The fourth quarter was a chance to experiment with different lineups as everyone in uniform saw time for the Cougars. Grace Olson capped the scoring for the day with a late three to make the final margin a 42-point victory for UMN Morris.

Wollschlager and Lexus Eagle Chasing tied for team-high scoring honors with 14 on the day. Anderson contributed 11 off the bench. Both Justine Day and Ella Van Kempen ended with seven boards, with Van Kempen denying four St. Scholastica shots also. Hajaysen Kwateh swiped five steals to go along with her eight points.

Minnesota Morris goes on road on Thursday night, venturing to New Ulm to face Martin Luther College at 7 p.m.