ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team defeated Hamline University (0-2 overall), 45-36, in its home opener Friday evening inside the Ericksen Center. With the win, the Eagles improve to 1-1 on the season.

HU started out strong, taking the first frame [13-10] from UNW. With both teams battling to a close second quarter, the visiting Pipers still held the advantage at the halftime break as they headed into the locker room with a 17-16 lead.

On the half, Northwestern outdid Hamline defensively, snatching an impressive 19 rebounds [5 OFF, 14 DEF], while the Pipers noted 18 [7 OFF, 11 DEF].

In the third period, Andrea Zimpel (Isle, Minn./Isle), Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield), and Alex Peterson (St. Paul, Minn. /Como Park) made quite the impression, as they tallied quick points to help the Eagles boost a 22-17 lead with just over five left to play on the quarter. The strong defensive efforts also continued, as the Eagles held the Pipers from scoring up until the last three minutes on the period. By the close of the third, UNW held the advantage, 30-27, over HU.

All throughout the fourth quarter, the Eagles maintained a lead that would never die, allowing the home team to soar to a 45-36 victory over the visiting Pipers.

Concluding the evening contest, UNW shot 27.5% from the field, while HU finished by shooting 20.3% from the floor. As a team, the Eagles also tallied 13 bench points, collected eight assists, and grabbed 38 rebounds [9 OFF, 29 DEF].

Peterson [11pts] led UNW on the offensive front, as she was the only player to tally double digits. The junior center finished 5-for-6 from the charity stripe and went 3-for-4 from the field. She also closed with six rebounds, one assist, and one block.

Audrey Lefto (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) [9pts] and Berglund [8pts] also had strong showings, as the duo contributed a combined 17 points towards the night's win. Berglund also recorded eight rebounds [2 OFF, 6 DEF], tallied three assists, and noted one block, respectively. 

Northwestern will host Nebraska Wesleyan tomorrow, November 18, in its final day of the ACR Homes Tip-off Tourney. Game time is set for 3 p.m. inside the Ericksen Center. Fans can find more information on the women's basketball team by following @unwwbb on Twitter and by visiting www.unweagles.com.