Daytona Beach, Fla. - December 19, 2014 - Four members of the Springfield College women's basketball program posted double-digits in the scoring column, as the Pride cruised to a 67-55 victory over SUNYIT in its opening game of the Daytona Beach Shootout, held at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. 

With the win, Springfield improves to 3-4 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 3-4 overall.

Leading the way for Springfield was junior guard Heather Lewis (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), who registered a team-high 19 points, while sophomore guard Lexi Windwer (Milton, Mass.) posted 13 of her own. Junior forward Emily Gins (Fort Myers, Fla.) posted 12 and senior captain Jaimie Bickelhaupt (Brookfield, Conn.) 11 in the victory. Bickelhaupt also collected her fourth double-double of the season as she tallied 16 rebounds in the contest. The Pride shot 24-for-58 (41.4%), while the Wildcats only mustered a 21-for-58 (36.2%) shooting percentage over 40 minutes.

Springfield jumped out to an early 5-0 advantage after a three-pointer from Bickelhaupt, followed by a pair of free-throws converted by Lewis, but SUNYIT was able slow down the Pride's fast start and took an 8-7 lead just 2:48 into the contest after Emily Alicea (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) knocked down a three of her own. With the game even at 13 apiece midway through the first half, the Pride broke the gridlock when it went on a 20-3 run, a run in which Lewis posted seven of her 19 points to give the Pride a 33-16 lead and send Springfield into the half with a 37-21 lead.

The Pride came out strong in the second half, extending its lead to 18 when Bickelhaupt converted a layup, before Gins hit two free-throws to make it 41-23 Pride. After playing stout defense midway through the second half, Bickelhaupt picked up a defensive rebound and on the ensuing possession, Windwer found space from beyond the three-point arc and hit a three to give the Pride a 46-25 advantage with 14:44 left.

SUNYIT hung tough and eventually sparked a comeback when Molly MacLachlan (Marcellus, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer to spark a 7-2 run, capped off with another triple from Alicea which cut the Wildcats' deficit to just ten. The Pride were able to fend off the late rally from SUNYIT, as Windwer was able to convert on all four of her opportunities from the free-throw line in the waning minutes of the game.

The Pride will be back in action on Saturday, December 20 when it will play its second of two games at the Daytona Beach Shootout against Marymount (Va.). The game is set to begin at 12 p.m.