MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Stillman College women's basketball opened the 2023-2024 season Thursday afternoon with an 86-50 win over Webber International University in game two of the second-annual Southern States Athletic Conference / Sun Conference Challenge at the Cramton Bowl.
The win moves Stillman to 4-0 against Sun Conference teams in the last three seasons, including three-straight season-opener victories. It is the first time since 2000-2002 that Stillman has won its season opener in three consecutive seasons.
Kashara Preston hit a 3 in the first 30 seconds of action to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead and start a 17-3 Stillman run through the first six minutes of the game. Preston went on to score 12 points in her Stillman debut, all in the first quarter, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers.
Stillman led 27-7 after the first 10 minutes while shooting 57.1% as a team from the floor. It was 46-20 Stillman at the half.
A different Tiger player led Stillman in scoring each quarter. Following Preston's lead in the first quarter,
Alexandria Haymon led scored seven points to pace the Tigers' offense in the second quarter, while
Raena Suggs led the team in the third quarter with eight of Stillman's 24 points. By the end of the third, Stillman grew its lead to 36 points, 70-34.
London Wooley and
Hannah Boykin-Williams each scored four points in the fourth quarter for Stillman. The largest lead of the night was 41 points, 78-37, on a Wooley basket midway in the fourth quarter.
Suggs led all players with 17 points in 22 minutes during her Stillman debut, shooting 60% from the floor and 2-of-2 at the free throw line. Haymon followed with 14 points and seven rebounds. Senior post player
JaMesha King narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Farrah Pearson added eight points.
All 12 Tigers that played scored points, including 40 points from the Tigers' bench. Stillman dominated the glass with 39 rebounds to Webber's 22, including 14 offensive rebounds that led to 13 second-chance points.
The 36-point win is the Tigers' highest season-opening margin of victory since Stillman opened the 2009 season with a 96-49 win over Clark Atlanta.
Stillman (1-0) will meet Keiser University (2-1) at 10 a.m. Friday morning to begin the second day of the SSAC/Sun Challenge at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex. Keiser fell to the University of Mobile on Thursday, 88-69.