ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - Eastern Women's Basketball opened its season with a 74-61 win over visiting Rosemont College. Emily Lavin scored 25 points, gathered 23 rebounds, and blocked eight shots to lead the Eagles.

Lavin, a returning first-team All-MAC Freedom performer, added five blocks and three assists in the first game of her junior campaign. Taylor Price scored 17 points, and Reggie Robinson poured in 15 in her college debut.

Eastern (1-0) led 28-12 after the first quarter and never looked back. Eastern grabbed an 8-0 lead behind the strong inside play of Lavin. She scored Eastern's first ten points. After the Ravens had cut the deficit to 13-8, Eastern used a 16-4 run to close out the quarter and take control of the game. The Eagles shot 51% from the floor in the opening period. Ed note. NCAA Women's College Basketball is now played in four ten-minute quarters. This rule change went into effect for this year.

Head Coach Eric Houston picked up the win in his first game as a head coach. "It feels really good to get that first win in front of the home crowd," he said. "It was a lot of nerves but once the game started, I felt like I belong on the sideline. It was great to play against someone else and learn how my team can play through adversity. We are still learning each day. But I am very confident we will be great!"


The Eagles opened the second half with another 8-0 run to take 50-30 lead. Eastern built the largest lead of the game midway through the second period when Robinson split a pair of free-throws to give the Eagles a 60-37 lead. Rosemont closed out the quarter on a 10-2 run to pull back within 15.

"Lavin played a very good game," Houston said of his junior standout. "She plays with a very high motor and is a monster on the boards. She protects the rim with the best of them. Once she puts it all together, she will be a very great force. I am proud of this whole team and the hard work they put in. We just need to continue to get better each day."

The Eagles scored 50 points in the paint while holding the Ravens to only 24 inside points. As a team, the Eagles blocked 12 shots and nearly doubled up the Ravens with a 63-45 margin on the glass.

Houston finished his thoughts saying, "This game was a great teaching point for the team and me. Cabrini will be a very tough game, and they are coming over to Eastern ready to go. We need to execute and be mentally prepared and mentally tough for this game. This game was definitely a great learning experience for both the staff and players."

Eastern hosts Cabrini in The Battle for Eagle Road on Nov. 17th.