ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Two days after shooting a season-high from the field at Marywood, the Elizabethtown College women's basketball team scorched the nets at Thompson Gymnasium Monday evening in a 69-55 non-conference win over Marymount (Va.). The Blue Jays shot 48.1 percent and got a team-high 19 points from Veronica Christ to lead four in double figures for E-town in the win.

Last season's Capital Athletic Conference champions, Marymount (Va.) (8-4) had a rough go of it in the first quarter against an Elizabethtown (6-4) team that came ready to play. The Blue Jays held the Saints to 2-for-17 from the floor over the first ten minutes and got out to a 19-7 lead. Christ had the first four points for E-town and scored eight of her 19 in the first period to get the Jays out in front.

After Marymount split a pair of free throws, Lydia Lawson dished off to Roni Isenberg down low for the bucket to give EC an 8-5 lead. A turnover from the Saints led to a three at the other end by Marissa Emlet, three of the Jays' 25 points off turnovers. A few possessions later as Elizabethtown held Marymount scoreless, Mikayla Ruth hit one of her two treys and the lead was up to nine, 14-5. Christ closed out the quarter with a pair of foul shots as E-town took a double-digit lead into the second.

The lead only grew from there as Marymount continued to struggle from the field while the Blue Jays took advantage. Lawson assisted on back-to-back buckets by Christ in the second, a layup on the fast break followed by her lone three of the game. Christ grabbed the rebound on the following possession to set up what would be an Angie Hawkins' three-point play. The freshman drove inside, took the contact, and got the hoop plus the harm. She sank the free throw and Elizabethtown was up by 20, 29-9, with 5:58 left in the half.

Katie McShea finally got the Saints into double figures with a pair of foul shots with 4:30 remaining. Rachel Christman got in on the Jays' hot shooting, sinking a three to make it a 25-point game. She had five points in the quarter after hitting both attempts from the charity stripe two minutes later.

Meanwhile, the defense was tasked with slowing down Marymount's leading scorer, Regan Lohr, who had gone for 24 points last night in a win over Gallaudet. They held the sharpshooter to 1-for-8 from the field and only two points in the first half. She would finish with 11 (4-for-16 FG, 3-for-10 3PT).

Though Elizabethtown led comfortably at the half, 38-15, the Saints came out of halftime on a mission and held the Jays scoreless for over five minutes of the third quarter and got back within nine, 38-29, with 4:35 left in the third. Emlet's bucket inside broke the scoreless streak, but Marymount continued to come at E-town. McShea made three straight shots for Marymount to get her team as close as seven.

The Blue Jays closed the third quarter on a 9-2 run sparked by Ruth and Lawson, and a quick scare turned back into a 14-point lead for the home team, 49-35, going into the fourth.

Lawson produced one of her team-high five steals to start the fourth and went coast-to-coast for the deuce. E-town's first three baskets of the fourth were of the fast break variety. Christ grabbed another defensive rebound and started Lawson on the break. The junior finished it off once more to make it 53-37. A possession later off Lohr's missed three, the Lawson-Christ connection struck again. Emlet sent her outlet pass off one of her team-high eight rebounds to Lawson, who then found Christ ahead of the pack for two more and forced Marymount into a timeout.

From there, the Saints couldn't recover. They got within 11 with 1:48 to go, but no closer as Elizabethtown closed things out for the win.

Christ hit 8 of her 15 attempts from the field for 19 points. Ruth followed with 13, Emlet added 11, and Lawson finished with 10 for E-town. McShea had 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Saints.

The women's basketball team is off for the remainder of 2018 and will next play on Wednesday, January 2, at 1 p.m. against Coast Guard at Thompson Gymnasium.