ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Veronica Christ had an efficient night from the floor for the Elizabethtown College women's basketball team as the Blue Jays got ahead early and didn't look back in a 72-56 win over No. 23 Cabrini at Thompson Gym. Christ had a game-high 25 points for E-town. Lydia Lawson was also in double figures with 19.

While Elizabethtown (4-1) held the visiting Cavaliers to 23.5 percent shooting in the first quarter, the Blue Jays jumped out to a 20-9 lead by the end of the opening quarter. Christ and Lawson each had six apiece for the Jays. Marissa Emlet grabbed six of her team-high 11 rebounds in the first. E-town hit nine of its first 16 shots through 10 minutes.

Kate Lannon helped get Cabrini (3-1) within six nearing the end of the second quarter, but a pair of freebies from Emlet at the foul line with 33 seconds left in the half gave Elizabethtown an eight-point lead at the break, 28-20.

The Cavaliers struggled to keep pace as the deep ball wasn't going down while Christ and Lawson shot 7-for-10 combined from three-point range. The pair each hit treys early in the third quarter, with Christ's making it a 15-point lead with 7:24 left in the quarter. The junior's three from the corner came after Cabrini switched up its defense to a 1-3-1. Lawson found Christ in the corner and she drained the shot to force the Cavaliers into a full timeout.

Christ closed out the third quarter with a jumper as time expired. Emlet grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed shot with time winding down and got the ball to Christ, who knocked down the shot to give E-town a 52-35 lead heading into the final period.

Cabrini got a couple quick buckets to start the fourth, but Lawson scored the first seven points of the quarter for the Blue Jays as they maintained their double-digit lead. Lawson's three, one of four in the game for the senior, made it a 17-point game with 7:07 left in regulation.

The Cavaliers got as close as 14 in the closing minutes, though E-town built it back up to 20 after Rachel Christman's steal led to an Angie Hawkins three-point play at the other end. The sophomore took the contact by the basket, but shot her went in and she hit the ensuing free throw to make it 67-47 with three minutes to go.

Yaya Cannon also hit a pair of free throws for the Blue Jays, who went 18-for-23 as a team in the game.

Christ finished the game 9-for-14 from the floor while Lawson was 6-for-13. Mikayla Ruth added eight rebounds.



Elizabethtown will host King's (Pa.) on December 4 at 6 p.m. at Thompson Gymnasium.