ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- The Elizabethtown College women's basketball team had to fend off Rowan in the end of Sunday's season opener at Thompson Gymnasium. The Blue Jays held off the Profs by three, 58-55. Kamryn Mengel had a game and career-high 21 points for Etown.

Elizabethtown was able to get out to a double digit lead in the first quarter as the Profs struggled from the floor, hitting on just three of their 21 attempts. Allyia Kennedy's driving basket plus the foul made it a 10-point game with 4:40 to go in the first as the Jays led 14-4. Mengel scored six of Etown's first nine points of the game.

Rowan made a quick run to end the first and get back within six at 16-10. Mengel and Kennedy combined for 11 of the team's 16.

The lead went back up into double digits again the second after Cadence Anderson's pullup jumper. After Ellie Fasick pulled down the defensive board on Rowan's next possession, Makenna Mummert's and-one pushed the advantage up to 13 at 28-15 after her made free throw. The Blue Jays were 13-for-14 from the line in the game.

10 of Mengel's 21 came in the first half as Elizabethtown shot 45 percent from the field to just 21 percent for the Profs. EC led 36-24 at halftime.

A third-quarter run by Rowan got them within as close as five points with a little less than half the quarter left to play, 41-36. Mengel connected on three of the next four baskets for the Jays. Peyton Houlihan added a layup with 1:20 to go in the third before Mengel ended the third with two foul shots, scoring 11 total in the third on her own.

The Jays held a multi-possession lead late into the game, but the Profs were able to make it too close for comfort coming down the stretch. Without the threes dropping for Etown, hitting their only one of the game early in the first quarter, Rowan worked their way back while EC went cold from the floor, 2-for-15 in the fourth.

Rowan got within two, twice, in the final 30 seconds, but some free throws by Ella Gordon and a missed three at the buzzer provided an Elizabethtown victory to start off the year.

Kennedy, Gordon, and Kiley Wilhelm each added eight boards. Wilhelm had a team-high nine rebounds while Kennedy and Fasick each grabbed eight.

The Blue Jays play at Haverford on Saturday, November 15, at 1 p.m.