Anderson, Ind. – It was a mission accomplished on Saturday afternoon for the Transylvania women's basketball team, who seized a 54-49 win against the Anderson University Ravens at O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.

The Pioneers picked up their first conference road victory in their first attempt for the 2016-17 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference campaign, doing so with gritty execution.

A pair of sophomore guards brought the scoring provisions to get Transylvania to 54 points for the day, while collective team defense did the rest. Celia Kline provided a team-high 14 points in 34 minutes of play, draining four 3-pointers on the afternoon. Kristen Hayes came off the bench for 27 minutes to add 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists in a game where scoring came at a premium.

Anderson and Transylvania opened up the game feeling the other opponent out as the Ravens took a 19-12 lead to conclude the first quarter. But after Anderson collected the first bucket of the second quarter, Transy roared back on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 21-21 at the 6:30 mark of the second quarter. Hayes keyed the run with a jumper followed by hitting two foul shots. Kline added one of her four triples during the run that shifted the Pioneers into a higher level.

Anderson carried a 29-26 lead to the halftime break, along with a decisive shooting advantage from the field: while the Ravens shot 57 percent compared to 31 percent for the Pioneers in the first half, Transylvania kept the battle even by knocking down 6-for-6 attempts at the free throw line.

The third quarter was tight throughout as the Pioneers had their highest-scoring quarter of the game, posting 17 points.

In the fourth quarter, both teams went ice-cold offensively as the final 10 minutes turned into a war of attrition. The Pioneers shot a paltry 1-for-14 from the field but had success in the interior, attacking the rim with ferocity to earn nine foul shots in the final quarter, compared to just two for Anderson. Transylvania hit all nine of its free throw attempts while the Ravens went 0-for-2 from the free throw line in enduring its scoring woes.

The Pioneers went scoreless for nearly the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, but only trailed by three as Anderson could only score twice during that period of time. Hayes converted on a three-point play to quickly tie the game up at 46.

Coming off of the first triple-double performance of her career, junior forward Rachel Cox struck with two free throws with 4:18 left in regulation to hand Transylvania a 48-46 lead. Anderson received a three-point shot from D'Anjrea Allen for a 49-48 advantage with 4:06 left in the game, but it would end up being the final points of the game for Anderson.

After Anderson's go-ahead score, Cox got to the line again to hand the Pioneers a 50-49 lead. A drought unfolded into the final half minute of the game that saw Transylvania with possession. With 16 seconds remaining, Hayes drove into the lane and missed a runner, but Anderson could not secure the rebound and had to foul the Pioneers. Hayes buried two foul shots for a 52-49 advantage with 11 seconds left.

Anderson advanced the ball quickly up the court and drew a foul, but the Ravens missed both free throws to potentially pull within one point. Hayes was fouled once again and drained both freebies for the 54-49 final.

Transylvania made the most of their opportunities on this day, outscoring Anderson 26-13 in points off turnovers. Cox added nine points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Despite shooting 25.4 percent from the field for the afternoon compared to 46.7 percent for Anderson, the Pioneers forced the Ravens into 30 turnovers to take 14 more field goal attempts than their opponents.  

Transylvania improved to 5-2 overall, and 2-1 in HCAC play.

The Pioneers will now take a weeklong break for fall semester final exams before resuming HCAC play at home as they host Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Tipoff between the Pioneers and Fightin' Engineers is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.

For more on Transylvania women's basketball, follow their official twitter @TUWBX