Lexington, Ky. – The No. 8/9 Transylvania women's basketball team unfurled its best defensive performance of the season in Saturday afternoon's 71-38 win over the Anderson University Ravens at the Beck Center.

Transylvania staged an unrelenting defensive stand on Saturday, holding the Ravens to just eight points over a 24-minute period from the end of the first quarter through the beginning of the fourth quarter to carve out a 33-point win, continuing an undefeated start in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

The Pioneers expanded their winning streak to 13 games and improved their HCAC record to 10-0 and 16-1 overall. The Ravens dropped to 6-11 overall and 2-8 in HCAC play.

Ashton Woodard posted a game-high 18 points and four assists, sinking all eight of her free-throw attempts for the afternoon to pace the Pioneers on the offensive end. Grace Shope connected on 5 of 9 three-point shots to finish with 17 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one assist.

Eight of Woodard's 18 points came in the opening quarter as the senior led a fiery attack in guiding the Pioneers on an 8-2 run to close out the quarter for a 21-16 lead.

The Pioneers pulled away from the Ravens for good in the second quarter with a 14-2 run as Shope dropped two more threeballs and Woodard added another. When the dust had settled, the Pioneers owned a 40-22 halftime lead. Shope drained four of her five made threes in the first half.

Shelby Boyle led a hardworking third quarter with seven of her 12 points as the Pioneers outscored the Ravens 18 to 2 in the third. The Pioneers mined their way to 7 of 18 made shots in the third quarter while stifling Anderson into four turnovers and 1 for 9 shooting from the floor.

Anderson eventually rediscovered its offensive rhythm two minutes into the fourth quarter as the visitors began to earn trips to the free-throw line for a 14-point quarter. But a 62-24 lead for the Pioneers early in the fourth quarter was a specter far too vast for the Ravens to overcome.

Saturday's win marked the first time in the 2019-20 season that the Pioneers have held an opponent under 40 points; Transylvania has held opponents to fewer than 60 points in 13 of 17 games this season.   

Boyle finished the game with a total of 12 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist.

The Pioneers shot 46 percent from the field and a perfect 15 for 15 from the charity stripe while holding Anderson to 29 percent shooting from the floor and a paltry 1 for 14 from beyond the arc.

Transylvania is back in action on Wednesday, January 29 to visit the Franklin College Grizzlies in Franklin, Indiana at 7:00 p.m. at the Spurlock Center.

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