BALDWIN CITY – No. 15 Benedictine Women's Basketball was able to turn a halftime deficit into a season-opening win on Friday night as they took on Ottawa University in the first day of the Heart-KCAC Challenge at Baker University.

Ottawa led 37-32 at the half only to see the Ravens use a 31-point third quarter to take control of the game eventually earning a 76-65 win over the Braves.

Benedictine outscored Ottawa 31-10 in the third quarter, shooting 56.3 percent from the floor while forcing 7 turnovers that led directly to 11 points and allowed the Ravens to build at 16-point lead headed into the fourth quarter.

Ottawa used a 40-percent shooting effort with 3 3-pointers in the first quarter to built out a 22-19 lead on the Ravens. They also went 7 of 7 at the charity stripe to offset 8 first-quarter field goals by the Ravens.

The Ravens were limited to just 3 second-quarter field goals, but went 6 of 9 at the free throw line to keep close to the Braves before Ottawa took the 5-point lead into halftime.

While the defensive set the tone for the Ravens the entire night, it was the spark in the third quarter that ignited the comeback. 

The Ravens weren't able to pull away from the Braves until 4 minutes into the third quarter. Nicole Storck gave the Ravens a 42-41 lead with 6 minutes remaining and from there, the Ravens turned up the intensity to earn the win. 

Benedictine pushed ahead by as much as 17 early in the fourth quarter before earning the 10-point win.

The Ravens forced the Braves into 28 turnovers, 15 of which came off steals as they finished with 25-5 advantage in points off turnovers. 

Storck led the Ravens in scoring with 20 points as three Ravens finished in double figures. Riley Bruggeman added 17 points and finished with a double-double, recording a game-high – and career hight – 10 steals. Kelli Storck finished with 14 points while Oen Deters added 8. 

Benedictine makes its home debut on Saturday at 2 p.m. as they host the second leg of the Heart-KCAC Challenge. The Ravens take on the University of St. Mary Spires in the finale of the challenge, after Ottawa and Baker take on each other at 12 p.m.

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