Sophomore Erin McQuillen stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists in just 17 minutes of action while freshmen Amalia Esposito and Amanda Lemire each scored in double figures as the Susquehanna University Women's Basketball team secured a 79-66 victory over Wilkes University Tuesday evening in Wilkes Barre.

The River Hawks (1-0) only trailed for a total of 24 seconds in the contest, as Wilkes (1-2) scored the first basket of the game less than two minutes in.

Susquehanna proceeded to score the next eight points, with Nevin Hoenninger, McQuillen and Alanna Connolly each scoring to help expand the early lead.

A three-pointer in the closing seconds of the first quarter brought the Colonels to within one point at 16-15, but the River Hawks would pull away in the second.

Sadie Comfort and Esposito sparked the run in the second quarter, with Comfort nailing three 3-pointers and Esposito adding two of her own alongside a two point bucket. The River Hawks outscored the Colonels 24-11 to close out the half and took a 40-26 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter saw the lead steadily remain the same, with the team going on a small run to end the third quarter.

Three-pointers by Rachel Sweger and Lemire helped extend the lead to 64-47 going into the final period.

The advantage continued to grow in the fourth quarter as well, with several different River Hawks seeing action.

Another three-pointer by Lemire and baskets by Esposito and Taylor Evans saw the lead grow to 25 points before Wilkes went on an extended run over the final seven minutes of play to make the score more respectable. When it was all said and done, the River Hawks walked away with a 79-66 victory.

The team handed out 18 assists on the evening and made 12 three pointers. Hoenninger led Susquehanna with four steals, while Bailey Trell and Esposito each had three.

The River Hawks continue their season Saturday when the team takes on Penn College in the first leg of the Susquehanna Trailways Tip-off Tournament. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.