Mesa, Ariz. – Simpson Women's Basketball grinds out their first conference win Thursday night ,defeating Benedictine Mesa 63-59. Eight Red Hawks scored in the win with three players scoring double digits.
 
The Red Hawks took a quick six-point lead early in the game by scoring in the paint and forcing Benedictine to turn the ball over. Alex Cooper owned the glass in the first and scored all six of her points in the opening minutes of the game to set the tone for her team. There were a few lead changes in the first half as the two teams went at it, but back to back triples from Natalie Campos and Whitney Armstrong with under 2 minutes to play in the second sent SU to the locker room with a one-point lead.
 
The second half was tightly contested but the Red Hawks, hungry for their first conference win, were able to keep things close until winning time. There was a total of ten lead changes in the game, but the Red Hawks took control in the fourth and maintained their lead for the final 6 minutes. SU outscored Benedictine by five in the final period and the Red Hawks were reminded what it takes to win a tough conference battle.
 
Whitney Armstrong led the offensive charge for the Red Hawks scoring 14 points and dishing 4 assists. The Senior guard got hot from behind the arc, shooting 3-4 on the night from downtown.
 
Blanca Cassamort and Alli Ramelli also contributed double digit scoring efforts with 11 points apiece, also adding seven and six rebounds respectively.  
 
Precious Jackson was the answer on the glass for SU pulling down 11 rebounds to go with her seven points during her whopping 37 minutes of playing time.
 
The Red Hawks even their conference record at 1-1 and look to add a second win to the week on Saturday as the take on the Embry-Riddle Eagles. Simpson will look to give the Eagles their first conference loss as they currently boast a record of 2-0 with wins over Benedictine and UC Merced. The game will tip off at 4:30 Pacific Time.