SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team continued its impressive start to the season with a dominant 85-52 win over Grace College on Saturday afternoon inside the McDonald Athletic Center. The Cougars improved to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in Crossroads League play, using a blistering start and suffocating defense to take control early.
 
Spring Arbor overwhelmed the Lancers from the opening tip, exploding to a 26-5 lead after the first quarter and never looking back. Grace, which made national headlines earlier this season by setting the collegiate women's basketball scoring record with 172 points in a game, found no rhythm against the Cougars' defensive pressure. SAU held Grace to just 26 percent shooting, forced 28 turnovers, and limited the visitors to only 52 points.
 
The Cougars dominated inside, outscoring Grace 70-22 in the paint and capitalizing with 21 points off turnovers.
 
In a balanced scoring effort, every SAU player made it into the scoring column. Emma Smieska led the way with a team-high 13 points, adding seven rebounds and an impressive six steals. Madison Sonsini chipped in 11 points while Rielyn Goodwin contributed across the board with eight points, five rebounds, and four assists.
 
Spring Arbor returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 9 at home against Oakland City University starting at 5 p.m.