Women's Basketball lost a tight contest to (RV) Sterling College Saturday, 60-55, inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium

-After a tight third quarter, the Warriors took a 46-39 lead into the fourth quarter. A pair of Washington free throws cut Sterling's lead to 50-45 with 6:55 to play. Alleigh Kramer's bucket with 5 minutes to play pulled the Ravens closer, 52-49, but the Warriors answered with two quick baskets to grab control once again.

The Ravens battled back, though. Natalie Smaron sank two free throws and Skylar Washington made it a 1-point contest with her basket in the paint with 1:09 left to play. Alexis Theus had an answer for Sterling though, converting a 3-point play on the other end to help secure the Warriors win. Theus came up huge for Sterling, leading all scorers with 25 points.

Saturday was Sterling's season-opener, but the Warriors didn't show any rust in their first game. The Warriors got off to a hot start, forcing a Ravens timeout just over 3 minutes into the game as the Warriors led 12-3. The Ravens responded with a 14-4 run to end the quarter with a 17-16 lead.

It was a Washington layup late in the quarter that gave the Ravens their first lead of the game.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, the second quarter started much like the first. The Warriors scored the first 7 points of the period to go up 23-17. Washington buried a 3-pointer to end the Sterling run. The Warriors maintained a lead for the remainder of the half, heading into the break with a 31-26 advantage on the Ravens.

The home squad struggled shooting, connecting on just 28.1% of their shots from the floor while the Warriors shot 42.9% in the first 20 minutes. Where the Ravens made up ground was on the glass, pulling down 10 more rebounds than Sterling in the first half.

Washington led the Ravens with 9 points in the opening half, while Theus had 14 points to lead the Warriors. Kylah Comley, a do-it-all star for the Warriors, entered the game averaging 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the first three seasons of her career. However, Comley had just 2 points at half on 1-of-5 shooting, no rebounds and two assists. She finished the game with 7 points and five rebounds.

The Ravens defense forced 19 turnovers, with Heather Ronnebaum leading the way with three steals. Brynn Maul and Sam Brennan each added two more thefts. Washington's 18 points led the Ravens, while Kramer had 8 points, and Smaron had 11 rebounds to go along with 5 points. The Ravens won the battle on the glass, 47-36.

The home rims weren't kind, though, as the Ravens shot 30% from the field and the Warriors finished at 41.9%.

The Ravens (1-1) will travel for their next contest, a Wednesday, Nov. 4 tilt at No. 21 Columbia (Mo.) College.