BUENA VISTA, Va. -- The William Peace University women's basketball team defeated Southern Virginia University, 104-78, Monday night and improved to 6-2 on the season. The Pacers have won five straight and have one more non-conference game against Hollins University tomorrow night before heading into conference games.

The Pacers and Knights were close most of the first quarter with the edge going to the Pacers at 24-21. The Pacers continued to pour on points during the second quarter but also forced more turnovers to increase the lead to 51-42 heading into the second half. Makayla Ray was leading all scorers at 14 points while Tyler Mercer added 10.

The Pacers erupted in the second half exploiting the Knights full-court press and punishing the Knights with easy layups and open jumpers. Susannah Sykes scored 16 and the team shot 55.6% in the second half to cruise to a 104-78 win over Southern Virginia.

Sykes led all scorers with a career-high 22 point while Makayla Ray added a career-high 21 points. Tyler Mercer scored 18, Nadine Ealey added 16 and Cassidy Clark had 13. Ealey stuffed the box score with seven assists, six rebounds and one steal.

THE BIG PICTURE
William Peace finished the 2016 year with a bang and picked up right where it left off with another display of offensive efficiency. The Pacers scored 104 points, the most of any game this season, while holding SVU to just 39% shooting from the floor. The Pacers were ready for the Knights full-court press and quickly dismantled the defense to where the Pacers earned layups or high-percentage shots on most possessions.

HOT START
William Peace has only started the season 6-2 one other time in program history (records date back to 2001). The team has overcame several obstacles in the season already and have persevered through adversity. The inexperienced and small in numbers team has proven it can compete with nearly anyone.

UP NEXT
William Peace will face Hollins University on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in Roanoke, Va.