DeLand, Fla. -- Sophomore Sarah Sagerer led three players in double figures with 15 points as Stetson defeated Armstrong State 61-45 Monday night at the Edmunds Center.
Brianti Saunders scored 12 points and Breana Bey added 11 as the Hatters improved to 3-1 on the season.
"I didn't think we came out with a lot of energy in the first quarter, and they did," Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. "It wasn't pretty, it was an ugly game, but I always say I will take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day."
Stetson trailed 13-11 after the first quarter, but rallied to tie the game 15-15 midway through the second quarter on Bey's bank shot in the paint. After the teams traded a pair of buckets, Sagerer put the Hatters ahead to stay with a short jumper at the 2:51 mark. Stetson led 25-21 at halftime.
The Hatters scored two quick baskets at the start of the third quarter to open up an eight-point lead. A 10-0 run later in the period helped put the game out of reach.
Armstrong held a 25-18 rebounding advantage in the first half, but Stetson outrebounded the Pirates 24-13 in the final two periods.
"I thought in the second half we really owned the glass," Bria said. "I thought Sarah and Breana did a great job of getting on the glass and boxing out and getting rebounds."
Stetson hit just 4-of-24 3-point attempts, but the Hatters put forth another strong defensive effort. The Hatters collected 12 steals and helped force 23 Pirate turnovers. On the season, Stetson's opponents are averaging just 47.2 points per game.
"In the third quarter, we turned them over and converted on some baskets," Bria said. "That gave us a little bit of cushion."
Stetson will now head to Puerto Rico for the San Juan Shootout. The Hatters will play Minnesota on Friday and Boise State on Saturday. Both games will tip-off at 4:45 ET with live video coverage at SportTours.net.
Notes: Division II Armstrong State (5-0) played the game as an exhibition contest ... The two teams met for the first time in 34 years ... McKenna Beach made her first career start ... Aisha Turner tied a career-high with five steals ... DeAsia Beal missed the game with an injury ... Stetson has won 25 consecutive regular season non-conference games at the Edmunds Center.
