COLUMBIA, Ky. – Ashley Rainey scored a game-high 21 points and Sarah Gillis chipped in with 13 as the 17th-ranked Lindsey Wilson College women's basketball team beat UVa.-Wise 72-60 on Thursday in the Mid-South Conference opener at Biggers Sports Center.

It was a game that the Blue Raiders controlled from the start, trailing just once briefly in the first half before taking leads as large as 20 points with just over three minutes left to play.

Lindsey Wilson hit eight 3-pointers in the contest while shooting 44.3 percent from the field. The Cavaliers struggled on offense all night, hitting at just 35.0 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from behind the arc.

It was a good thing that UVa.-Wise struggled against Lindsey Wilson's pressure, turning the ball over 14 times with just 11 assists, as the Blue Raiders managed to hit just 10 of its 23 free-throw attempts.

The Cavaliers were led in scoring by Chelsea Cluesman with 15 points and Mackenzie Cluesman with 14. Both Cluesman's and Christine Nyobe led them in rebounding with eight each. Lindsey Wilson won the battle on the backboard overall 45-40.

After jumping out to a 10-2 lead, the Blue Raiders looked to be in total control of the game. But in a matter of minutes, with the help of 3-pointers from Shameka Smith and Charlotte Reasor, the Cavaliers took a brief lead at 19-18 with just under six minutes left in the half.

The comeback from UVa.-Wise was short lived as it in turn energized the home team to go on a 14-6 run over the final five minutes to lead by as many as nine points on a late three by Gillis. At halftime, Lindsey Wilson took a 32-25 lead into the locker room.

Continuing to use a combination of Rainey's dominant inside play and consistent outside shooting, the Blue Raiders never let off the gas pedal after the break. In the second half it was Lindsey Wilson hitting four threes at 44.4 percent to make sure it started off conference play with a win.

It's a short break for the Blue Raiders as they are back in action at Noon CT on Saturday, hosting Pikeville (Ky.) at Biggers Sports Center.