GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The eighth-ranked Davenport women's basketball team got things underway for the 2016-17 season with a 78-59 win over visiting Saint Francis (Ind.) on Tuesday night at the DU Student Center. The Panthers under second-year head coach Robyn Scherr-Wells used their depth and full court pressure to force 26 turnovers and scored 23 points off those turnovers. Davenport led for 38:59 of 40 minutes in the contest and shot 39.7 percent from the floor including 40 percent from the arc.

"I'm glad we got our first win under our belt but I'm not very happy with how we played overall," said Scherr-Wells. "We turned the ball over way too many times and missed a lot of easy shots. We'll work hard the next few days to get some things cleaned up."

The Panthers pulled away in the second quarter allowing just 12 points as Saint Francis shot 23.5 percent. DU turned a four-point lead after one quarter into a 14-point halftime lead. The Cougars played tougher in the second half as Davenport scored 16 points in the third quarter and 18 in the fourth. DU outscored the visitors 34-29 in the final 20 minutes.

The Panthers did some damage in the paint with 38 points compared to 26 for the Cougars. Mallory Sewell did not have her usual shooting touch going 4-for-13 but did reach 10 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocks in 19 minutes. Emily Severn had her stroke going early making her first four shots including three triples. Severn finished with a team-high 13 points and grabbed four rebounds in 22 minutes.

Momo Neal pestered the backcourt of USF all night with six steals and also chipped in six assists. Neal was the third player in double figures with 10 points in 23 minutes. Molly Babbs led the team with nine rebounds and also had eight points and four steals. Newcomer Courtney Murphy scored nine points in 18 minutes.