Riverside, Calif. - The women's basketball team picked up their first win of the season on Wednesday night, in a 65-62 victory over Claremont Mudd-Scripps. It was the first game back for the Golden Eagles, who last played on November 18. Wednesday's non-conference game was the team's home opener. La Sierra, now 1-7, will host San Diego Christian College on Saturday night.

The first quarter was an even battle, with the Golden Eagles holding a slight 20-17 advantage. But the Athenas fought back with a strong second quarter, outscoring La Sierra, 21-12, to take a 38-32 lead into the halftime break.

Both teams struggled to score in the third quarter, with La Sierra able to chip away two points in the Athenas lead, before outlasting Claremont in the final frame to escape with the victory.

Both teams struggled to take care of the ball with a combined 40 turnovers in the game. La Sierra finished with 21 turnovers, while the Athenas weren't far behind with 19 turnovers of their own.

But the Golden Eagles won the tight battle, which consisted of 11 lead changes, with the help of Alexis Davis' 18 points, on 6-of-12 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds. Guard DeShields Fajardo contributed with 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Arianna Sheehy added nine points, while Mikayla Stitt had an efficient eight points (4-of-5 FG's) and nine rebounds to lead the team in that category.

Claremont finished with three players scoring in double-figures and had a total of 14 steals but were unable to overcome their woes at the free throw line as they converted on just 8-of17 from the charity stripe.

The team will now set their sights on San Diego Christian College, who defeated the Golden Eagles 80-49, back on November 4. The Hawks are currently 4-3 on the season. Saturday's tip-off is scheduled for 5:45pm, at the Alumni Pavilion.