Chambersburg, PA - The Cairn Highlanders defeated the Wilson Phoenix 80-57 on Saturday afternoon to open the 2014-15 season on the right foot. Amie Eppolito led the team in scoring with 22 points but Britney Jackson was right on her heels and ended with 15 points and 15 rebounds. The last time Cairn women's basketball started a season with a win was back in 2010-11. 

Esther Adams and Elizabeth Hartzler also finished in the double-digits in points with 13 and 12, respectively. Leading the way for the Phoenix in the game was Ashley Henderson with 16. Emily Tambussi finished the game for the Highlanders with eight points and eight rebounds.

The Highlanders took control of the game early on and jumped out to a 16-2 lead. Three jumpers from outside the arc for Eppolito in a row brought the Highlanders' lead from 5-2 to 14-2 in less than three minutes of play. In the game, Eppolito hit five of her six attempts from three-point range. 

Cairn led by as many as 27 by the end of the first half when the score was 49-22. Throughout the first half, Cairn shot 47% from the field and 53% from beyond the arc. Wilson shot just 31% from the field and 23% from the free throw line. 

The Highlanders continued their consistent play thoughout the second half and again shot 47% from the field. The Highlaners kept the game at arm's reach from Wilson and didn't let them gain any ground on the scoreboard. Cairn committed more turnovers than Wilson but the Phoenix also committed more fouls than did the Highlanders. 

Cairn also took advatage of the points off of turnovers despite committing more of them. The Highlanders netted 21 compared to 12 by the Phoenix. Cairn was more opportunistic in the game, especially in the first half, putting up 18 second-chance points whereas Wilson had just five. 

The Highlander will ride the one game winning streak into next week when they face off on Monday at Penn State Hazleton for a 6 p.m. start.