PITTSFORD, NY -- The RIT (5-0) women's basketball team is off to its best start in program history after a 68-52 win over Nazareth College (3-1) in the opening game of the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout Friday evening on the campus of St. John Fisher College. 

RIT shot 39.7 percent from the floor on 27-of-68 shooting. The Tigers went 5-of-18 from behind the arc, and were 9-of-13 from the foul line. Cori Okada (Fullerton, CA/Troy) led RIT with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Tara Lynch (Green Township, NJ/Newton) and Amanda Olsen (Glen Mills, PA/Archmere Academy) each scored 10 points, while Jessica Glaz (Rockaway Beach, NY/Scholars Academy) chipped in nine points. 

The Tigers held a 43-35 rebounding edge, including 17 offensive boards. Julia Bender (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) led RIT with nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Okada and Jessica Shields (Lyons, NY/Newark) each had six rebounds, while Lynch added five.

"We worked on rebounding and boxing out all week, and I think it paid off," said RIT head coach Amy Reed. "Jessica Shields (Lyons, NY/Newark) came up huge for us tonight. She defended and rebounded really well, and was a difference-maker."

Sam Sorge led Nazareth with 18 points and seven rebounds. Rachel Benedict tallied 13 points, while Samantha Peebles added 16 points for the Golden Flyers who shot 37.9 percent from the floor.

After a tight first quarter, RIT built a six-point lead early in the second quarter when Shields converted an old fashioned 3-point play. Scoring the bucket while being fouled, Shields made the free throw to give the Tigers a 23-17 lead. 

Brooke Stanley (Minnetonka, MN/St. Margaret's) gave RIT a 26-19 lead on her three with 2:04 to play in the first half. Bender gave RIT its largest lead of the half with her free throw with 1:09 to play, making the score 27-19 Tigers. Peebles added a layup with 10 seconds to play to make it a 29-24 RIT lead at halftime.

RIT's offense woke up in the third quarter, tallying 23 points. However, Nazareth cut the RIT lead to two points early in the quarter on a layup by Sorge at the 7:28 mark. Glaz scored five points, and Shields added a bucket as RIT built its lead back to seven points on a bucket by Glaz at the 5:04 mark of the third.

Peebles cut the RIT lead to 42-40 with her bucket with 3:24 to play in the quarter. The Tigers responded by out scoring the Golden Flyers 10-2 over the final 3:24 to lead 52-42 heading into the fourth quarter.

"We had some trouble offensively early in the game," said Reed. " We made some adjustments at halftime and were able to get a better flow offensively in the secod half."

The Tigers maintained their lead with a strong fourth quarter. RIT out scored Nazareth 16-10 in the quarter, including six straight points to close out the quarter. 

Ashlynn Palmitesso (Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley) tallied three straight points for RIT early in the quarter to extend the RIT lead to 55-44. Nazareth got within eight points twice in the quarter, but no closer as RIT's defense clamped down, forcing the Golden Flyers into six turnovers in the quarter.

RIT returns to action on Saturday, December 3 at St. John Fisher College in game two of the Makr's Pizzeria Crosstown Classic. Tip-off between the Cardinals and the Tigers is 8 p.m. at Bobby Wanzer Court.