GREENSBORO (Interstat) — Kaia Peterson scored 16 points and blocked three shots as Rose-Hulman pulled away from St. Mary-Woods for a 54-40 victory in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game Tuesday at Hanes Gym. The Engineers improved to 2-0 with the non-divisional win in front of an attendance of 250. St. Mary-Woods could not keep pace after Rose-Hulman’s strong first half.

Rose-Hulman set the tone early, using a balanced offense to build a 20-9 lead after the first quarter and a 34-14 advantage at halftime. Samara Douglas made a free throw and a layup for St. Mary-Woods, and Deziree’ Bryant made a free throw to tie the score at 4 before the Engineers took control. Maria Godoy Rodriguez opened the Rose-Hulman scoring with a layup, Peterson followed with a layup and later added another layup and a 3-pointer, and Sophia Reese hit a 3-pointer during the opening surge. Emma Schipp made a layup, Katelyn Fennell connected from beyond the arc, and Anaya Hawkins made a free throw as Rose-Hulman stretched its lead. Bryant hit a 3-pointer late in the first quarter, but the Engineers answered in the second. Godoy Rodriguez made a jump shot, Peterson made two free throws and a layup, Fennell added a layup and a 3-pointer, and Hawkins scored late as Rose-Hulman took a 20-point cushion into halftime. Rose-Hulman finished with 54 points on 68 possessions, an offensive rating of 79.2, and held St. Mary-Woods to 40 points.

The Engineers extended their lead in the third quarter behind baskets from Godoy Rodriguez, Schipp and Peterson. Hawkins made two free throws, and Rose-Hulman carried a 42-22 advantage into the fourth quarter. Rose-Hulman’s defense limited St. Mary-Woods for most of the first three quarters and kept the home side from stringing together a sustained run until the fourth. St. Mary-Woods tried to rally from there. Douglas scored inside to open the fourth, and Elayni Stone made back-to-back 3-pointers to spark the home side. Bryant also hit a 3-pointer late in the fourth that trimmed the deficit, but Rose-Hulman answered each run. Jeanie DeSantis made a 3-pointer with 7:31 remaining, Jamie Hunter made two free throws, and Godoy Rodriguez and Fennell added late baskets to keep the Engineers in front. Emilia Diaz closed the Rose-Hulman scoring with a jump shot before Ava Quint hit a 3-pointer for St. Mary-Woods in the final seconds.

Rose-Hulman finished with 28 points in the paint and 16 points off turnovers, while St. Mary-Woods had 14 points in the paint and eight points off turnovers. The Engineers had 10 offensive rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks but committed 20 turnovers. Peterson led the way with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 21 minutes, following a 17-point effort in the season-opening win at Millikin. Fennell added 10 points, six rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes. Godoy Rodriguez had eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes, and Diaz contributed two points, three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.

Hawkins scored five points with two rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes. Reese had three points, five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes. Schipp added five points, two rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. Aubrey Barrett grabbed two rebounds and had one assist in 12 minutes. DeSantis scored three points in five minutes, and Jasmine Duvall had three rebounds and one assist in seven minutes. Peterson was the top star for Rose-Hulman, which remained unbeaten with the victory.

Rose-Hulman is scheduled to return to action at Manchester in its next game. The Engineers will carry a 2-0 record into that matchup after the non-divisional victory.