TOWSON, Md. (Interstat) — A dominant first quarter proved decisive as the Towson Tigers weathered a persistent challenge from the Lehigh Mountain Hawks to secure a 75-67 victory in non-conference women’s basketball action Saturday at SECU Arena.

The Tigers, improving to 6-5, erupted for 27 points in the opening period, building a lead that reached 13 points and established a tone of offensive efficiency and defensive pressure that Lehigh spent the rest of the afternoon trying to overcome. The Mountain Hawks, who fell to 4-7, chipped away but could never fully erase the early deficit.

Towson’s early surge was fueled by balanced scoring and crisp ball movement. The Tigers connected on 10 of their 17 field goal attempts in the first quarter, assisted on six of those makes, and forced seven Lehigh turnovers, converting them into eight points. A three-pointer from Zoli Khalil of Rockingham County, Virginia, just before the quarter buzzer capped the outburst and gave Towson a 27-14 advantage.

Lehigh, led by the standout duo of Lily Fandre and Jessie Ozzauto, refused to capitulate. The Mountain Hawks won the second quarter 20-11, keyed by a 10-2 run that cut the Towson lead to 32-28. Ozzauto, a guard from Algonquin, Illinois, hit a pair of three-pointers during the spurt, while Fandre, a 6-foot-1 forward from Eagan, Minnesota, attacked the rim and the free-throw line. A late layup by Ozzauto sent Lehigh into halftime trailing by just four, 38-34, having successfully weathered the initial storm.

The third quarter became a tense back-and-forth affair. Every time Lehigh drew within a possession, Towson had an answer, often from Khalil or Thalia Shepard. The Tigers pushed their lead back to nine points on two occasions, but a three-pointer from Lehigh’s Katie Hurt of Rochester, Minnesota, in the final minute kept the deficit at six, 58-52, entering the final frame.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded early in the fourth quarter. Fandre buried a three-pointer on Lehigh’s first possession to trim the margin to 58-55, applying maximum pressure. On the ensuing Towson possession, however, Shepard was fouled on a put-back attempt and calmly sank both free throws. Following a Lehigh turnover, Shepard then stole the ball and, though she missed the ensuing layup, the Tigers secured another offensive board. The possession culminated in a Hannah Dereje layup, extending the run to 6-0 and re-establishing a nine-point Towson lead at 64-55 with 7:34 to play.

Lehigh would get no closer than five points the rest of the way. Towson’s defense tightened, and the Mountain Hawks’ offense grew stagnant, managing just two field goals over a crucial six-minute stretch. The Tigers sealed the game at the free-throw line in the final minute.

Shepard, a 5-foot-9 guard from Boston, Massachusetts, was the orchestrator for Towson, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Khalil added 17 points and six rebounds, while Semaya Turner of Rockaway, New Jersey, contributed eight points, eight rebounds and four steals. Towson’s ball security and distribution were superior, committing 14 turnovers to Lehigh’s 19 and tallying 10 assists to Lehigh’s seven.

Fandre delivered a powerhouse performance in defeat, scoring 24 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing four assists in 35 minutes. Ozzauto matched her scoring output with 23 points, playing a game-high 38 minutes. Their efforts, however, were undermined by Towson’s advantages in offensive rebounds (10-2), points off turnovers (15-10) and points in the paint (34-26).

Towson shot 44.3% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range. Lehigh was more efficient from the floor at 44.7% and from deep at 34.8%, but attempted 14 fewer field goals due to Towson’s dominance on the offensive glass and the turnover margin.

The Tigers will look to build momentum when they host Morgan State on Tuesday. Lehigh concludes its non-conference schedule at Army on New Year’s Eve.