DELAND (Interstat) — Candela Garcia-Escribano scored 21 points and Stetson closed with a decisive run to beat visiting Flagler 75-52 in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Monday at Edmunds Center. The Hatters improved to 1-0 with the non-divisional victory. Attendance was 347.

Stetson scored 75 points on 78 possessions, an offensive rating of 96.3. The Hatters finished with seven offensive rebounds, 15 assists, five blocks and 18 turnovers. Flagler was the visiting team. Stetson’s team nickname is the Hatters.

Garcia-Escribano, a 5-foot-11 guard from Madrid, Spain, who previously attended IES Eijo y Garay, added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 28 minutes. Desireck Nieves, a 5-foot-7 guard who previously attended Central Pointe Christian Academy, had 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block in 32 minutes. Sophie Locatelli, a 5-foot-7 guard, added 16 points, three assists and a block in 35 minutes. Favour Anyaele, a 6-foot-3 forward who previously attended Day Secondary School, pulled down eight rebounds to go with two points and a block in 22 minutes. Jorah Eppley, a 5-foot-9 guard who previously attended Catholic High School, had five points, seven rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. Sierra Driessen, a 5-foot-6 guard who previously attended Central Gwinnett High School, chipped in four points and three assists in 14 minutes. Addison Godby, a 6-foot guard who previously attended Fairland High School, had four points, one rebound and one assist in 15 minutes. Zoie Lofton, a 5-foot-6 guard who previously attended Grayson High School, had four points and two assists in 11 minutes. Raven LeXander, a 5-foot-11 forward who previously attended Myers Park High School, had one rebound in four minutes. Sofia Moschen, a 6-foot-2 forward who previously attended Centro Educational Leonardo Da Vinci, had one point and two rebounds in seven minutes.

Flagler opened the scoring on Nicole Carreno’s layup at 9:09 of the first quarter. Locatelli tied the game with a layup, and Jazmine Major put Flagler back ahead with a layup. Garcia-Escribano then made a layup and a driving layup, and Locatelli added another layup to give Stetson an 8-4 lead. Carreno scored again, but Garcia-Escribano hit a 3-pointer, Nieves made a jump shot and Locatelli added a layup. Gabby Bush kept Flagler close with two jump shots, and Sierra Driessen made a jump shot and Jorah Eppley made two free throws to close the first-quarter scoring for Stetson.

Carreno made a layup to open the second quarter, and Major made two free throws. Bush’s driving layup cut Flagler’s deficit to 19-18, but Garcia-Escribano answered with a tip-in layup and another layup. Addison Godby made two free throws, Driessen made a driving layup, and after Emerson Kutz made a free throw, Abby Smith hit a 3-pointer. Kutz made two free throws, Godby made two free throws, Zoie Lofton made a driving layup and Nieves made two free throws. Smith made a tip-in layup and a free throw, and Rain McDaniel made a free throw and a driving layup to pull Flagler within 33-30 at halftime.

Stetson stretched the lead in the third quarter behind four 3-pointers from Nieves. Garcia-Escribano opened the third with a driving layup, and Nieves followed with a 3-pointer. Garcia-Escribano made a free throw, Bush made a layup, Nieves hit another 3-pointer, Locatelli made a free throw, Bush made another layup, Garcia-Escribano made a free throw, McDaniel made a layup, Nieves hit two more 3-pointers, Kutz made a 3-pointer, Lofton made a layup, McDaniel made a layup and Anyaele made two free throws. Stetson took a 54-41 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, Carreno made a free throw, Locatelli made a jump shot off a turnover, Carreno made a layup, Locatelli made a free throw, Carreno made two free throws, Moschen made a free throw, Bush made a free throw and Garcia-Escribano made a layup. Carreno made two free throws, Nieves made two free throws, Kutz made a floating jump shot and Justyce McCoy made a layup to pull Flagler to 65-52 with 2:31 remaining. Stetson scored the final 10 points. Locatelli hit two 3-pointers, and Garcia-Escribano capped the run with two layups in the final 1:15.

Garcia-Escribano’s performance was the top highlight for Stetson. She scored in transition, from the perimeter and at the rim, and her late layups sealed the result. Nieves provided a secondary scoring punch with 18 points, while Locatelli’s 16 points and three assists added to the offense. Eppley contributed seven rebounds and two assists, and Anyaele controlled the glass with eight rebounds.

Stetson next visits Louisville, then travels to Miami (FL), Florida International, Clemson and UCF. The Hatters will host Wright State, Florida A&M and Fort Lauderdale, and will face Robert Morris and Boise State in Daytona Beach, Fla. No betting line, point spread, over-under or game-simulator projection was available.