WATERLOO, Ont. - The Golden Hawks hosted the NCAA Division III's St. John Fisher Cardinals on Saturday in their lone home game of the pre-season. 

The Cardinals went undefeated in regular season play last year, but were unable to solve Laurier's smothering defence in time to overcome big games from Cassidy Hirtle, Janet Enge, and Brittyn Graves. The final score was 60-49 for the purple and gold. 

It was that same trio who got the offence rolling early for Laurier. They combined for 20 points as the Golden Hawks jumped out to a 20-4 lead, holding the Cardinals to just 25% shooting from the field in the first quarter. 

The offence slowed down in the second, but the defence held strong to keep St. John Fisher from gaining any momentum. Transition offence was the key in the first half. Though Laurier gave the ball up eight times, it only lead to one point against, while the Golden Hawks managed to create 11 points off the Cardinals 10 turnovers. The score was 37-22 at halftime. 

The third quarter started as a defensive battle, with neither team scoring until the 7:33 mark. Midway through the period, Hirtle made two quick three pointers to push the lead to 47-26 and essentially close the door on a comeback.  

"My teammates were doing a good job penetrating and getting me open looks," said Hirtle, who finished with a game-high 19 points and shot 4-8 from beyond the arc. "And when it's like that, it just feels like everything flows, that's how you want to play." 

The Cardinals struggled to respond, shooting just 3-21 from the field in the quarter, including 0-9 from three-point range. 

They'd find some rhythm in the fourth, scoring 20 points to narrow the gap, though not nearly enough to threaten the lead. 

"That fourth quarter got away from us," said Laurier's manager of women's basketball operations and head coach Paul Falco. "Some of that's focus, it might have been a little bit of fatigue today, I think a lot of it is just maintaining that intensity and not letting your foot off the pedal. So, it's something that we've got to learn." 

Overall, he was pleased with his team's performance. 

"We've really been trying to push the tempo this year and get some early offence and put teams on their heels. I thought we did a good job good job of that. Part of it was created from our defence; we got a bunch of good defensive stops, we were getting boards, and we were able to get into our early offense." 

The team showed tons of chemistry on offence from the opening tip, setting up opportunities for Hirtle and Enge, who finished with 15 points on an efficient 6-9 shooting. 

"I've never played on a team like this, the way we gel off the court," said Enge. "This preseason we've been trying to piece that together and show it on the court." 

TOP PERFORMERS 

Laurier Golden Hawks 

#13 – Brittyn Graves 

While Hirtle and Enge lead the way offensively, Graves was invaluable on both ends of the court. She finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double, while also recording two steals and a remarkable six blocks. 

"Brittyn's had a great preseason," said Falco. "We're getting great work from her at both ends of the floor. Her defense has been solid and she's often guarding the better guard on the other team. And she's been consistent offensively. She's getting out and leading our transition, and she's able to score both on the outside and attacking the rim." 

"She's also learning. She's only in her second year, but she keeps getting better and the future is very bright for Brittyn." 

St. John Fisher Cardinals 

#23 – Joleen Lusk 

Lusk is an imposing presence at 6-2, and her size and athleticism was on display as she scored a team-high 12 points. She also recorded five rebounds and a block. 

UP NEXT 

The Golden Hawks will play three more pre-season games next weekend when they travel to Toronto for the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic, hosted by TMU. They'll face the UBC Thunderbirds in their first game at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 20. 

"[UBC] got the better of us when we were out east [in Newfoundland]. So, to be able to try and have a game plan to do better against them and get that first game is the focus right now," said Falco. 

The Golden Hawks will open the regular season at home on November at 6 p.m. when they face the McMaster Marauders. Tickets are on sale now.