Jalen Gathers and Demet Saygili combined for 51 points Friday evening to lead Mary Baldwin to an 87-69 victory over William Peace in conference action.

Gathers led the Fighting Squirrels with 29 points and nine rebounds. After a quiet first half, scoring just three points, Saygili scored 19 in the second half to finish with 22 points. Saygili also grabbed nine rebounds to go along with four steals and four assists.

MBU also received a big boost from its bench as Mya Coleman posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards while first-year guard Mekayla Clarke chipped in with 10 points.

Both teams struggled early at the offensive end as the score was tied 5-5 with 4:35 left in the first quarter. Mary Baldwin then scored the next seven points and led the rest of the way. A short jumper by Coleman gave the Squirrels the lead and a 3-pointer by Saygili made the score 10-5. Monica Ramis capped the run with a baseline jumper for a 12-5 MBU lead.

MBU led 38-27 at the half and stretched the margin to 16 points, 61-45, after three quarters.

The Pacers made a strong run at the Squirrels early in the fourth quarter as their full-court pressure bothered the Squirrels. An 11-2 run pulled the visitors to within seven, 63-56, with 7:28 left in the game. 

The teams traded points before MBU pushed its lead back to double figures as Saygili scored six straight points, giving the Squirrels a 71-58 lead with 6:17 remaining.

Mary Baldwin is now 10-8 overall and 6-6 in conference play. The Squirrels return to action Sunday afternoon when they host Meredith.