NOTRE DAME, Ind. — A career-high 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from Sydney Stein led the Goshen College women's basketball team to a 65-57 victory over Holy Cross on Friday night at McKenna Arena.

Angela McLean grabbed 10 boards while Lynnia Noel and Sophia Sears each scored 12 points for Goshen, which led its season opener by as much as 15 points in the fourth quarter. Stein added five boards of her own, also a new career high, as Goshen out-rebounded the Saints 49-46.

Jessica Norris led Holy Cross (1-2) with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including a 4-of-9 clip from behind the arc. Keysha Streater finished with 12 points, while Kaelyn Barlow led all players in pulling down 11 rebounds.

The teams combined for 89 rebounds, including 37 on the offensive glass. Goshen was hampered by a 2-of-14 mark from three-point range, but forced 17 Holy Cross turnovers and held the hosts to 33 percent shooting from the floor: the Maple Leafs themselves shot 41 percent, and Stein and Calla Bartlett were the only players to make more than half of their shots. Sears led Goshen with three steals.

"I was very proud of Angela McLean and Hanna Hochstetler for stepping up and handling their business in the paint tonight," said Goshen head coach Stephanie Miller. "We needed them both to step up and anchor us with the two big girls Holy Cross had on the floor, and they certainly did just that. I was also very happy with the combined efforts of Sydney and Calla Bartlett in the 4 spot. Both came in a bit untested in their roles, and their combined 24 points and solid defense was a real key for us."

"It always feels good to go on the road and get that first win," Miller said. "First games can be tricky because they are sloppy and chaotic and almost always an adventure. I feel good about mental approach of our team tonight after we've dealt with a few tricky obstacles this preseason. We dug in, made no excuses, and found a way to just grind out a road win—a positive start to finding our new identity."

While Goshen did not trail by more than four, its first double digit lead didn't come until the fourth quarter. The Maple Leafs led by 15 before finishing the fourth quarter up eight points.

The Maple Leafs were limited to seven assists a year after finishing among the top 25 teams in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Holy Cross racked up 12, including four from Eryn Leek.

All told, 10 Maple Leaf players saw action, nine of those for eight minutes or more. McLean was the only player in a Goshen uniform to play 30 minutes, a feat she accomplished with just five seconds to spare. Caitlyn O'Neal racked up nearly 20 minutes off the bench.

Goshen returns to the floor next week with three road games in five days: the Maple Leafs travel to Aquinas at 7 p.m. Tuesday, take on Brescia University at 2 p.m. Friday, then conclude their trip with a 3 p.m. tip against Indiana University East on Saturday. The final two games are both part of the IU East tournament in Richmond, Indiana.