COLUMBUS, Miss. - Freshman Darby Pitts came off of the bench to lead the Mississippi University for Women to a 93-59 win over Blackburn College at Pohl Gym. It marked the first St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) home game – as well as victory - by the first-year member Owls (5-6, 2-2 SLIAC).  
 
Pitts, a Mantachie, Miss., native, had what was arguably the best game of her albeit young collegiate career. Pitts had a game-high 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds, six on the offensive end. She shot 5-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw stripe.
 
Pitts led a quartet of MUW players in double-figure scoring on a night when all 10 roster players made a mark in the scorebook. Joining Pitts in double digits was Zoe Essary (16 points), Conley Langford (13 points), and Leileigh Moody (13 points).
 
Aaliyah Moody and Claire Leak each chipped in eight points. Mia Skelton and Diamond Rayford added seven and six points, respectively.
 
While Pitts and company handled the offense, The W head coach Drew Johnson had a new wrinkle for his team, defensively, that he was eager to deploy versus the Beavers.
 
"We tried something new today (the press) and I felt like we executed really well," Johnson said. "Everyone bought into the concept and gave maximum effort and that was the main reason we were able to win so emphatically. We also did a great job sharing the ball and converting on transition opportunities. These kids are a very unselfish group and I felt like that showed in the way we played tonight."
 
Rayford and Langford led the rebounding by hauling in nine and eight boards, respectively. Essary had four assists and Jas Patrick notched four steals.
 
The 93 points scored was a season high for The W on offense. Likewise, the 59 points allowed matched the team's best defensive effort of 2023-24, as well.
 
The Owls will look to make it two straight in the SLIAC on Saturday, when they host Eureka College at 1 p.m. n Pohl Gym.