JOLIET, Ill. --- Keyed by its trademark defense, the University of St. Francis women's basketball team opened both the home and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference portions of their season with a 68-54 victory over Indiana University South Bend on Wednesday night at the Sullivan Center.

The Saints (2-0, 1-0 CCAC) limited Indiana South Bend to just 27.1 percent shooting from the field for the game (16-of-59) and an even more impressive 17.8 percent in the middle two quarters (5-of-28) when USF outscored the Titans 31-22 after taking a 16-15 lead following the first stop.

On the opposite end, head coach John McGinty's club shot 50 percent in the opening half (15-for-30) and 44.6 percent for the game (29-of-65).

The Saints never trailed after the 3:34 mark of the first quarter and opened the second half by going on an unanswered 9-0 run to take a 43-26 lead. The Titans would never get closer than nine points the rest of the way with USF gaining as much as an 18-point separation late in the fourth quarter.

Andriana Acosta registered her second straight double-double. The senior forward turned in game-highs in both points (20) and rebounds (15). She also hit 9-of-11 shots from the field and had more offensive rebounds (eight) than defensive (seven).

Jordan Pyle also authored a standout performance, missing her first collegiate triple-double by just one board and two assists. She totaled 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

Also reaching double figures was Justene Charlesworth. She finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

Indiana South Bend (3-1, 0-1) had three players score in double figures, as well, topped by Sara Doi's 14 points. Maddie Gard recorded a double-double with her 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next
The Saints compete in the Franciscan Bowl this weekend in Fort Wayne, Ind. going up against former coach Steve Brooks and No.4 ranked Marian University (Ind.) on Friday (7 pm) before facing host University of Saint Francis, Ind. on Saturday at 1 pm.

Live coverage can be found at gofightingsaints.com/coverage. You can also keep up with all things USF on Twitter @USFSaints.