The Dominican University women's basketball team has opened the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2008 after topping the Kalamazoo College Hornets on Saturday afternoon 62-58 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
 
Timiya Ray and Stephenee Huggans combined for 42 points, including 24 in the second half, as the Stars (2-0) made a 12-point halftime deficit disappear.
 
"That was an exciting win for our program and our young kids," said Gabby Johnson, the Stars' sixth-year head coach. "A come-from-behind win builds confidence—the team starts to know what it is capable of doing."
 
The Hornets shot 16-for-35 in the first half, leading by as many as 14 late in the second quarter and holding a 37-25 lead at the break.  The Stars managed to shoot just 25-percent over the opening two quarters and converted on just nine of 17 trips to the foul line.
 
In the second half, Dominican built behind a strong defensive effort, using a 13-2 run over the first six minutes of the third quarter to pull within one, 39-38.  After a Hornets' bucket, Huggans converted an and-one to even the score 41-41.
 
Neither team could score for the next two minutes before a Hornets' three by Isabelle Clark put Kalamazoo back on top.  Dominican would score the final three points of the quarter to tie the game at 44-44 heading into the fourth.
 
In the fourth, Alex Rivera's only basket of the game, a driving lay in, put the Stars ahead 46-44, Dominican's first lead since 3-2 with eight minutes to play in the first quarter.  A Huggans' three later extended the Dominican lead to five, 49-44, and forced a Kalamazoo timeout with 8:02 to play.
 
After the Hornets trimmed the lead back down to one, Ray and Huggans pushed the lead back to five before Alisha Markley later gave the Stars their biggest lead of the night, 56-49, with a layup with 4:35 to play.
 
Dominican then did just enough, including a late offensive rebound for Amari Stafford and a couple of free throws for Huggans in the final fifteen seconds.
 
"Every day we preach about not taking a play off," continued Johnson, "and Amari picks up the game-clinching rebound after an up-and-down performance.  Staying engaged is the goal every day."
 
Dominican finished the game, shooting 35.5-percent from the field, including going 4-for-18 from three.  The Stars held a slight advantage on the glass, out-rebounding the Hornets, 47-42, including pulling down 21 offensive rebounds that led to 25 second chance points.
 
Huggans finished with a game-high 22 points while Ray collected her second double-double in as many games, scoring 20 points and pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds.  Katie Uzoras also logged her second double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
 
For the Hornets, Danielle Simon led the way with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Clark and Emily Kozal chipped in ten points apiece.
 
After two road games to open the season, Dominican comes home to the Igini Sports Forum, hosting the Albion College Britons for a game on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.