The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team looked sharp in its season-opening game on Saturday afternoon, defeating Waynesburg University 69-49 at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.

It marked the second-straight year that the Spartans (1-0) opened their campaign with a win. The Yellow Jackets fell to 0-2 with the loss.

CWRU's bench outscored Waynesburg 45-31, including a combined 29 points from graduate student forward Morgan Micallef and first-year guard Mya Hartjes in their Spartan debuts. Micallef led all Spartans with 15 points on a six-of-nine shooting effort, while Hartjes scored 14 with four rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Kayla Characklis added seven points, 11 rebounds, and three steals, and senior guard Sarah Mitchell finished the contest with nine points and nine rebounds.

The Spartans trailed early in the game, falling behind 16-6 with under four minutes left in the opening quarter, before going on a 12-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer by senior guard Margaret Terry that gave CWRU an 18-16 lead at the 1:27 mark. The Spartans took a one-point lead into the second quarter, but the Yellow Jackets quickly took a 24-20 lead in the first two minutes of the frame. Down 29-27 with just over three minutes left in the half, Micallef converted an and-one to give CWRU the lead back, and the Spartans went on to take a 33-31 lead into halftime.

CWRU pulled away late in the third quarter, ending the period on a 7-0 run over the final two minutes to take a 51-38 lead into the fourth. The run continued for the Spartans, who scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter and went ahead 61-38 with 5:59 left in the game, putting the game out of reach. CWRU's 20-point lead at the final buzzer matched the team's largest of the game.

The Spartans' defense limited the Yellow Jackets to just 18 second half points. CWRU finished the game with a 25-13 edge in points off turnovers and a 32-16 edge in points in the paint.

The Spartans will be back in Cleveland for their home opener on Monday night, November 13, hosting Marietta College inside Horsburgh Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.