OAKLAND CITY, Ind. -- Following a close loss to Pikeville (Ky.) on Thursday, the Midway women's basketball team opened River States Conference play on Saturday (Nov. 20) with a trip to Indiana to battle Oakland City (Ind.).

The Eagles faced a two-point deficit at intermission, but they turned up the pressure and dominated the third quarter and outscored the home team by 27 in the second half as they would cruise to the 79-54 victory in the league opener.

With the win, Chris Minner's squad grabs their fourth victory of the season improving to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in RSC play. Oakland City, meanwhile, drops to a 2-3 mark overall and a 1-1 record in league play.

The Eagles got off to a slow start as they shot just 35.3 percent in the first quarter and 21.1 percent in the second. The Mighty Oaks – who shot 56.3 percent in the opening frame – would lead by as many as six in the second quarter before taking a 36-34 lead into the locker room.

After trading baskets to open the third, the Eagles turned up the pressure and would hold the Mighty Oaks without a field goal for the final 9:20 of the quarter. Midway would take advantage of the drought as they went on a 16-0 run to take the lead for good.

Dezeree White (Houston, Texas) scored six points in the run and Jalyn Jackson (Cold Spring, Ky.) hit a pair of treys, while Jill Goldey (Pineville, Ky.) and Kindall Talley (Frankfort, Ky.) added a pair of layups to help cap the rally.

After a pair of Oakland City freebies, Midway closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 60-40 lead in the fourth and final quarter. The Eagles forced 13 turnovers in the third and held the home team to just 8.3 percent shooting.

Oakland City's field goal drought would last until the 7:38 mark in the fourth quarter as Midway would lead by as many as 27 en route to claiming the 79-54 victory.

The Blue and Gold had four players reach double figures in the win led by Jill Goldey who turned in her best performance of the season. The junior forward scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while she also grabbed eight rebounds.

Dezeree White added 15 points, nine rebounds and four steals, while the duo of Jalyn Jackson and Kindall Talley scored 14 points apiece. Jackson added four points, four steals and six assists to her stat line, while Talley carded four rebounds and three steals in a winning effort.

Midway forced 22 turnovers in the second half following 11 in the first half which would lead to a 37-14 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Eagles are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday (Nov. 23) when they travel across the state line to New Albany, Ind. to battle IU Southeast (Ind.) at 5:30 p.m. ET.

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