LANCASTER, Pa. – Kristina McCarthy scored a game-high 20 points and added 10 rebounds to lead the Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team to an 86-53 victory over Penn St. – Berks in the season opener for both squads on Saturday evening at the Mayser Center.

F&M took control of the contest early, opening the game on a 10-0 run to take a double-digit lead with 15:32 remaining in the first half.

Leading by nine with 07:37 to go in the first, the Diplomats went on a 14- 4 run and never looked back. McCarthy scored on a layup to open the run, followed by a Kara Bacile 3-pointer to give F&M a 30-14 lead.

The Diplomats continued to pour on the points and went into halftime with a 45-26 advantage.

McCarthy and Sam Plunkett led the Diplomats in the first half, scoring 15 and 10 points respectively. McCarthy shot 7-of-8 from the floor in the first, while Plunkett went 4-for-8.

The Diplomats held the Lions to 25 percent shooting from the field in the opening frame, while F&M shot 53.3 percent.

In the second half, the Lions managed to pull within eight, but a 16-5 run by the Diplomats put the Lions away for good.

Playing in their first collegiate game, Sarah Haddon scored 14 points for F&M while Jessica Dowicz added 13. Plunkett and Bacile each tallied 10 points while Emma Lisle registered eight rebounds for the Diplomats.

F&M returns to the court tomorrow to take on Elizabethtown in the championship game of the Terry Greene Tournament at 3:30 p.m.