CLAREMONT, Calif. - First-year guard Payton Sugar shot 6-6 from three-point territory in a five-minute span of the second quarter to stake the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball team to a 44-21 halftime lead, and the Athenas went on to capture a 74-45 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor in their home opener on Friday evening at Roberts Pavilion. 

Sugar finished with 21 points on 7-11 shooting from three-point land to tie Tanya Ghai for team-high honors in scoring, as CMS improves to 2-1 on the young season. Mary Hardin-Baylor slips to 0-3 on the year with the loss. 

CMS had its third straight strong defensive performance, holding the Crusaders to just 45 points on 24.2 shooting, including 15.4 percent from three-point territory (4-26). The first three Athena opponents are now a combined 11-74 from three (14.9 percent) on the year. 

CMS used its defense to get out to an 18-7 lead after the first quarter, and went up 21-7 early in the second on a three-point play from Katie Resendiz. The Crusaders crept back within 23-17 with 6:06 left in the half, before Sugar caught fire, hitting threes in a span of less than two minutes (1:56) for a personal 9-0 run to push the lead up to 32-17. 

Two Resendiz foul shots made the score 35-19 with 2:48 left in the half, and Sugar hit three more three in a span of 1:06 for her second 9-0 run in the half, pushing the lead up to 44-19. Mary Hardin-Baylor made the final basket of the half to close the deficit to 23, but the damage from the Sugar three-point barrage had already been done. 

Sugar added one more three-pointer in the second half, finishing 7-for-11, leaving her one shy of the single-game program record in her first-ever home contest. The record of eight , was set by Cory Edgmon against Cal LUtheran in 2006.

Resendiz joined Sugar and Ghai in doubles figures with 14 points, while tying Haylie Wang and Caleigh Edwards for team-high honors with seven rebounds apiece. Laura Strenk had eight assists and only one turnover. 

CMS will be back in action on Monday night when it takes on UC Santa Cruz for a 7 p.m. contest.