WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Jessie Blankenship recorded her first double-double of the 2011-12 season as the Covenant women's basketball team cruised past Salem College in another early season conference matchup.  The 58-41 victory moves Covenant to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the Great South Athletic Conference, where the Lady Scots hold second place in the current standings.  Salem drops to 1-4 (0-1 GSAC) this season.

Covenant and Salem traded baskets for the first two and a half minutes of action before the Lady Scots took the lead for good on a Blankenship basket at the 17:17 mark.  Christine Core and Margaret Cross led the Lady Scots through the rest of the first half as Covenant went ahead by as many as 12 and eventually settled into a 26-16 advantage at the break.

Blankenship then came to life in the second half, carrying the Lady Scots with 12 of her 17 points.  She went 4-for-4 in the final period despite starting the game 2-for-10.  Covenant never saw its 10-point, halftime lead drop to single digits but extended it up to 18 with just over eight minutes to go.  Salem proceeded to cut that 18-point lead to 11 with a 7-0 run over a 90 second span, but Cross had the answer with a 3-pointer at the 5:55 mark to end the Spirit momentum.

"I was really proud of our team and how well we defended," said head coach Corey Mullins.  "It was a great first game on the road for us and helped us build some confidence in our abilities defensively, and hopefully we can get better offensively and win more games."

Covenant's defense held Salem to just 27.4% (17-for-62) shooting, including an 0-for-11 effort from 3-point range.  The Lady Scots shot 35.7% (15-for-42) from the floor and connected on six of 16 (37.5%) attempts from behind the arc.

Blankenship's 17 points led all scorers, and her 11 rebounds were matched only by Salem's Sarah Smith.  Core finished the game with 13 points, and Cross had 12 off the bench.  Senior Hannah Craft grabbed nine rebounds for the Lady Scots, and the point guard combo of Morgan Woodward and Ruth Gibson combined for nine assists.

Seven of the Spirits registered baskets, but only JoJo Hall made it to double figures.  The senior scored 11 points with seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

The Lady Scots will continue competition on the road as they travel with the men on Wednesday, Dec. 7 for a doubleheader matchup with Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.  Game times are scheduled for 6 and 8 p.m.