The Golden Eagles had an assist on each one of their first 13 field goals, continuously penetrating into the lane and either kicking out for an open 3-pointer or dumping it off down low for easy layups.,”The Marquette women's basketball team nixed its trend of slow starts Monday night, using an almost flawless first 15 minutes of offense to knock out the visiting Sacred Heart Pioneers early.

The Golden Eagles had an assist on each one of their first 13 field goals, continuously penetrating into the lane and either kicking out for an open 3-pointer or dumping it off down low for easy layups.

Junior transfer Lauren Thomas-Johnson and freshman Jessica Pachko were the main beneficiaries, utilizing their starting spots to post 22 combined points in the first half. Pachko led the team in scoring with 14 points, while Thomas-Johnson finished right behind her with 13 points.

Thomas-Johnson said the fluidity of the offense was a total team effort.

"We were just driving and kicking," Thomas-Johnson said. "Jess (Pachko) was getting in really good position, and other people were hitting. As a team, we played really good, unselfish basketball."

Fellow newcomer Georgie Jones also played a solid game in the interior, ending up with nine points, seven rebounds and a blocked shot.

Although Thomas-Johnson and Pachko have earned starting positions in the early-going, coach Terri Mitchell said that the team doesn't put too much emphasis on who is on the court for the opening tip.

"I think we have seven or eight people we can start right now," Mitchell said. "Our team gets that only five people can start, but it's really who's playing well throughout the game that counts. Giving everyone experience is what I'm trying to do now."

Krystal Ellis struggled for most of the night with her shot. Her first basket didn't come until there were 11 minutes to go in the second half. However, she displayed the versatility that earned her numerous preseason accolades, finishing with a team-high eight assists in addition to three steals.

Ellis said she doesn't feel the pressure to constantly score when she has numerous teammates capable of shouldering the load.

"My shot wasn't really falling so I figured I could give my teammates opportunities, and they were scoring," Ellis said. "We had two newcomers (Pachko and Thomas-Johnson) that were scoring most of the points, so I wasn't really worried about it."

While the offense carried the team in the first half, the tough defensive pressure that Marquette has displayed early in the season certainly was not lacking.

The Golden Eagles caused 32 Pioneer turnovers, including 19 steals. Both Angel Robinson and Janelle Harris led the way in that category, swiping four apiece, while Paige Feidorowicz and Marissa Thrower each had two.

While Marquette's guards hounded the perimeter, the post quartet of Jocelyn Mellen, Pachko, Jones and Feidorowicz stifled Sacred Heart's leading scorer and rebounder Kaitlin Sowinski, a preseason All-Northeastern Conference player. While Sowinski did finish with eight rebounds and four blocks, Marquette's stout interior play held her to only eight points on 3-of-7 shooting.

Despite the differential in height, coach Terri Mitchell started the 6-foot-2 Pachko instead of the taller Mellen on Sowinski, and Pachko did not disappoint.

"'Jessica is just very physical," Mitchell said. "She has size and she's actually a little bigger than Jocelyn. Jocelyn is much more agile so right now Jessica's strength defensively is in the paint and Jocelyns's is on the perimeter."

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