The Marquette women's basketball team hit the road for the first time all season and the travel proved to be a non-factor.

The Golden Eagles defeated Indiana State last night by a convincing margin of 77-53 and move to 3-0 on the season.

After leading by only three points at halftime, Marquette heated up in the second half and shot 72 percent compared to the Sycamores' 23.1 percent.

The Golden Eagles were paced by senior guard Krystal Ellis who delivered a season-high 19 points.

Indiana St., who did not score in the final 5:21 of the game, was led by Kelsey Luna who registered 18 points and four rebounds.

Marquette will now travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. Sunday to take on the Western Michigan Broncos.

Sophomore guard Angel Robinson feels that speed and defense are two key factors to the team's early success.

"We're a good team. When we play together, we're great," Robinson said. "Everybody knows that defense wins games, and it's not all about offense even though you need that offensive game.

"We have a fast team, we're not as big as other teams, so we're just going to try to outrun them and use our speed to our advantage."

However, defense isn't the only thing going well for the Golden Eagles. Three games into the season, Marquette features four players who have averaged double figures in points this season.

Ellis, an All-America candidate, leads the team with 14.6 points and 7.3 assists per game. Lauren Thomas-Johnson, Robinson, and Jessica Pachko also average 10 or more points per game.

Western Michigan (0-1) is led by Brenna Banktson, who dropped in 22 points in the team's first game against Saint Louis.

The Broncos suffered a heartbreaking loss in their regular season opener, as Saint Louis hit a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to prevail 68-67.

Ebony Cleary, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, posted a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in the opener, and will pose a tough battle for Marquette on the inside.

However, outside of Cleary, the Broncos struggle to crash the boards and were out-rebounded by 13 against Saint Louis.

Sophomore forward Paige Fiedorowicz, a key reserve for the Golden Eagles, said the team will stick to what's working on the inside until it needs a change.

"I think that whatever's best for the team, and whatever lineup works the best, whoever plays the best together should definitely start the game," Fiedorowicz said. "Jess (Pachko) is a very big part and has impacted us a lot so she definitely deserves the (starting) spot."

Fiedorowicz has come off the bench in each game this year, but has played sufficient minutes for a deep Golden Eagles squad. She averages 15.6 minutes per game and 6.3 points per game.

The bench production of this year's team has given coach Terri Mitchell the confidence that she can look to her substitutes and not see much of a drop off from who is on the court.

"It is great to know we have scorers coming off the bench in any game," Mitchell said. "Right now we have about eight people that I feel can start.

"I just love that we all distribute the ball so well to one another and we set each other up for plays, and we're very unselfish."

Following its game at Western Michigan, the Golden Eagles will return home to host the WBCA Classic at the Al McGuire Center Nov. 28-30.