Like a car owner with a new purchase parked in the driveway, John Carroll women's basketball coach Kristie Maravalli could not wait to give the 2010-2011 Blue Streaks a test drive.

The long awaited test drive turned out to be exhilarating as John Carroll rolled past the College of Wooster, 82-51, in the season opener for both squads Monday night at the DeCarlo Varsity Center.

Box Score

"Once we got over our nerves, the shots started dropping," said Maravalli. "I couldn't fault the effort as much as the execution in the early going. But we settled in and played well for long stretches tonight. I am happy with starting our season out this way and getting a look at a lot of players."

The game was tied through the first three minutes, but when Emilee Ritchie hit a three-pointer at the 16:49 mark of the first half, JCU would never trail again. 

Another Ritchie three ball gave the Blue Streaks their first double digit advantage, 22-12, with 5:43 remaining in the opening half. John Carroll took a 33-19 lead into the break.

Wooster scored the first two points of the second half on a basket by Karley Walker, but the Blue Streaks scored 20 of the next 24 over a seven-minute stretch. When Melissa Spahar hit a three with 12:35 showing on the clock, the host squad had built its lead to 53-25.

In her John Carroll debut, Emilee Ritchie scored 21 points to lead John Carroll (1-0). Ritchie, a junior transfer from Findlay, was one of the five starters who all scored in double figures. Lee Jennings added 17 points, nine assiists and eight rebounds, while Katie Knox added ten points and a team-high nine boards -- one shy of a double-double. 

Spahar (14) and Sadie Zander (13) aldo scored in double figures as JCU shot 30-63 (.476) from the field.

Wooster (0-1) was paced by 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds from Kristen Schwartz, while Samantha Sulzer added 11 points. The Fighting Scots never got on track shooting, finishing the night 18-60 (.300) from the floor.