Mid-November spells the beginning to another edition of Blue Streaks basketball.

The 2016-17 season happened to commence in grand fashion.

The John Carroll University women's basketball team proved to be victors in its opening game opposite the St. Vincent Bearcats by a score of 73-58 on Tuesday evening from the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

Head Coach Kelly Morrone was beyond pleased with the way the opening game shaped out in a full-team effort.

"We still have a young team so putting a complete game together is the hardest thing for any team to learn," said Morrone.

Shortly after senior Katlyn Spahar broke the scoring barrier at the beginning of the contest with a mid-range jumper, the Bearcats went on a 9-0 run and forced Morrone to take a timeout just five minutes into the game.

The seas settled once JCU found its groove courtesy of Sarah Sprecher's first collegiate basket and 10 points of offense from the scoring trio consisting of Spahar (six points), Sprecher (two points), and Shmoo Pryor (two points).

The 13-0 response from the Blue Streaks yielded a 15-9 lead and eventually a five-point lead at the culmination of the first quarter.

JCU would not bear down to begin the second period of play by going on a convincing 7-0 run to put the score at 22-10 with just over eight minutes remaining.

A rapid exchange of baskets ensued before sophomore Anne Principe notched her first collegiate three-pointer to expand the ever-growing lead to 16 points. Spahar continued to add to her tally alongside the likes of Camille Adelman's four-point first half performance.

At the intermission, John Carroll held a commanding 36-17 advantage.

The one-sided affair stayed true to its form throughout the stages of the third as the Blue Streaks pulled ahead by as many as 22 points. Pryor and Spahar continued to team together in an offensive onslaught against a demoralized St. Vincent defense.

Morrone and staff devised a game plan at the half that kept the double-digit lead intact for the entirety of the third quarter. Principe sunk another three-pointer from the top of the key to provide JCU with a firm 58-35 lead, its largest of the contest.

Rounding out the game for the Blue Streaks was an incessant attack toward the hoop from Pryor, Spahar, and Chelbi Graham. Halfway through the fourth quarter and JCU held a 65-46 lead.

The Bearcats would not go down without a fight by going on a 16-2 run to cut the home advantage to 10 and force Morrone to take her second-to-last timeout. Second-unit contributions on the defensive end gradually extinguished the too-little-too-late comeback and led to transition layups for Spahar and Adelman.

"First game, happy to get the win," said Morrone. "Nine people got a lot of minutes and I think their investment into their player development showed a pretty significant return.

With the win, the Blue Streaks have won eight consecutive opening day matchups dating back to 2010.

"We had a ton of missed layups early and a ton of turnovers and we still won with 73 points," Morrone said. "That's just fun basketball to watch. We just need to keep honing in on the things that make us successful and continue to do them for 40 minutes throughout the game."

The Blue and Gold will stay on their own home floor and clash with La Roche College next Tuesday at 7 PM from the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. JCU cruised in the only historical matchup between the two programs on November 19, 1993 (W, 102-47).