ROANOKE, Va. - The Gallaudet University women's basketball team led for the majority of its 2009-10 season opener against Hollins University until the end. Hollins tied the game and took its first lead at the 3:34 mark and held onto a 78-74 victory on Sunday afternoon in Roanoke, Va. The victory snaps a 63-game losing streak by Hollins.

Gallaudet (0-1) started the game strong as the Bison rushed out to its largest lead 30-16 midway through the first half. Hollins chipped away at the lead over the next five minutes. GU clung to a 33-32 lead but went on a run of its own, 11-4, to increase the Bison lead to 44-36 with a minute and a half to go before halftime. Hollins scored eight of the next 10 points as Gallaudet led 46-44 at the intermission.

The game marked the highly anticipated debuts of junior transfer Easter Faafiti (Pittsburg, Calif.) and freshman Shaquana McDonough (Pembroke, Mass.). The duo along with senior Brittainy Payne (Pine Hill, N.J.) combined to score 37 of Gallaudet's 46 first-half points. McDonough had 14 points, one more that Faafiti, and four better than Payne.

The Bison controlled the game in the second half but Hollins was able to control the Bison scoring trio of McDonough, Faafiti and Payne. The trio was limited to 14 combined points in the final 20 minutes of play. Freshman Amy Bachtel (Columbus, Ohio) picked up the slack as she scored all of her 11 points in the second half.

Hollins (1-0) tied the game at 66 on a lay-up by Jasmine Greene (31 points) with 3:34 left in the game. Greene was fouled by Faafiti, her fifth, and completed the three-point play with a free throw to give Hollins its first lead in the game. Greene netted 16 of her game-high 31 points in the second half. Tamara Phillips added 23 points for Hollins in the win. Phillips kept Hollins in the game in the first half as she drained five three-pointers.

Gallaudet outrebounded Hollins by 13 (43-30) as Faafiti led the way with 11 and Payne made 10 to pace the Bison. Faafiti also had a game-high six assists and a team-high two steals.

The Bison will next hit the road and begin conference play when Gallaudet makes the short trip to Arlington, Va., to face Capital Athletic Conference foe Marymount (Va.) University, who is ranked No. 19 nationally, on Tuesday, November 17, at 6 p.m.