WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Gallaudet University women's basketball team picked up their first conference victory Sunday in convincing fashion, defeating North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) foe Penn St.-Berks 85-55 at the Field House.

The 30-point win was the largest margin of victory for GU this season, as well as the largest in first-year head coach Brendan Stern's young collegiate coaching career.

The Bison (3-5, 1-1 NEAC South) controlled the game from the opening tip, jumping out to a 26-4 lead, en route to a 39-24 halftime advantage. Sophomore guard Britny Latham (Cleveland, Tenn.) scored 17 of her game-high 22 points in the first half. Latham added a team-leading five assists. In 27 minutes of action, she shot 4 of 7 from three-point land and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw stripe. The 22 points scored is a new career-high total for Latham.

In 23 minutes of play, freshman guard Claire Tucker (Middletown, Md.) scored 17 points on 6 of 8 shooting, and was also perfect from the line, making 5 of 5 free-throw opportunities. Freshman forward Elena Ciccarelli (Whitesboro, N.Y.) had a strong showing with eight points and nine rebounds, but saw her double-double streak snapped at three.

In the second half, the Bison stretched out the lead and every player on the roster got a chance to play. The bench responded to the call, scoring 30 of the team's 85 points, compared to seven for Penn St.-Berks' bench. Sophomore guard Joanna Rocha (Garden Grove, Calif.) returned to the lineup and came off the bench to contribute six points after missing the previous five games due to injury.

The win puts the Bison in third place in the NEAC South Division. Last season, GU won its two contests against Penn St.-Berks by 13 and 16 points apiece.

Penn St.-Berks (1-7, 0-2 NEAC South) was led by Chanell Jones as she recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a game-high six assists. Starting point guard Shakiyla Stone was limited to 18 minutes due to foul trouble, scoring 13 points in the loss.

Both teams were plagued by turnovers throughout the game as they committed 31 miscues each. GU scored 45 points off Berks' 31 turnovers while the Nittany Lions scored 28 points off the Bison turnovers.

The Bison shot well from all areas on the court. They were 50 percent from the field (28-for-56), 6 of 13 from behind the three-point arc, and 23 of 29 from the free-throw line.

The Bison take a two-game winning streak into the holiday break. GU next takes the court Jan. 7 against NEAC opponent Cazenovia College on the road.