RICHMOND, Ky. - What a difference a year makes. The Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team opened it's 1998-99 home schedule with an 83-69 victory over the visiting RedHawks of Miami University, avenging a loss last season at Miami.

Depth may have been the difference for the Lady Colonels tonight, as all 14 players saw some action and 10 of them scored for EKU.

"We have good depth in the post," said Eastern head coach Larry Joe Inman.

The young Lady Colonel squad proved that it has the talent when Inman needs them in the game. Beginning the second half, Inman started two freshmen (Mikki Bond and Zoey Artist), two sophomores (Candice Finley and Susan Hatcher) and one senior (Jennifer King). Those five extended EKU's lead to 25 points with 14:07 remaining in the game, 62-37. During those six minutes, Hatcher knocked down two treys and a two pointer while King added four points, Finley two and Wall nailed down a three of her own. The Lady Colonels also held the RedHawks to only seven points during that stretch. Bond finished the game with four points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. King ended with eight points, hitting all four of her shots from the floor. She pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out three assists.

Hatcher added a career-best eight points to go along with two assists and three steals. Wall contributed nine points, a career-high five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Leading the way for the Lady Colonels was junior guard Marla Gearhart who contributed a game-high 19 points along with three rebounds, five assists and four steals. Sophomore center Candice Finley added her first career double-double as she scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds. Finley also added three blocked shots.

"Candice's key was her 11 rebounds," continued Inman. "We call her the warrior because she is always on the ball and getting after it."

Senior Shannon Browning came in off the bench to add a big spark to the Lady Colonel offense. She hit her first five shots from the floor, including a three, before missing her final shot of the night. She finished the night with 13 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 14 minutes of action.

Overall, the Lady Colonels forced 26 turnovers by the RedHawks, and shot 40.8 percent from the floor, while holding the visiting team to 38.8 percent shooting.

"If anything, this should give our team confidence as far as offense goes," said Inman. "We played good defense early, which led to offensive opportunities. Late, we played poor defense. Not to make excuses, but we have not worked as much on defense as we have on putting in our new offensive set."

The Lady Colonels will try to keep on winning as they travel to Xavier (OH) following a short Thanksgiving break. Eastern will take on the Musketeers in a 4:00 PM contest in Cincinnati next Saturday.

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