GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Ursinus women's basketball team cruised to an 81-40 victory over Gwynedd Mercy University on Saturday afternoon in the Griffins Tip-Off Tournament.
 

With the win, Ursinus opened its 2025-26 season with a 1-1 record, while the Griffins fell to 0-2 overall. Junior guard Colleen Blackman recorded a career-high 28 points and four assists, shooting 7-for-14 from three-point range. Sophomore Delaney McCaffery added a career-best 12 points, while senior Makenna Foder tallied nine points, five assists and five rebounds.
 

Blackman gave Ursinus its first lead at the 8:57 mark of the first quarter, connecting on her first three-pointer to make it 3-1. Gwynedd Mercy responded with a 12-1 run to take a 13-4 advantage with 5:52 remaining. Ursinus battled back as senior Madison Smith converted a three-point play, followed by another Blackman three-pointer to cut the deficit to 13-10. Sophomore Ruth O'Keeffe then scored a layup before Blackman hit her third triple of the quarter to give Ursinus a 15-12 edge with 3:17 left. The Bears closed the frame on a 12-2 run to lead 27-14 heading into the second quarter, highlighted by three-pointers from Blackman, McCaffery and first-year Olivia Nardi.

 
Ursinus extended its lead to 38-16 at the 7:14 mark of the second quarter behind an 11-2 run through the first three minutes. After the Griffins put together a 7-2 spurt, the Bears responded with seven straight points to take a 47-23 advantage into halftime.Blackman scored five straight points to open the third quarter, and a three-pointer from senior Ava Possenti pushed the lead to 55-23 at the 8:47 mark. Both defenses tightened up for several minutes before a layup from Blackman with 5:38 remaining. Ursinus finished the quarter on a 10-3 run to stretch its lead to 67-27 entering the fourth. The Bears maintained control the rest of the way, outscoring the Griffins 14-13 in the final frame to secure the 81-40 victory.

 
Ursinus shot 43.9% (29-for-66) from the field, 36.7% (11-for-30) from three-point range and 66.7% (12-for-18) at the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Gwynedd Mercy shot 27.7% (13-for-47) from the floor, 35.7% (5-for-14) from beyond the arc and 27.6% (8-for-29) from the foul line. The Bears' defense forced 24 Griffin turnovers and converted them into 33 points.
 

Ursinus returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 12, with a non-conference match up at Neumann University in Aston, Pennsylvania.