Clarksville, Ark. - Hendrix opened league play in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 79-67 win over the University of the Ozarks on Friday evening at Mabee Gymnasium.

The Warriors marked their return to the SCAC with a strong offensive performance as Natalie Edmonson and Chloey-Rei Brown combined for 52 points in the win.

Edmonson caught fire early and stayed hot, connecting on 6 of her first 7 three-point attempts and finished the evening 8-of-11 from behind the arc. Brown shot 9-of-18 from the field and gave Ozarks trouble all night with her ability to work inside of the paint. Brown also dished out 4 assists, which equaled Bella Cates' mark.

Riley Brady joined Edmonson and Brown in double-figures with 14 points. The junior notched her fifth double-double in six games, ending the night with 17 boards, with 8 of those coming on the offensive end.

Hendrix opened the game on a 9-0 run courtesy of Edmonson and Brown and jumped out to a 14-3 lead by the first media timeout. The Eagles were able to cut the lead to 7 early in the second quarter, but the Warriors kept their foot on the gas thanks to Edmonson's hot shooting to push their to 15 going into halftime.

Ozarks outscored the visitors in both quarters of the second half, but Hendrix built up enough cushion to prevent the Eagles from ever making a significant dent into their lead.

The Warriors shot 43.8% from the field and hit on 9 of their 24 three-pointers. Hendrix scored 26 points in the paint and registered 17 second-chance points thanks to 15 offensive boards. Wes Sullivan's side also turned the hosts over 16 times while committing just 10 turnovers.

Hendrix (5-4, 1-0 SCAC) will return to Conway on Sunday to host Ozarks in the return leg for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off at Grove Gymnasium.