GRINNELL, Iowa – When a team starts as quickly as the Grinnell College women's basketball squad did Wednesday night, good things are bound to happen.
 
That was exactly the case as the Pioneers rolled over Monmouth College 73-58 after shooting out to an 18-0 lead in the first period at Darby Gymnasium.
 
The victory was Grinnell's eighth in its last nine outings and moved the Pioneers to 13-6, the most wins by the program since the 2003-04 season. The win was also key to Grinnell's positioning in the Midwest Conference as the Pioneers improved to 10-4.
 
Alissa Hirsh '16 again proved herself one of the most dangerous players in the league, tallying 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field while also dishing out three assists and grabbing three steals.
 
Kayla Morrissey '18 added 19 points and Alex Neckopulos '17 added nine rebounds. The Pioneers also forced Monmouth into 22 turnovers while giving up the ball just nine times themselves.
 
The game was never in doubt, as Morrissey hit a 3-pointer, Hirsh a layup and Morrissey a jumper for a 7-0 edge.
 
But the work was far from done. Anne Boldt '16 and Hirsh each sank layups and Hirsh added a free throw to make it 12-0. Two more jumpers by Hirsh and another by Kaitlyn Norton '17 put Grinnell up 18-0 with 1:29 left in the first period.
 
The Pioneers were up 18-2 after one period and 37-24 at halftime. They used a big scoring output in the third quarter and led 60-40 at its conclusion on their way to yet another win.
 
Monmouth dipped to 4-15 overall and 3-11 in the MWC with the loss.