The Tabor women opened their season with a trip to Newton, where the Bluejays enacted a 70-51 thrashing of the Bethel College Threshers.

Back in Hillsboro on Saturday night, Tabor followed up the season's first win in conference play with an 86-53 dismantling of the McPherson Bulldogs.

In the Bethel game, scoring from the Bluejay subs took what looked like a run-of-the-mill victory to the level of a blowout.

While Bethel's staring lineup totaled 44 points to TC's 51, Tabor got 19 points off of the bench against seven for the Threshers.

The team effort gave the Bluejays a 37-23 lead at halftime.

Kirsten Watson fired five-of-eight from three point range and hit a free throw for a team-high 16 points and came up with three steals.

Donya Anderson also had three steals, to which she added 12 points, 8 rebounds and a blocked shot.

Emily Vogts had three blocks, six rebounds and nine points; Andrea Robinson led the team with five assists along with eight points and two steals.

Three Bluejays-Nicole Ellis, Chelsea Malone and Erin Runge-had six points apiece.

Two nights later, TC showed McPherson what can happen when their guards find their range in the early going.

Watson, Robinson and Malone all nailed 18-footers in the first five minutes of Saturday's contest, and the Bluejays led 19-2 at the 12:37 mark.

Ellis scored six during that stretch and Malone added a three-point play.

Stephanie Silvas hit a three with 5:28 to play in the half, and the score was 30-9 in favor of Tabor.

Another Silvas jumper put TC up by 23 at 3:47; Anderson made it 25 just before the intermission.

The second period saw the margin climb to 35 when Watson hit two free throws at 13:32.

From there the lead dwindled to 13 as McPherson guards Jamie Harvey and Jamie Simms attacked the rim.

Harvey finished with 12 and Simms had nine, but TC's bread-and-butter post play took advantage of Tabor's big edge inside.

In addition to shoot 21-of-29 from the line in the second half, TC held a rebounded advantage that the Bulldogs could not overcome.

Vogts had eight rebounds, Anderson and Runge had seven each; the team as a whole outrebounded McPherson 42 to 36.

Ellis finished with 19 points, Watson had 13 and Vogts had 12 leading the way for Tabor, and the team got 29 points off of the bench.

Coming-the TC basketball squads pack their bags for a road swing through Leavenworth and Ottawa to pay a visit to University of St. Mary and Ottawa University. Ottawa is coming off a 60-41 home win over Friends and St. Mary is trying to break out of a losing streak that covers two non-conference games. Sterling handed USM its third straight loss with 75-38 win on Saturday.

Tip times are set for 6 p.m. for Thursday's the game in Leavenworth and 5 p.m. for Saturday's game at Ottawa.