MEADVILLE, Pa. — The ONU women's basketball program raised the curtain on its 2018-19 season in winning fashion Friday afternoon, defeating Chatham (Pa.) 70-43 in the opening game of the Allegheny (Pa.) Tip-Off Tournament in Meadville, Pa..

Northern begins the new season with a 1-0 overall record following the victory. Meanwhile, the Cougars suffer their first loss this season and fall to 3-1 overall.

Senior guard Jenna Dirksen and junior center Emily Mescher paced the Polar Bear offense with 12 points each. Meanwhile, the latter would tack on a team-high seven rebounds in the contest, leading ONU to a sizeable 50-33 edge on the boards.