NEW LONDON, Conn. --  Eastern Connecticut State University may have played a better half of women's basketball in 20 years under head coach Denise Bierly than it did Tuesday night in the opening 20 minutes against Connecticut College at the Luce Field House.

 But none come immediately to mind.

At right: Shannon McCourt shoots over Conn's Kaitlyn Cresencia in the first half Tuesday night.

Playing its final regular-season non-conference game of the season, Eastern (14-6)  shot over 60 percent from the floor in the first half (6-of-7 from three-point range) on the way to its highest-scoring first half of the season (51 points), and coasted to a 78-65 victory that provided the Warriors with their first road win in exactly a month.

Integrating four bench players who saw 29 minutes of action in the first half, Eastern scored eight straight points after spotting Conn (12-8) the opening bucket, then strung together a 14-0 run over four minutes later in the half to avenge a ten-point setback to the Camels in the last meeting two seasons ago.

Six different players contributed points in the decisive run of 14 straight points, when the hosts missed three field goals, a free throw and commited five turnovers on nine possessions.  Penetrating at will, junior guard Taylor McBride (Willimantic) scored on two driving layups early in the 14-point spurt.

Making her second career start, freshman guard Julia DePoi (Brookfield) gave Eastern the lead for good by swishing her first three-point field goal attempt in the opening minute, and her three steals caused three of Conn's five turnovers when Eastern took command later in the half.

At left: Conn's Caitlin Cimino (24) provides little resistance as Eastern's Julia DePoi (5) sails in for two of her team-high16 points Tuesday night.

Freshman guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington) connected on all three of her three-point attempts in the first half and DePoi nailed three of her four tries to spark the 51-point first half on the way to her team-high total of 16 points (one shy of her season-high).

Junior forward Shannon McCourt (New Fairfield) came off the bench to score nine first-half points in five minutes and sophomore guard Brianna Leonard (Amherst, MA) added five rebounds and four points off the bench in 14 first-half minutes.

Sophomore post Erin Brooks (Billerica, MA) finished with 13 points (6-of-8 from the floor) in the game and Nappi 11. DePoi stole the ball five times and freshman post Lexis Foster (Groton) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. McBride and sophomore forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA) combined for nine assists and Ritrosky followed Foster with seven rebounds.

Conn senior forward Tara Gabelman led all players with 22 points, 14 coming with her team convincingly in arrears in the second half. A 1,000-point scorer, Gabelman was 7-for-11 from the floor and canned all eight of her free-throw tries.

Eastern visits Massachusetts Boston Saturday at 1 p.m.