MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- No. 8-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University women's basketball left no doubts in a 79-43 blowout of Bethel (Ind.) College Saturday afternoon in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Six Wildcats scored in double figures as they shot 66.7-percent (30 of 45) from the floor to cruise to the easy win.

Junior guard Stephanie Burtch drilled a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game and Indiana Wesleyan never looked back. IWU never let Bethel back in the game as BC was unable to tie or take the lead the entire contest.

Bethel would close the gap to one at 13-12 but Indiana Wesleyan took control of the contest the rest of the way on the back of a 9-0 run to lead 22-12 at the midway point of the half.

Indiana Wesleyan led 29-19 with 3:34 left before the break. Indiana Wesleyan then scored the final 12 points of the half to put the game out of reach at 41-19.

The Wildcats did not relent in the second half and continued to increase their advantage. Junior guard Elaine Hessel scored in the paint to push the lead to over 30 points for the first time at 63-32. The lead remained over 30 points the rest of the way.

Indiana Wesleyan led by as many as 38 before settling for the 79-43 victory.

Burtch led the team in scoring with 15 points as she finished a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Lyzz Smith contributed 14 points and six rebounds while senior forward Elaine Hessel added 12 and senior guard Kayla Thompson finished with 11. Sophomore forward Paige Smith and junior center Krystal Stoneking each hit 5-of-5 from the field. Smith scored 13 and Stoneking had 11.

Besides the dominant offensive performance, the Wildcats were equally dominant on the defensive side. IWU limited the Pilots to 29.2-percent (14 of 48) shooting while forcing 22 turnovers. The Wildcats won the battle of the boards by a 33-20 margin.

The Wildcats improve to 21-3 this season and 10-1 in the Mid-Central College Conference. IWU remains tied for first in the conference with University of Saint Francis (Ind.). The Pilots drop to 14-11 and are now 5-6 in MCC action.

Indiana Wesleyan returns to the court at 1 p.m. next Saturday, February 5with a home contest versus Huntington (Ind.) University in Luckey Arena.