MARION, Ind. -- Indiana Wesleyan University women’s basketball used a stifling defensive effort on Tuesday night in Luckey Arena to open Crossroads League play with a 74-49 victory over Bethel (Ind.).

The victory in the league opening game is the 11th straight for Indiana Wesleyan. IWU last lost a league opener in 2004. Indiana Wesleyan improves to 6-1 this season and 1-0 in league play while Bethel drops to 4-4 overall and 0-1 in league action.

Bethel entered the game as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. BC was fifth in NAIA Division II as they shot 38.1-percent from beyond the arc and are sixth with 9.14 3-pointers made per game. Bethel was limited to just 2-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc on Tuesday night for 28.6-percent shooting.

The top Pilot from 3-point range is Madison Schrock as she ranked fourth in the country with 3.57 3-pointers made per game and seventh with 25 total makes. Tonight she was held to 0-for-2 from deep.

“We wanted to take the 3-point line away from them tonight,” said IWU head coach Steve Brooks. “I thought our kids did a really good job of that.”

Carlee Cottrell (JR/West Bloomfield, Mich.) opened the game with a 3-point bomb from the corner just 15 seconds in. Indiana Wesleyan did not trail the entire game.

Bethel remained close through the opening 10 minutes and Indiana Wesleyan led 15-10 at the midway point of the half. That is when Indiana Wesleyan put on a defensive clinic. Bethel did not score for nearly eight straight minutes as Indiana Wesleyan scored 17 straight points to lead 32-13 with 3:48 left in the half.

“We pressured the ball at the appropriate times,” said Brooks. “We made good reads and stepped in front of a couple of passes and got some breakaways. I thought our kids played a smart game overall.”

The Wildcats finished the opening half on an 8-2 run and took a 40-18 lead into halftime. Tori Kraft (JR/Harbor Beach, Mich.) drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Wildcats into the locker room.

Bethel would get no closer than 19 points throughout the second half. The largest Indiana Wesleyan lead of the night was 26 points when they led 55-29 with 10:58 remaining.

“We got some good looks,” stated Brooks. “I thought our kids did a good job of playing with a purpose on the offensive end. We talked about playing with more poise and more purpose on offense. I felt our kids did that pretty well tonight.”

Indiana Wesleyan was led by Cottrell who scored a game-high and tied a career-high with 15 points. She was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Chelsea Winner (SO/Maria Stein, Ohio) joined Cottrell as the only other IWU player in double figures with 10 points. Emma Stahl (SR/Elkhart, Ind.) was stellar tonight with nine points, seven assists, and six steals. Kraft and Kelsey Key (SO/Anderson, Ind.) each contributed eight points while Katrina Blackmon (SR/Marion, Ind.) pulled down a game-best seven rebounds.

Indiana Wesleyan will play a non-league game at 1 p.m. on Saturday. IWU hosts No. 24-ranked Cornerstone (Mich.) in Luckey Arena.