ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Panthers (1-0 overall) opened the 2023-24 campaign with a win over Simpson as part of the Hyatt Place Tournament hosted by Augustana, 83-64.
 
The Panthers were led by junior Grace Bezold (Covington, Ky.) with a game and career-high 41 points. The junior went 16-of-24 from the floor with 12 rebounds. The double-double marks the eighth of her career.
 
The first half saw Simpson lead by as many as 23-10 when the Panthers pounced. Leading the charge was Bezold as she was able to cut the difference to 25-21. However, it quickly became a game of halves as Simpson remained poise entering the intermission with the 34-27 advantage.
 
Bezold continued on the attack helping the Blue and Red erase the half time deficit and pull within 34-32. They captured the lead with 4:01 to play in the third quarter as junior Katherine Benter (Brownstown, Ind.) exploded to propel Hanover on top. The rest was history as Hanover went on to outscore Simpson 23-14 in the fourth quarter for the dominating 83-64 victory.
 
Hanover returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 11 when they take on Aurora University as part of the Tournament Championship at 4:00 PM.