MILWAUKEE – Sophomore Holly Denfeld scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the MSOE women's basketball team to a 55-51 victory over Aurora Tuesday evening at the Kern Center.

The Raiders (10-3, 6-2 NACC) also got double-figure scoring outputs from seniors Marly Trier and Bre Strong in downing the Spartans (4-10, 4-5 NACC).

Denfeld shot 8-of-12 in the game and blocked four shots. Trier finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Strong notched 13 points.

Shannon Koski, the NACC's leading scorer at 19.2 points per game entering the night, led Aurora with 11 points. Morgan Ricketts add 10 and Bethany Dorrington finished with nine.

The teams traded baskets to open the game to start the game before the Raiders scored seven-straight points to overcome a brief 8-6 deficit and take the lead at 13-8. They played from ahead the rest of the half.

AU pulled within one at 20-19, but MSOE scored six-straight points to open a 26-19 advantage. Its lead peaked at eight in the half when Strong beat the buzzer with a jumper to make it 30-22 at the break.

Denfeld had 12 points and eight rebounds by the intermission, while Strong entered the break with 10. The big story of the half was the Red & White defense, limiting Dorrington and Koski to just two points and 0-for-10 shooting in the period. They entered the game averaging a combined 35.7 points per game.

A quick basket to start the second half made it a 10-point game, but the Spartans rallied within two with an 8-0 run. The Raiders then answered with an 8-2 run to make it 40-32. They kept their advantage at multiple possessions the rest of the way, leading by as many as 11 down the stretch.

MSOE shot 43.5 percent in the game to move to 6-0 at home this season, compared to 38.9 percent for the visitors.

The Raiders return to the court Saturday at Alverno.