BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - Brooke Smith and Ashley Lunsford posted double-doubles and five players hit double figures as Union College posted an 88-61 season-opening victory over visiting Asbury (Ky.) College Tuesday.

Smith (Pineville, Ky.) led everyone with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Lunsford (Orlando, Ky.) added 10 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

Also hitting double figures in scoring were Kara Pile (Fairdale, Ky.) with 17, Capri Savage (Orofino, Idaho) with 14 and Carley Blankenship (Lexington, Ky.) with 10 points to go along with six assists and three steals.

The Lady Bulldogs struggled coming out of the gate as the Lady Eagles used a four-point surge to take a 10-6 lead with 15:57 left in the first half. Union regrouped and embarked on a 24-7 rally in taking a 30-17 lead with 7:28 to play. Savage had 10 points during the run, including eight-straight points.

Union led by as much as 21 points en route to a 44-32 halftime lead.
Asbury tried to battle back, cutting the margin to 47-36 with 18:18 remaining. However, Union steadily tacked on to its cushion, eventually stretching the lead to 86-54 after a Kathryn Clark (Frankfort, Ky.) 3-pointer with 1:30 left. The Lady Eagles scored seven of the final nine points to make the final 88-61.

Courtney Albin paced Asbury (0-1 overall) with 15 points with Laura Carroll chipping 11.

Union (1-0 overall) will travel to Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip.

Lady Bulldog Notes
• The double-double was the 28th in Brooke Smith's career and the 10th for Ashley Lunsford.
• This was the 52nd time Smith has scored 20 or more points in a game.
• This is the first time since 2006 Union has won its season opener. It lost 86-77 to Reinhardt (Ga.) in 2007 and 88-79 to St. Catharine (Ky.) last season.