SLIPPERY ROCK — When Bobby McGraw said the emphasis would be on defense this season, he wasn’t kidding.

The acting Slippery Rock University women’s basketball coach watched his team jump out to a 27-0 lead in the first 10-plus minutes of Friday night’s season opener. SRU wound up coasting to a 66-43 win over Salem International (W.Va.) at Morrow Field House.

The visiting Tigers, who were 4-22 last season and winless in 16 Great Midwest Athletic Conference games, missed their first 14 shots and turned the ball over seven times before finally scoring with 9:20 left in the first half.

“I wasn’t shocked by that start, not at all,” McGraw said. “Defense has been our focus since August 29th, when we met with the team.

“They’ve brought this intensity and energy to practice every day. Tonight’s start was just a carry-over from that.”

While Salem International couldn’t find the bucket, SRU couldn’t miss it. Seven of The Rock’s first eight shots went in, including a pair of treys from point guard Erica Aiello to end SRU’s first two possessions.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better start on both ends of the floor,” McGraw said.

And Salem International couldn’t have asked for a worse one.

“Their zone defense confused us and we just didn’t respond,” coach Lester Harbin said. “That slow start killed us. It cost us the game.”

The Rock led 45-15 at halftime before scoring the first eight points of the second half. SRU’s lead stood at 60-22 with 9:54 to play.

When McGraw emptied his bench, the Tigers caught fire and closed the game on a 21-6 run.

“The bottom of our rotation got a lot of quality minutes tonight,” McGraw said. “We coach them just like we coach everybody else.

“I didn’t like some of the things I saw on the court in those final minutes and we addressed that after the game.”

All 16 players who suited up for The Rock played at least three minutes. D’Asia Chambers paced SRU with 13 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. She played only 24 minutes, just six in the second half.

Aiello had 13 points and five assists. Mallory Heinle, Danielle Garroutte and Taylor Siggers scored eight points each.

Shakinah Haggins had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Salem International.

Inkera Patterson, the Tigers’ top returning scorer at 12.5 points per game, finished with 10. She did not score in the first half, managing to get off just one shot.

While Salem International had the longest losing streak in Division II women’s basketball at nearly 50 games a few years ago, the program has made positive strides under first-year returning coach Harbin.

Harbin had been Salem International’s head coach before serving as an assistant at Oakland University the past two seasons. The Tigers have not had a winning year in more than a decade.

“Back when we had that losing streak, we were struggling to even compete,” Harbin said. “Now we’re capable of winning games and our goal is to win our conference.

“But not with starts like this.”

Salem International played Division I Detroit Mercy competitively in an exhibition opener days ago, trailing by four points at halftime before losing by 21.

“They’ve got some talented players. That’s not a team that was just thrown together over the weekend,” McGraw said.

McGraw became just the fourth of 14 SRU women’s basketball head coaches to win his debut. The last to do it was Laura Williges in 1993-94.