Phoenix, AZ – The Firestorm battle into overtime to beat Embry-Riddle 106-105 in home opener.  Senior Courtney Christmas scored 35 points. Jada Willingham joined 1,000 point club.

Game Info

• Game score: Arizona Christian - 106, Embry-Riddle - 105
• Records: Arizona Christian - 3-0, Embry-Riddle – 1-1
• NAIA Top 25 Rank: Arizona Christian - 22, Embry-Riddle – not ranked
• Location: Fultz Memorial Gym, Arizona Christian University, Phoenix, AZ

ACU Stats for the Day

• Courtney Christmas - 35 points, 4 steals, 4 blocks
• Jada Willingham - 23 points, 4 steals
• Toni Davis – 23 points, 3 steals

Inside the Box Score

• Embry-Riddle got to an early 7 point lead, Firestorm quickly battled back and there were 12 tied scores and 15 lead changes.
• ACU led by 10 in the fourth quarter and the Eagles fought back in the final minutes of regulation to push it to overtime
• Jada Willingham hit a free throw in overtime to become the fourth player in ACU history to join the 1,000 point club

Thoughts from Coach Berry

"The outcome of today's game wasn't exactly how we drew it up. It was a great overtime win but definitely revealed how much work we have to do. Embry-Riddle out rebounded us and out shot us. Every time we thought we were going to put them away they had an answer and came right back. In the end we withstood the adversity and played through it for a win. We could have packed it in when we went down by 6 in the OT. No matter how ugly, a win is a win and we're still 3-0."

Up Next

Next Saturday, the Firestorm will host Benedictine University at Mesa (AZ).  The women will play at 5:00 pm.