Glendale, Ariz.- ACU Women's Basketball utilized an efficient fourth quarter to secure a 69-55 victory in their season opener against the Embry-Riddle (AZ) Eagles. Alyssa Alvarez led the way with 21 points and Halle Payne followed closely with 20 points and six rebounds. Emily Till accounted for 18 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, in an impressive opening performance for the Firestorm.          

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 69 | Embry-Riddle (AZ) 55
Records: ACU 1-0 (0-0 GSAC) | Embry-Riddle (AZ) 0-1 (0-0 Cal Pac)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 21 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast
Halle Payne - 20 pts, 6 rebs, 1 ast
Lauren Gunn - 13 pts, 5 rebs, 3 ast
Emily Till - 7 pts, 18 rebs, 2 blks

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Perhaps due to early season jitters, both squads came out slow in the first quarter, shooting a combined 6/21. The Firestorm held an 11-9 advantage through the opening stanza, as Alyssa Alvarez had six points, sinking two of her first four shot attempts from the field. ACU made all five free throw attempts, while Embry-Riddle (AZ) converted one of two from the stripe.

The second quarter of play yielded a bit more offense, as the Eagles edged the Firestorm 16-15. Aryanna Gonzales led Embry-Riddle (AZ) in the quarter with five points, including one made three-pointer. It was Halle Payne who temporarily outshone Alvarez, recording seven points and two rebounds heading into halftime. 

Coming out of the break, ACU was not yet able to pull away from the Eagles. The Firestorm were 0-for-5 when shooting from beyond the three-point arc in the third, having to rely on five second chance points and eight points in the paint. Payne kept her scoring crown from the previous quarter, this time nailing all three of her shot attempts and one of two free throws for seven total points. The Eagles salvaged a 17-17 tie to retain a one point deficit, Liz Behan leading several third-quarter contributors with five points.

The Firestorm appeared to flip a switch in the final 10 minutes, going 9-for-19 from the field, 5-for-8 from three-point range, and producing 26 points. Alvarez and Lauren Gunn had equally impressive quarters, accounting for 17 combined points and five three-pointers. Emily Till used her six-foot frame to gather nine rebounds, including four critical offensive boards. Embry-Riddle (AZ) was held to 13 points and 28.7% from the field in the fourth. 

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Disappointing first three quarters tonight but we finally got it going in the final ten minutes," Coach Rogers said. "We seemed sluggish and tight early on—missing shots that we were more than capable of hitting and just playing tentative rather than free and easy. Very thankful that we persevered and got it going late. Lots of great contributions individually but I have to point out the outstanding scoring from Alyssa Alvarez and Halle Payne and overall toughness of Kayla Clark and Emily Till!"

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

Following a successful start to their 2023-24 campaign, the Lady Firestorm get right back after it next Wednesday at ACU Events Center. They will match up against Benedictine Mesa with tipoff at 6:00 PM. Follow the action with live stats at https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary and watch at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian.             
   

Roll Storm!