Arizona Christian University

Glendale, Ariz.- The Lady Firestorm pieced together their most complete performance of the young season, stunning fifth-ranked Carroll College 77-74 at ACU Events Center. Lauren Gunn lit up the Fighting Saints defense, recording a career-high 38 points on 11-for-22 (50%) shooting. With aggressive, up-tempo offense, ACU earned their ultimate advantage at the free throw line, shooting 22-for-25. Coach Rusty Rogers last led the Firestorm to a win over a NAIA Top-25 team in January 2022 (63-58 over #4 The Master's).

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 77 | Carroll College (MT) 74
Records: ACU 4-1 (0-0 GSAC) | Carroll College (MT) 1-2 (0-0 Frontier)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Lauren Gunn - 38 pts, 8 rebs, 2 ast
Alyssa Alvarez - 21 pts, 1 rebs, 2 ast
Halle Payne - 7 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast
Emily Till - 4 pts, 8 rebs, 6 ast
Kayla Clark - 3 pts, 1 rebs

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Before this game picked up in excitement, the first quarter was a testing ground for both teams. ACU and Carroll traded baskets in the first five minutes before the Fighting Saints hit on back-to-back possessions to pull ahead 14-8. Lauren Gunn and Halle Payne each scored in the paint to cut the deficit to 14-12 by the end of the quarter. 

In the second stanza, the Firestorm began heating up behind the three-point line. Gunn energized ACU's chances with a game-tying (17-17) three-pointer in the opening 90 seconds. Four of the Firestorm's final six field goals in the quarter were worth three points, including a buzzer-beater from Gunn to lift her team to a 40-35 lead at halftime.

The Firestorm drew up a perfect start to the second half, scoring eight unanswered points with contributions from Emily Till, Payne and Gunn. Carroll's offense was held to 4-for-18 from the field in the third quarter. Gunn bore the load for ACU, amounting 12 of her 38 total points in the third, shooting 3-for-4 and 5-for-7 from the charity stripe.

With a 59-49 edge, the Firestorm did not shy away from the moment in the final 10 minutes of play. ACU did not produce a particularly efficient offensive quarter (4-for15), but got to the free throw line with more frequency than the Fighting Saints (9-for-10 compared to 0-for-2). Gunn stepped up once again for the Firestorm, cashing in her fifth three-pointer with 5:07 remaining to put ACU up 66-56. This acted as a large enough buffer, as Carroll could not close the gap despite two late threes.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Despite being only five games into the season, what this team has accomplished doesn't surprise me," Coach Rogers said. "I've been doing this for 40 years and it has been obvious from the very first practice that this is a special group of young ladies. Lauren Gunn was brilliant tonight as was Alyssa Alvarez, but for anyone who knows the game, it was the efforts of Halle Payne, Emily Till, Kayla Clark and non-starters like Raegen Henry and Shaylynn De Yager that made a huge difference! They are fun to watch!"

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Firestorm seek to keep their momentum rolling when they go on the road to face Park-Gilbert on Wednesday, November 15. Tipoff at Legacy Sports Complex in Gilbert will come at 6:00 PM. Follow the action with live stats at http://statb.us/b/495287 and watch the game at https://wtsmtv.com/park-university-live/. 
   

Roll Storm!