Glendale, Ariz.- In a tightly contested game, the Firestorm ultimately could not overcome a late deficit and lost 56-51 to 15th-ranked Rocky Mountain College. Alyssa Alvarez nearly accounted for half of ACU's total points, with 24 to her credit and Lauren Gunn was the runner-up with nine points. This was the last of three consecutive home games for the Firestorm.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 51 | Rocky Mountain College 56
Records: ACU 2-1 (0-0 GSAC) | Rocky Mountain College 2-0 (0-0 Frontier)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 24 pts, 3 rebs, 2 ast
Lauren Gunn - 9 pts, 5 rebs, 3 ast
Emily Till - 7 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast
Halle Payne - 5 pts, 2 rebs
Kayla Clark - 3 pts, 3 rebs, 3 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

By the end of the first quarter, both team's shot nearly identical. The Firestorm took a 15-13 edge into the second stanza due to one more field goal and two more successful three pointers than the Battlin' Bears. Alvarez had the hot hand, shooting 3-for-5 from the floor and 2-for-3 beyond the three-point line. Kayla Clark hit her lone three-pointer in the first. For Rocky Mountain, Morgan Baird posted four points on 2-of-3 shooting.

The Battlin' Bears matched their point total in the opening quarter (13) in the second and grabbed a 26-25 lead at halftime despite shooting 25%. Alvarez once again shouldered the offensive load in the second quarter, nailing three baskets and nine of ACU's 10 total points. A large disparity in rebounds (18-4 in favor of Rocky Mountain) was a large reason for the Firestorm relinquishing their first-quarter lead.

Inside the third quarter, ACU lost the rebound battle again (11-8) and no player made more than one field goal. With Alvarez cooling off, other starters such as Lauren Gunn and Emily Till could not provide a spark to a struggling offense. Though they only tallied 11 turnovers the entire game (compared to Rocky Mountain's 21), all four in this quarter were costly. The Battlin' Bears, on the other hand, shot a respectable 47.1% in the quarter being led by Dominique Stephens' six points on 3-of-4 shooting. 

A quick three-pointer by Rocky Mountain's Gracee Lekvold inflated their lead to 47-37 with 9:42 left in the fourth quarter. The Firestorm hung around, however. Following two successful Gunn free throws, Alvarez pulled ACU within two (53-51) after a fadeaway three-pointer and free throw that completed a four-point play with 45 seconds left in the game. A Battlin' Bears turnover gave the Firestorm one last chance, but Alvarez could not produce the same magic.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Another hard fought battle and, again, we really competed well," Coach Rogers said. "Anytime you play a nationally-ranked team and take it to the last possession, you have to be proud of the effort. This team is really coming together and improving every game!"

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Firestorm head on the road for the first time this season, as they match up against Embry-Riddle (AZ) a second time but in Prescott. Tipoff will be at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, November 8th. Follow the action with live stats at https://www.eraueagles.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/boxscores/20231108_kz2i.xml and watch at https://www.eraueagles.com/links/crbys3.    

   
Roll Storm!