Glendale, AZ. – The Lady Firestorm used a swarming full court defense to build a double-digit lead at halftime, and then clutch shooting from graduate senior Alyssa Alvarez in the second half helped the Firestorm stave off the Eagles comeback bid.  Alvarez led all scorers with 28 points, sidekick Halle Payne chipped in 14 points, and the Firestorm moved to 3-0 in GSAC play and 15-2 overall on the season. 
 
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter with the Eagles holding a slight advantage throughout.  The Eagles Meghan Stickler connected on the 3-4 shots for seven points as the Eagles rushed out to an early six-point lead.  But Payne outdid Stricker by going 4-6 to score eight points in the quarter and helped the Firestorm to end the quarter down just two points.
 
The second period belonged to the Firestorm.  Using a suffocating full court defense, they forced the Eagles into seven turnovers, turning them into nine points.  Seven different players scored in the period.  Alvarez led the way with six points, Taylor Schwab came off the bench to score five points, and Alana Washington scored four points, but did most of her damage disrupting the Eagles offense.  The Firestorm would win the quarter by sixteen points and go into the half up fourteen.
 
The third quarter looked much like the first quarter.  Both teams had their runs, but it was the Eagles who looked just a little sharper.   And once again, it was an Eagles forward, this time Zakiira King, who would score seven points in the period.  But the Firestorm veteran Alvarez would score ten points in the quarter and seemed to have an answer for every Eagles run.
 
The Eagles kept pushing though in the fourth quarter – and nearly came all the way back.  The Eagles' Strickler hit the second of two free throws with 2:09 remaining, and the one time fourteen-point lead for the Firestorm was suddenly down to two points.  But as she had done throughout the game, Alvarez would have an answer.  The very next possession she would score on a driving layup, and then following a block and rebound on the other end from Emily Till, Alvarez drove again for another layup to put the team up by six with 1:12 to go in the game.  A combination of Alvarez and Lauren Gunn would seal the victory for the Firestorm over the final minute.
 
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