PHOENIX, Ariz. - Thompson Rivers University (9-3) from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada began the game with an 18-0 run over the first 6:55, scored 16 consecutive points midway through the second half and closed the game on a 26-10 run over the last 9:49 and defeated Arizona Christian University (4-7), 95-67, in collegiate women's basketball action at the Arizona Christian Classic II, Friday, December 28, in Fultz Memorial Gym in Phoenix. 

Arizona Christian, directed by second-year head coach Jerry Conner, takes on Northern New Mexico College (4-10), from Espanola, New Mexico, at the ACU Classic II, Saturday, Dec. 29, at 4 p.m., following a 2 p.m. clash between Thompson Rivers and Rocky Mountain College (4-6) from Billings, Montana. In Friday's first game, Northern New Mexico edged Rocky Mountain, 70-67. 

Thompson Rivers scored the first 18 points of the game against ACU in the opening 6:36. ACU finally scored on a three-pointer by freshman guard Kiara White (Phoenix, Ariz./Washington H.S.) at 13:05. A pair of three-pointers by senior guard Jessica Largo (Gallup, N.M./Rehoboth Christian School) followed and after 11 consecutive points by the Firestorm, ACU was right back in the game, trailing just 18-11 with 10:59 left in the first half. ACU sliced the lead to 25- 19 with 8:48 remaining and 28-22 with 6:24 left and later trailed by just six points twice more, including 40-34 at halftime after Largo's third three-pointer of the half with seven seconds left. 

ACU committed 16 first-half turnovers, including 14 steals by Thompson Rivers, which cost the Firestorm 18 points, many on open fast-break lay-ups by the Wolfpack. Largo led ACU with nine points, and forward Tracy Kocs scored 13 and had five steals for TRU in the first half. 

The Firsestorm sliced the Wolfpack's lead to two points three times in the first six minutes of the second half, and trailed 53-51 with 14 minutes to play in the game. Less than three minutes 

later, Thompson Rivers took a 69-51 lead with 11:13 left after scoring 16 consecutive points, five by 6-3 center Diane Schuetze, who finished with a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals. 

Already leading 69-57 with 9:49 to go, the Wolfpack outscored ACU 26-10 the rest of the game and stretched its lead to as many as 29 points, 95-66, with 50 seconds still to play. 

Schuetze, who averages a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds for the season, received support from Kocs, who finished with 24 points, 5 three-pointers, four rebounds, two assists and seven steals, and guard Jen Ju, who added 16 points, 2 three-pointers, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Guard Jorri Duxbury contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, seven steals and three blocked shots, and forward Taiysa Worsfold totaled nine points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one blocked shot and one steal. 

Largo led ACU with 14 points, 4 three-pointers, and three assists, and senior guard Paula Clendaniel (Tucson, Ariz./Cienega H.S./York College (Neb.) overcame illness to record 11 points, 3 three-pointers, three rebounds and two blocked shots. Sophomore forward Sarah Beth Hock (Gilbert, Ariz./Perry H.S.) finished with eight points, all in the second half, seven rebounds and one steal, and White gave ACU nine points and 2 three-pointers. Junior guard Tenisha Royston (Shiprock, N.M./Shiprock H.S./Scottsdale CC) scored four points with one three- pointer, gathered five rebounds, passed seven assists and had one blocked shot and one steal, and sophomore starting forward Stephanie Brimhall (Gilbert, Ariz./Perry H.S.) contributed four points, four rebounds and one steal.