Costa Mesa, CA - The Arizona Christian University women's basketball team (18-8, 7-7 GSAC) stunned Vanguard (RV) (8-10, 4-9) 82-80 in a thrilling overtime game on Thursday evening on the road inside The Pitt.

Thoughts from Coach:

After the game, Head Coach Rusty Rogers said, "Proud doesn't even come close to describing how I feel about our squad. We overcame an incredible comeback by Vanguard with tremendous heart and courage, keeping a positive mental attitude through all the adversity that hit us. It is absolutely amazing how far we have come in terms of togetherness, toughness and belief. This game meant so much to us in so many ways, besides keeping us in a good position in our conference. Proud!"

Game Details:

The Firestorm jumped on the Lions early as they raced out to a 23-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Firestorm continued their momentum into the second as they scored 21 points led by nine from Kirsten Shinske to extend their lead to 43-29 at halftime. The Firestorm looked like they were going to run away with the game as they extended their lead 16 points midway through the third. The Lions fought back though as they closed the quarter outscoring the Firestorm 9-5 to get within 57-45 at the end of the third quarter. The Lions continued to battle in the fourth as they opened the quarter on a 17-6 run to get within one at 63-62 midway through the fourth. This time it was the Firestorm's turn to answer as they responded with a 10-2 run to take 73-64 lead with 2:56 left in the game. The Lions rallied though and closed the game on 7-0 run to tie it at 73-73 and send it to overtime. The Lions then took their first lead of the game since the first on a free throw to begin overtime but the Firestorm stormed back to take an 81-74 lead thanks to two three pointers from Alyssa Alvarez and two free throws from Graciela Roybal. From there they held on for a thrilling 82-80 win with Alvarez leading the way with 33 points

Inside the Box Score:

Alyssa Alvarez: 33 points

Kirsten Shinske: 17 points

Graciela Roybal: 10 points

Kaycee Brown: 7 rebounds, 5 assists

Baylee Slaughter: 8 rebounds

Next Game:

The Firestorm continue their Southern California road trip against Life Pacific on Saturday, February 5 at 1:00 PM Arizona time in San Dimas.