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Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Rusty Rogers and WBB huddle during timeout

Women's Basketball Payne Moses

Early Homestand, Early Challenges For Firestorm

Glendale, Ariz.- Following a 69-55 win over Embry-Riddle (AZ) in their season opener, ACU Women's Basketball has their hands full this week. The Firestorm will host Benedictine Mesa and 15th-ranked Rocky Mountain College on Wednesday and Friday at ACU Events Center. 

Game Details

Arizona Christian vs Benedictine Mesa - Wednesday, November 1 at 6:00 PM
Arizona Christian vs #15 Rocky Mountain College - Friday, November 3 at 4:00 PM

ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

*All Times Listed Are Arizona Time

Tickets - https://acufirestorm.com/sports/2022/11/29/973_133142257298652889.aspx 

Prices- General Admission ($10), Alumni/Military/Senior ($5), ACU Students (Free), 12 and under (Free)

Live Coverage

Video - https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/
Live Stats - https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary 

Arizona Christian

Despite three quarters of lack-luster basketball, the Firestorm played a very strong final quarter to pull away from Embry-Riddle (AZ) 69-55 in their season opener. They outscored the opposition 26-13 in the fourth quarter, Alyssa Alvarez and Lauren Gunn combining for 17 points and Emily Till collecting nine rebounds. Rusty Rogers earned his 58th win in his fifth year as head coach and his 417th at the collegiate level.
                         
ACU Key Players

Alyssa Alvarez - 21 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast
Halle Payne - 20 pts, 6 rebs, 1 ast
Lauren Gunn - 13 pts, 5 rebs, 3 ast
Emily Till - 7 pts, 18 rebs, 2 blks

*All Stats From Oct. 28 vs. Embry-Riddle (AZ)

Series Notes

In 12 all-time meetings, the Firestorm are 7-5 against the Benedictine Mesa Redhawks dating back to the 2016-17 season. ACU was victorious in the first four games, before falling in the next three. The most recent meeting came last December, the Redhawks defeating the Firestorm 72-70 at ACU Events Center. Alyssa Alvarez led ACU with 23 points, shooting 12-for-15 at the free throw line. Madison Kekic tallied 11 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range. The Firestorm are 7-3 at home against the Redhawks.

The Firestorm are 0-7 in their all-time series with the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears, dating back to the 2010-11 season. With the exception of one game played in Las Vegas during the 2016-17 season, all matches have been hosted by ACU. In their most recent meeting back in December 2017, the Firestorm lost a close 64-63 game. Courtney Christmas led the way with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocks. 

Coach Rusty Rogers' Thoughts

"Big week of games for us as we host two excellent teams in Ben Mesa and Rocky Mountain," Coach Rogers said. "Ben Mesa always creates a challenge for us with their aggressiveness and speed. They really came on strong last season to earn a Cal Pac postseason bid after a slow start. Rocky Mountain has become an NAIA powerhouse, winning 49 games over the last two seasons. We will learn a lot more about ourselves after this week!"

Benedictine Mesa

The Benedictine Mesa Redhawks (0-0) will open their 2023-24 regular season at ACU on Wednesday. Last year, Ben Mesa qualified for the Cal Pac Tournament for the third time in program history under the leadership of then first-year head coach RaShawn Howell. They posted a 11-9 Cal Pac record and 15-13 overall record. Guard Elise Young, who tied their single-game scoring record (34 points) last season, returns for her senior year.

Rocky Mountain College

The Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (1-0) opened their 2023-24 season with a 74-56 win over College of Idaho on October 27. Morgan Baird had a career-best 24 points in their outing, along with three blocks and six rebounds. Dominique Stephens followed with a double-double that consisted of 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Battlin' Bears are fresh off a year in which they qualified for the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship and were 10-5 in the Frontier Conference. 


Roll Storm!
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Players Mentioned

Alyssa Alvarez

#20 Alyssa Alvarez

G
5' 11"
Senior
Lauren Gunn

#10 Lauren Gunn

G
5' 7"
Sophomore
Madison Kekic

#1 Madison Kekic

G
5' 7"
Senior
Halle Payne

#21 Halle Payne

P
5' 9"
Junior
Emily Till

#14 Emily Till

P
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Alyssa Alvarez

#20 Alyssa Alvarez

5' 11"
Senior
G
Lauren Gunn

#10 Lauren Gunn

5' 7"
Sophomore
G
Madison Kekic

#1 Madison Kekic

5' 7"
Senior
G
Halle Payne

#21 Halle Payne

5' 9"
Junior
P
Emily Till

#14 Emily Till

6' 0"
Sophomore
P