Glendale, Ariz.- Eerily similar to their season opener, the Lady Firestorm settled down in the final quarter and delivered a 78-68 win over Benedictine Mesa. Alyssa Alvarez led the way once again with 24 points and Halle Payne posted an efficient (8-for-11) 19 points on the night. For Lauren Gunn, 11 of her 16 points came in the critical fourth quarter.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 78 | Benedictine Mesa 68
Records: ACU 2-0 (0-0 GSAC) | Benedictine Mesa 0-1 (0-0 Cal Pac)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 24 pts, 7 rebs, 3 ast
Halle Payne - 19 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast
Lauren Gunn - 16 pts, 2 rebs, 3 ast
Kayla Clark - 10 pts, 5 rebs, 3 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

ACU and Ben Mesa both shot the ball well in the first quarter, a combined 15 for 32 from the field. However, the Firestorm did not record a single offensive rebound and the Redhawks held a 21-18 lead at the break due to three second-chance buckets and four successful free throws. Alvarez was a perfect 3-for-3 and tallied eight points, as Payne was equally efficient at 4-for-5 from the field and eight points.

In the second stanza, the Firestorm got to the free throw line and knocked down five out of six possible shots, but struggled to shoot at 5-for-19. Ben Mesa outrebounded ACU 16-10 in the quarter and nailed four from three-point range compared to only one on the Firestorm's end. No player on ACU made more than one field goal, Gunn leading with five points. The visiting Redhawks clung to a 38-34 edge at halftime.

The third quarter was not perfect, but a small turnaround for the Firestorm. ACU shot 5-for-10 from the floor and nailed five of six free throws. Alvarez and Payne matched each other with six points apiece. On the other side, Ben Mesa retained their lead due to shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, shooting a dismal 3-for-17 in the quarter.

Kayla Clark scored and sank a free throw on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, giving the Firestorm the lead (54-53) for good. ACU only committed one turnover the entire quarter and made the free throw line their home, shooting 14-for-17. It was the only period that the Firestorm outrebounded the Redhawks (13-9). This fact contributed to ACU scoring 22 total points in the paint to Ben Mesa's eight.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Much like our first game, we really didn't get things going until the fourth quarter tonight," Coach Rogers said. "We have to figure it out earlier in games and we've got to get better production from our non-starters. Friday presents a real challenge for us and I am very anxious to see how we respond."

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

Now off to a 2-0 start, the Firestorm have a real test in front of them this Friday, in the form of #15 Rocky Mountain College. Tipoff is at 4:00 PM. This matchup will conclude a three-game homestand to begin the 2023-24 season. Follow the action with live stats at https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary and watch at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian.             
   

Roll Storm!