Glendale, Ariz.- The Lady Firestorm succumbed to a three-point happy and active Olivet Nazarene offense in a 94-81 loss at ACU Events Center. A lopsided 24-8 third quarter in favor of the visiting Tigers sunk ACU's hopes of winning their final game before Christmas Day. Alyssa Alvarez rebounded from a poor showing against #11 Concordia (NE) with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Emily Till continues to produce for the Firestorm, etching her second consecutive double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds) on 6-of-7 shooting.

Following an exhibition with GCU on December 27th, ACU will play one final non-conference game against Park-Gilbert on December 30th at ACU Events Center.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 81 | Olivet Nazarene 94
Records: ACU 9-4 (0-0 GSAC) | Olivet Nazarene 5-7 (2-3 CCAC)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 21 pts, 6 rebs, 5 ast
Emily Till - 15 pts, 13 rebs, 2 ast
Cynthia Lopez - 15 pts, 2 rebs
Halle Payne - 14 pts, 7 rebs, 3 ast
Kayla Clark - 2 pts, 1 rebs, 3 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

The visitors from the Midwest made their intentions clear in the opening 10 minutes, shooting 14 three-pointers and knocking down four. ACU was able to stick with Olivet Nazarene from long range, posting 3-of-8 from three-point country. Three consecutive three-point hits from Cynthia Lopez lifted the Firestorm to a 16-9 lead, but the Tigers would stall momentum and cut the deficit to 22-20 at the end of the first.

Lopez nailed her fourth three of the contest 30 seconds into the second quarter, but the Firestorm needed to keep the pedal down to maintain their advantage. Three different ONU players (Anne Peters, Preslee Michael, Bett O'Neal) capitalized on open three-pointers and snatched the lead away from ACU (31-30) with 7:19 left in the half. The offense's engines were still accelerating, as the Firestorm would outscore the Tigers 25-17 up until halftime. Alyssa Alvarez contributed nine of those points and seven different players scored in the quarter (13-for-18 (72.2%) shooting and nine assists).

The game's narrative slowly changed as the third quarter transpired. ONU's Olivia Demosthenes (18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) drained the Tiger's 10th three-pointer on the quarter's opening possession. Payne got ACU on the board with a two-point basket (57-53) following the team's 0-for-5 start. Ball security became a real problem for the Firestorm, as they surrendered nine turnovers to the Tigers. Along with lack of possessions, ACU was seriously hurt by three ball in the third, as ONU scored 15 of their final 19 points off of three-pointers.

Stunned by a 16-point flip, the Firestorm played a much cleaner fourth quarter (two turnovers) but could not muster the necessary offensive firepower. Though the Tigers shot the fewest threes in the final quarter (10), their efficiency did not abandon them (6-for-10) and Demosthenes accounted for two. Ultimately, ACU can pinpoint offensive rebound disparity (24-12, ONU) and three-pointers (21-9, ONU) as the difference makers. 94 points allowed is now a season-high for the Firestorm.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"We really ran into a buzzsaw in the second half and the decline was assisted by my poor distribution of playing time in the first half," Coach Rogers said. "We were clearly gassed in the third and fourth quarters and when a team gets as hot as ONU got in the second half, they really took advantage of our fatigue. Very disappointing loss, and as head coach, I take 100% responsibility."

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Firestorm will make the short drive over to Grand Canyon University for an exhibition with the NCAA Division I program on December 27th. Tipoff from GCU Arena will come at 6:00 PM. Follow the action with live stats at https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=490687 and watch the broadcast on ESPN+. 
   

Roll Storm!