Surprise, Ariz.- With a lead as large as 38, the Lady Firestorm pieced together a 98-77 performance at Faith Arena and their third consecutive GSAC win. Alyssa Alvarez paced ACU with 26 points and did so shooting 10-for-15 and committing only one turnover. Four other Firestorm eclipsed the 10-point mark (Graciela Roybal (17), Lauren Gunn (14), Emily Till (12), Kayla Clark (11)) in the team's second-most efficient game on the offensive end of the court (49.3%) this season.

Alvarez nudged into the program's record book once again, this time in all-time scoring. Her latest 26-point outing moves her into second in ACU Women's Basketball scoring with 1528 career points. In her 88th game with the Firestorm, Alvarez passed McKayla Enders (1521 points) and now only trails Courtney Christmas (2354 points). 

Till produced her sixth double-double of the season (12 points, 13 rebounds), as she continues to show her prowess in multiple facets of the game.

Through five GSAC games, the Firestorm have made their presence undeniable.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 98 | OUAZ 77
Records: ACU 13-6 (3-2 GSAC) | OUAZ 10-5 (0-5 GSAC)
Location: Faith Arena - Surprise, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 26 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast
Graciela Roybal - 17 pts, 1 rebs
Lauren Gunn - 14 pts, 6 rebs, 2 ast
Emily Till - 12 pts, 13 rebs, 1 ast
Kayla Clark - 11 pts, 6 rebs, 2 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

With 3:43 on the first quarter clock, ACU and OUAZ were locked in a 11-10 slugfest. The Spirit would go cold offensively (0-for-7 to end the quarter) however, and pave the way for a 15-0 run by the Firestorm. Kayla Clark would ignite the scoring tear with a three-point hit and Halle Payne would close it shut with a lay up. In total, ACU got six players involved on the offensive side of things, led by Alyssa Alvarez's 10 points (4-for-4) and featuring three team assists.

The second period did more to maintain the distance than signify separation (21-19, ACU). OUAZ came out aggressively, getting the free-throw line early and rattling off eight unanswered points (25-18, ACU) in the first 2:16. Graciela Roybal settled ACU down a bit with three successful three-balls, extending the Firestorm's lead to 13 in only four offensive possessions. The Spirit's Brianna Humphries knocked down a three-pointer to keep them in touch (38-29, ACU), but the Firestorm finished the quarter in similar fashion to the first with eight unanswered.

Out of halftime, the Firestorm produced perhaps the best offensive quarter they have all season. Amassing 34 points, shooting 11-for-14 from the floor, and assisting on seven of 11 field goals, ACU was truly firing on all cylinders. An incredible seven players contributed to this statline, with Alvarez and Clark complementing each other's seven point quarters. OUAZ struggled to respond in a positive way, dragging along 13 points on only 3-of-14 shooting. 

Having the luxury of a 38-point lead (80-42), all 13 active Firestorm saw action in the final 10 minutes. The intensity was not maintained, as the Spirit won the quarter 35-18 and shot 60.0% featuring an astounding 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting by Humphries. Lauren Gunn did not allow the time to go to waste, managing 10 of 14 points in the quarter on 3-of-5 shooting.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"I thought our ladies played inspired and confident basketball today," Coach Rogers said. "Disappointed with the fourth quarter performance as I felt like we lost our focus with a large lead. OUAZ does not quit and props to them for competing right to the end."

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Firestorm take a three-game win streak into Costa Mesa, California, as they challenge #12 Vanguard (10-3, 3-1 GSAC) on Thursday, January 25th. Tipoff from Orange Coast College will be at 5:30 PM MST. Follow the action with live stats at http://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/boxscores/20240125_w1d1.xml and watch the broadcast at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian. 

   
Roll Storm!