San Dimas, Calif. - On Saturday afternoon, the Lady Firestorm utilized conference-bests in assists (19) and field goal percentage (51.5) to defeat the Life Pacific Warriors 83-61 on Mehl Court. After trailing 10-8 early in the first, Arizona Christian took control of the game from every standpoint. Five players surpassed 10 points and all 14 active Firestorm saw action.

Shaylynn De Yager was a firecracker for ACU, scoring 20 points (8-for-10 shooting) in only 14 minutes off the bench. Emily Till and Halle Payne were a deadly duo, combining for 25 points (12-for-21) and 14 rebounds. Lauren Gunn dished out seven assists, tallying 15 total for the week, and added 11 points to the scoreboard.

Not only did the Firestorm successfully sweep their season series with Life Pacific, but their fifth GSAC win locked up a spot in the postseason. They will enter the final three games of the regular season tied for sixth with Hope International (5-6) in the GSAC standings.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 83 | Life Pacific 61
Records: ACU 15-10 (5-6 GSAC) |LPU 11-12 (2-9 GSAC)
Location: Mehl Court - San Dimas, CA

STAT TRACKER

Shaylynn De Yager - 20 pts
Halle Payne - 13 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast
Emily Till - 12 pts, 9 rebs
Alyssa Alvarez - 11 pts, 5 rebs, 2 ast
Lauren Gunn - 11 pts, 1 rebs, 7 ast
Kayla Clark - 8 pts, 4 rebs, 4 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Arizona Christian spread the wealth early against LPU, seven different players scoring in the first quarter. Alyssa Alvarez got the party started, knocking down a jumper following a Gunn steal on the Warriors' first possession of the game. The Warriors hit four of their first six shots, giving them a slight edge over ACU (10-8), Kyori Lloyd registering eight points. Across a four-minute period, the Firestorm would convert five of six baskets, capped by a Gunn three-pointer, to grab a 10-point lead.

The Firestorm attacked in the paint early in the second quarter, Payne and Till alternating buckets and increasing the lead to 12 (35-23). A three from Lloyd and a layup from Mikayla Murphy kept the Warriors in striking distance. Any momentum LPU had built quickly diminished, as the Firestorm went on a 7-0 run to close the half. De Yager nailed her second shot of the contest and sent ACU into the locker room up 42-28.

Though the Firestorm released their fewest shot attempts on the game (12), the third quarter was one of high efficiency. De Yager led the squad with seven points (3-for-3 shooting) and five of the eight Firestorm field goals were assisted. With just under three minutes remaining, Natalie Satamian and Sophia Ganino each drilled three-pointers on subsequent possessions to cut the Firestorm lead to eight (54-46). A fastbreak layup from Payne and three-ball from De Yager silenced a potential scoring run, and lifted ACU to a 61-48 advantage at quarter's end.

In the final 10 minutes, the Firestorm lead would be inflated up to 25 with 3:18 displayed on the game clock. Thirteen of the 14 active ACU players got on the court, as Gunn and De Yager each sank two three-pointers and combined for 17 of the Firestorm's 22 points. The Firestorm did not surrender a single possession in the quarter. LPU's Lloyd finished with 24 points and Ganino was the other double-digit scorer (11 points) for the Warriors.
 
THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Great response by our team after such a disappointing overtime loss on Thursday," Coach Rogers said. "Life Pacific is definitely not a pushover so we really needed great focus and energy, and we got it. Shaylynn really gave us a boost offensively today and Kayla Clark and Halle Payne anchored our defense. It was fun getting our entire roster in the game and they all played well. Nice way to guarantee our playoff spot!"

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Lady Firestorm have part two of rivalry week ahead of them, as OUAZ (10-11, 0-11 GSAC) makes the short trip to Glendale next Saturday. Tipoff from ACU Events Center is set for 12:00 PM. Follow the action with live stats at https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary and watch the broadcast at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian. 

   
Roll Storm!