Glendale, Ariz. - The Arizona Christian bench, led by Graciela Roybal's 16 points, was a true difference maker in a 79-65 home win over the Hope International Royals. Consistent pressure on HIU's top-two scorers and a 32-point bench effort were key in the Firestorm avenging a loss to the Royals earlier this season.

The Firestorm shot 45.7% from the floor through three quarters, but went cold late and had to rely on defense to secure their third consecutive GSAC win.

Alyssa Alvarez matched Roybal's 16 points, making up for a lack-luster shooting performance (5-of-16) with five assists. Emily Till (10 points, 11 rebounds) notched her eighth double-double of the season, and was tough on the boards in clutch time. Freshman Taylor Teeple relished her 15 minutes on the floor, contributing a season-high 10 points and six rebounds.

With The Master's defeating Jessup 59-45 tonight in Santa Clarita, ACU locks up the fifth seed and a date with Jessup in the opening round of the GSAC Women's Basketball Tournament.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 79 | Hope International 65
Records: ACU 17-10 (7-6 GSAC) | HIU 13-10 (5-8 GSAC)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 16 pts, 4 rebs, 5 ast
Graciela Roybal - 16 pts, 7 rebs, 2 ast
Emily Till - 10 pts, 11 rebs, 2 ast
Taylor Teeple - 10 pts, 6 rebs, 1 stl
Kayla Clark - 9 pts, 1 rebs, 5 ast
Lauren Gunn - 7 pts, 9 rebs, 2 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Hope International had its nose out in front early, as Keira McNamee drained two three-pointers to lift them to a 11-5 lead. Back-to-back threes by Kayla Clark and Shaylynn De Yager quickly leveled the score with 4:21 remaining. Teeple then went on a six-point scoring burst, nailing all three of her shot attempts in the paint to put ACU up 17-16. A second three-ball from De Yager canceled out the same from HIU's Aliyah Gonzalez. Lauren Gunn gave the Firestorm a three-point edge (22-19) with a layup to close the quarter. ACU assisted on seven of nine made baskets. No one surpassed double-digit points in the opening quarter, as the ball was scored by nine different players between the Firestorm and Royals. 

The Royals would go cold offensively in the second (4-of-18), and the Firestorm would pounce on the opportunity to extend their lead. Roybal and Till each got into the scoring column with early buckets that put ACU up 26-20. Gunn pinpointed a pass to Alvarez after a steal, and number 20 was able to finish through contact and successfully completed a three-point play. Till had the ball in her hands much more often in the second quarter, and she converted three of the Firestorm's final four shots. A Roybal three sent ACU into the locker room up 44-30.

Out of the break, things began tightening up a bit, the Firestorm lead shrinking to six (46-40) in just over two minutes of game clock. Aggressive plays toward the basket got ACU to the free-throw line on three straight trips, and they earned five points on them. A three-pointer from HIU's Shailissa Jarrett was counteracted by a Teeple jumper and Clark three. Clark seemed to start a chain reaction, for the next three Firestorm field goals were all from three-point country (Roybal was responsible for two). This burst elevated ACU to their largest lead of the game (18) by quarter's end.

No Arizona Christian player could get comfortable for a majority of the fourth, as the Firestorm missed their first 11 field goal attempts and the Royals clawed back to within 10 (69-59). Halle Payne ended the team's and her own drought with a strong basket, which she converted into a three-point play having been fouled. It was not a pretty finish, but the Firestorm made their home down low and scored their final three buckets in the paint. Neither team found favor behind the three-point arc in the final quarter (0-of-14). HIU could not mount any further comeback and ACU improved their home record to 12-4.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Very impressed with our bench play tonight– I thought they really made a difference," Coach Rogers said. "It really shows the growth of our team and the development of some of our younger players. Roybal and Teeple made some timely plays on both ends of the floor and Clark and Payne did a great job on Hope's top two scorers. I thought we really took care of the ball on the offensive end and Till and Gunn did a great job on the defensive boards. Big win for us!"

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Lady Firestorm seek to even up their season series with #9 Vanguard (18-4, 11-2 GSAC) in their regular-season finale on Saturday at ACU Events Center. Four Arizona Christian seniors (Alyssa Alvarez, Tarissa Moore, Madison Kekic, Raegen Henry) will be honored on Senior Day prior to tipoff at 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!