Glendale, Ariz. - Arizona Christian held a lead over #9 Vanguard well into the third quarter, but inefficient free-throw trips and turnovers in the fourth enabled the visiting Lions to pull away 78-62 on Senior Day. The Firestorm demonstrated the ability to break the Lions' full-court press and force outside shots, but did not convert possessions late to fall in their regular-season finale. Before the game got underway, four seniors (Alyssa Alvarez, Madison Kekic, Raegen Henry, Tarissa Moore) were honored for their contributions to the program.

Senior Alyssa Alvarez and sophomore Lauren Gunn paced ACU with 16 points apiece, combining for 13 rebounds and eight assists on the day. Graciela Roybal was the burst of energy and speed the Firestorm needed to hang with the conference-leading Lions, totaling 14 points and shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range.

Halle Payne was active across the stats board, collecting six points, two rebounds and four assists (tied a season-high in assists). Top-rebounder Emily Till corralled nine in the contest, but was limited to a season-low two points (1-of-7 from the floor). 

The Firestorm put just their fifth home loss of the season behind them, and shift their focus to the GSAC Women's Basketball Tournament. As the #5-seed, ACU prepares to square off with #4-seed Jessup on Thursday night at Menlo College.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 62 | #9 Vanguard 78
Records: ACU 17-11 (7-7 GSAC) | #9 VU 19-4 (12-2 GSAC)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 16 pts, 6 rebs, 4 ast
Lauren Gunn - 16 pts, 7 rebs, 4 ast
Graciela Roybal - 14 pts, 1 rebs, 1 ast
Halle Payne - 6 pts, 2 rebs, 4 ast
Shaylynn De Yager - 6 pts
Emily Till - 2 pts, 9 rebs, 2 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

The Firestorm avoided another slow start against the Lions, keeping it an 18-13 game through the first quarter despite eight turnovers. A layup by GSAC scoring and rebounder leader Melissa Akullu made it a 14-7 game with 3:13 remaining. Alvarez responded with a dime to Shaylynn De Yager and a steal on the defensive end, leading to a De Yager bucket and fast-break score by number 20 herself. A second hit by De Yager on ACU's final possession of the quarter got them within five. Each team was ice cold from three-point country, shooting a combined 2-of-14.

A three-ball from Vanguard's Sarah Matossian and athletic paint score by Akullu stretched their lead to eight (23-15) in the opening two minutes of the second. The Firestorm seemed to find their stride, converting on three straight possessions and drawing within two. Freshman Taylor Teeple inserted herself in the scoring column with a layup assisted by Till, and a three-pointer from Roybal on the very next possession erased the Lions' lead entirely (26-26). Another Vanguard miss from deep resulted in an ACU fast-break, Alvarez finding Till who buried the layup to give them their first lead of the ball game. Akullu single-handedly kept the Lions within striking distance, scoring three of their final four field goals in the half to make the Firestorm edge only two points (36-34).

Another three from the hands of Roybal extended ACU's lead to the largest all game (42-36) nearly four minutes out of the break. Three Firestorm turnovers and four consecutive misses empowered a 10-0 Lions' scoring run and the lead turned into a four-point deficit. VU's Ashlin Crabtree swished her third three-ball of the contest, but Alvarez canceled it out with a three of her own (49-46). It would require another Alvarez three to keep the disadvantage at five at the end of three quarters.

ACU would not go down without a fight, two drives from Alvarez seeing the Vanguard lead at three (61-58) with 5:46 left in regulation. Back-to-back threes from Matossian and a melting pot of Firestorm mistakes put the game out of reach with the clock ticking under two minutes. Seven turnovers and a 1-of-5 performance from the charity stripe was the Firestorm's ultimate undoing when push came to shove.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Very, very disappointed in the overall play of the team today," Coach Rogers said. "I felt like we literally gave the game away with our turnovers and missed free throws among other things. Most troubling was the level of competitiveness and fight from our entire team– particularly down the fourth quarter stretch. It's very disheartening considering the level of importance of the game. We have a couple of practices to refocus our mindset and make a serious run in the GSAC playoffs next week."

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Lady Firestorm shift their attention to the postseason and the GSAC Women's Basketball Tournament. They will take on #4-seed Jessup in an opening round game on Thursday. Opening tip from Menlo College is set for 6:00 PM MST. Follow the action with live stats and watch the broadcast at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian. 

   
Roll Storm!