Glendale, Ariz. - Staring a three-game losing streak in the face, the Lady Firestorm demonstrated what it means to persevere and prevailed in overtime 80-74 over the #25 Menlo Oaks. Thirteen points clear of Menlo (69-56) with 5:07 left in the fourth quarter, Arizona Christian allowed 13 unanswered and was forced to settle things in extra time. Clutch buckets from Lauren Gunn and Emily Till let the Firestorm exhale and escape with the win.

Alyssa Alvarez made herself a consistent presence in the scoring column, surpassing the 30-point mark (33) for the fourth time in the 2023-24 season. Gunn continued to make progress in getting back to her early season form, recording 16 points, five boards and three assists. Following a three-game absence, Till nearly worked her way to another double-double (10 points, nine rebounds) but was nonetheless an essential piece of a critical conference victory.

This win not only keeps ACU in playoff position, but also goes down as their second win against a NAIA Top-25 team this season (77-74 over #5 Carroll College (MT) on November 11th).

In the grander context of ACU Women's Basketball, Saturday marked the program's 125th home win. 

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 80 |#25 Menlo 74
Records: ACU 13-9 (4-5 GSAC) |#25 MC 15-5 (8-1 GSAC)
Location: ACU Events Center - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 33 pts, 6 rebs, 2 ast
Lauren Gunn - 16 pts, 5 rebs, 3 ast
Emily Till - 10 pts, 9 rebs, 1 blk
Halle Payne - 10 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast
Kayla Clark - 4 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

In contrast to recent first quarters, the Firestorm jumped out in front early 10-4 following two three-pointers from Alvarez. Neither team shot the ball very well (ACU- 38.9%, MC- 25.0%), the scoring difference by the end of the period decided by two threes and one extra free throw by the Firestorm. A third three-pointer from Alvarez and a layup from Halle Payne stretched the lead to 10 (21-11) before Menlo's Tia Morgan kept the game from getting out of hand with a three of her own.

Offensive production continued to be an uphill climb, but the Oaks ended up winning the second quarter 20-17 at the free-throw line. The two teams mirrored each other, shooting 7-of-19 and connecting on two threes. Six different Firestorm scored, with Alvarez setting the pace (six points on 2-of-5 shooting). It was as back and forth as possible, there being only three instances when a team doubled up on a scoring possession. Jordyn Rosette was responsible for half of the Oaks' points in the quarter.

Holding a slim 38-34 advantage out of the break, ACU shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe just to maintain the same distance. Menlo was 8-for-16 from the field in the third quarter, but went without a single three-point hit (0-for-5) to remain in the back seat of the car. Alvarez did not shoot with volume in mind this time around, nailing her only shot attempt of the period with two seconds remaining to retain a four-point lead for the Firestorm heading into the fourth.

The Firestorm flipped a switch to begin the final quarter, reeling off 13 unanswered points (6-for-9) and taking their biggest lead (69-56) into the last 5:07. As quickly as the offense returned, the ACU defense disappeared. Menlo matched the scoring run and a turnover by Gunn on the final play of regulation sent the game into overtime.

Momentum still seemed to be on the Oaks' side just over a minute into the extra period, but two successful layups by Gunn lifted the Firestorm ahead 73-71 with 2:34 remaining. Menlo's Morgan knocked down a three-ball soon after following an Alvarez turnover. Coming out of a full timeout, the Firestorm drew up a play to perfection and Till gave them the lead once again with a paint score. Another clutch bucket by Till on the next possession put the pressure squarely on Menlo with 30 seconds left. A three-point miss from Rosette set up the Firestorm with a chance to secure the win from the free-throw line. And secure the win they did.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Great victory for our team," Coach Rogers said. "With everything we have been going through recently, hopefully this is the jump start we need to propel us to bigger things. It certainly wasn't easy today, but we wouldn't have it any other way!"

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Lady Firestorm head up to Santa Clarita, California for their second game against The Master's (18-5, 5-4 GSAC). They will try for a 2-0 series against the Mustangs this Thursday, having defeated them 79-72 at ACU Events Center on January 11th. Tipoff from The MacArthur Center is at 6:30 PM MST. Follow the action with live stats at http://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/boxscores/20240208_3mx5.xml and watch the broadcast at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian. 

   
Roll Storm!