Great Falls, Mont. - The Lady Firestorm were never out of it, and certainly were not outplayed on Friday night, but ultimately failed to execute late in a 65-64 loss to the Reinhardt University Eagles in the First Round of the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship. Arizona Christian could not convert their final six shot attempts and missed a few critical free throws, all of which contributed to a check-in at heartbreak hotel.

Alyssa Alvarez was the front runner for the Firestorm with 17 points and four assists and did not turn the ball over once. Lauren Gunn and Graciela Roybal each scored in the double digits (12 and 10 respectively), Roybal standing out with a 4-of-5 shooting performance in 24 minutes off the bench.

Emily Till stuffed the stat sheet, amounting nine points, 11 boards and four assists. Though her double-double total stayed put at nine on the season, Till notched her 17th game with at least 10 rebounds and closed out a record-setting year for ACU Women's Basketball. Her mark of 288 rebounds surpasses Kaycee Brown (256) for most rebounds in a single season.

Halle Payne and Kayla Clark were factors throughout the game, each collecting seven rebounds including a combined eight offensive boards. 

The First-Round exit means the Firestorm will have to wait till next year to get the monkey off their back, now 0-3 all-time in the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship.

GAME INFO

Score: Arizona Christian 64 | Reinhardt 65
Records: ACU 18-13 (7-7 GSAC) | Reinhardt 27-3 (20-2 AAC)
Location: McLaughlin Center Gymnasium - Great Falls, MT

STAT TRACKER

Alyssa Alvarez - 17 pts, 2 rebs, 4 ast
Lauren Gunn - 12 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast
Graciela Roybal - 10 pts, 1 ast
Emily Till - 9 pts, 11 rebs, 4 ast
Halle Payne - 8 pts, 7 rebs
Kayla Clark - 3 pts, 7 rebs, 3 ast

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Gunn quelled a quick 6-0 Reinhardt run to open the game with a three-point hit and the first Firestorm field goal. Trailing 12-5, ACU scorched the Eagles with a 9-0 scoring run kickstarted by a Roybal three-ball and capped by a Till put-back in the paint. Neither team would get to the free-throw line in the first quarter. Gunn made a hard drive inside and gave the Firestorm a 16-14 advantage with a successful layup.

Much like the first, the second quarter was a back-and-forth affair. The game saw three ties in the opening 3:26 (at 16, 18 and 20). Reinhardt's Tarrah Gibson deposited eight of her 15 points in the second, hitting a jumper to give the Eagles a 25-22 edge with 5:04 remaining in the first half. Till identified an open Roybal and the sharpshooter knocked down her second three of the game to tie the game. Alvarez got her first points of the game at the free-throw line, but seven unanswered from Reinhardt had ACU in a four-point hole (32-28) with one half left.

Alvarez started cooking in the opening moments of the second half, scoring seven of the Firestorm's first nine points to pull her team even (37-37). The Eagles' Julia Craft sank a three-pointer in direct response, but ACU was unfazed and converted three of their next five possessions to take a 43-40 lead with 4:16 on the clock. Three Firestorm turnovers, however, would transform into two more Reinhardt threes. ACU's final three points would come at the charity stripe as they coughed up the ball an additional four times en route to retaining a four-point deficit (50-46).

Aggressive play would be rewarded to start the fourth, Payne responsible for two of the Firestorm's four buckets that tied the game at 54. Payne demonstrated her toughness again by paying off the next ACU basket with a fastbreak score and the game was once again knotted up (58-58). Poor offensive execution from both teams over the next three minutes was remedied by the Eagles' Maria Sanchez Ponce whose layup saw the score tied 60-60 with 2:45 remaining. 

A three-point hit from Alvarez on the following possession felt like a dagger, but that would hardly be the case. ACU hinted at icing the game with steals on Reinhardt's next two possessions, but a turnover and two uncharacteristic free-throw misses from Alvarez left the game very much up in the air. Gibson gave the Eagles a 64-63 edge with 0:56 left. The Firestorm would then serve up three shots, thanks to two offensive boards (Payne and Clark), but come away empty and having wasted a full 30 seconds. Two free-throw misses from Ashley Woodroffe gave ACU a lifeline. Gunn was forced to make both of her own free-throws to send the game into overtime, but could not hit the first. 

THOUGHTS FROM COACH RUSTY ROGERS

"Heartbreaking loss tonight," Coach Rogers said. "We had several opportunities to put the game away and just didn't execute to the finish. Our squad has persevered all season and today was a perfect example of that. Very proud of this team in so many ways!"

NEXT UP FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Lady Firestorm's season has officially come to an end. Keep up with Arizona Christian Women's Basketball prior to the 2024-25 season by following @acufirestorm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Be sure to also follow @firestorm_wbb on Instagram for all the latest happenings.

Photo by Matt Ehnes of Jared's Detours 

Roll Storm!