Avila Handled by Bethany at Home

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Avila offense struggled to get in gear, and once Bethany (14-5, 12-2 KCAC) grabbed a lead the Swedes never let it go, leading Bethany to a 68-33 victory over Avila (2-18, 2-12 KCAC) on Saturday afternoon in Mabee Fieldhouse.

The Bethany offense was in sync early, shooting better than 60% from the field in both of the first two quarters. Avila's defense was much improved in the second half, limiting the Swedes to just 23 points over the final 20 minutes, but the Eagle offense never managed to get it going: Avila shot just 27% from the field for the game, while Bethany finished just south of 50%.

After the Swedes scored on their first possession, the Eagles answered with a jumper from Emily Baldwin to tie the score. But the Swedes then scored six of the next seven points to grab an early edge, and they never looked back.

The Swedes led 24-8 after 10 minutes and the Eagles were never able to make any headway into their early deficit. Avila never scored more than 10 points in a quarter as Bethany steadily built its lead up to many as 37 before ultimately wrapping up the 68-33 win.

Emily Weathers got off to a hot start and finished with a game high 15 points for the Swedes. No one else scored in double figures, but five other players scored at least six. Baldwin and Daisy Washington tied for the team lead with six points for the Eagles; Grace Effertz and Morgan Wiseman combined for eight points and nine boards.

Up next, Avila women's basketball will return to the road in a quick turnaround this Monday, January 23 when the Eagles travel to take on Bethel. Tipoff for the women's game is slated for 6 PM with the men's game to follow at 8 PM; as always, you can watch all the action on the KCAC Sports Network.