Women’s Basketball Faces First Big Test in (12) Briar Cliff

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila women's basketball faced its biggest test of its young season on Wednesday night in Mabee Fieldhouse, when the Eagles (0-3) welcomed the (12) Briar Cliff Chargers (3-0) to town. Ranked the No. 12 team in the NAIA in the preseason poll, the Chargers lived up to the billing, defeating the Eagles 85-47.

Briar Cliff is, on paper, quite probably the best team Avila will face all season long, and the Eagles really kept pace with a skilled, veteran team for much of the first quarter and nearly all of the second half. The Chargers only shot the ball slightly better and recorded only three more rebounds than the Eagles did, but the biggest difference came in the turnover game: the Chargers' full-court press helped force the Eagles into 25 turnovers and 32 points off, simply too much for Avila to overcome.

It was a big step up in competition for Avila from games one and two against Park and Baptist Bible to game three against Briar Cliff. But less than a week removed from their setback against BBC, the Eagles looked much improved for much of Wednesday's game against the Chargers. Hannah Pinkston set up Madilyn Melton for a bucket on the first possession of the game, giving Avila an instant lead, and then Abrianna Leiker made a pair of free throws and Marlie Wright made a jumper to keep Avila ahead 6-4.

But BC's fifth-year seniors Konnor Sudmann and Payton Slaughter combined for a three-pointer on the Chargers' next possession, putting the visitors in front 7-6 around the 7:30 mark of the first quarter, and Briar Cliff never trailed again. Avila stayed stuck at six points until Mia Smith and Pinkston made shots around the 3-minute mark, but the damage was done. Briar Cliff led 29-10 after the first quarter and cruised from there.

Avila looked resurgent in the second half, albeit against some of Briar Cliff's non-starters. Eireon Adams provided a spark with six points, four rebounds and two assists, all in the second half, while senior Cecelia Eddy pulled in a team-high eight rebounds, beating her previous career high of six. Briar Cliff only outscored Avila by eight in the second half, but the Chargers still cruised to the 85-47 victory, a similar scoreline to when these two teams met up in Mabee Fieldhouse on New Year's Eve last season.

Slaughter led the way for the Chargers with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double despite barely playing in the second half. Rachel Langel added 12 points and seven boards. Wright paced the Eagles will 11 points, and Anastasia Wright added in seven.

The Eagles will have to rebound quickly because their next game is coming up on Friday, November 10 against Peru State, but the good news is the Bobcats are not quite the same team as the Chargers are. Still, it will be another test against a former HAAC foe for Avila to start off this 2023-24 campaign; tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM on Friday, and links to watch and follow along are available on our website, avilaathletics.com.