Eagles Fall to Comets in Foul-Filled Affair

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila women's basketball was unable to stretch their first win of the season on Saturday into a win streak on Monday, where the Eagles (1-6) dropped a tight 71-63 decision to local foes Cottey (4-2) inside Mabee Fieldhouse.

It was clear from almost the opening jump that fouls and free throws would be the biggest storyline in Monday's game: the two teams combined for 50 total fouls and 54 free throw attempts in the game, and both teams dealt with foul trouble for the entire second half. It's not the first time that Avila women's basketball has had to endure a game like this over the years, and even though the Eagles hit their free throws almost exactly as well as the Comets did (84% for Avila versus 83% for Cottey), Cottey attempted 16 more free throws and made 13 more than Avila did, a direct reflection of an eventual 9-point win for the visitors.

Another crucial difference in the final result was a slow end to the first quarter from the Eagles. Avila outscored Cottey by exactly one point over the final three quarters which kept the Eagles very much in striking distance, but a 9-2 run by the Comets over the final four minutes of the first quarter saw them expand their lead from 8-6 to 17-8 after ten minutes, and the Eagles were never able to make up the difference.

With Cottey in the driver's seat and trying to stay in front despite only featuring six players, the Eagles needed a few clutch performances to keep them in the game. After a quiet first quarter from the team, Hannah Smith was the first Eagle to step up, snapping out of an early-season cold stretch by knocking down a pair of three-points in the second quarter for a total of eight points. Avila matched Cottey's second-quarter total of 19 points to stay within single digits at the halftime break.

Then, in the third quarter, it was Aubrianna Leiker's turn to shine. The freshman guard converted multiple and-ones and went 5-of-5 from the foul line in the period to score 11 points, helping Avila outscore Cottey by one. The Comets, meanwhile, made just two field goals in the third quarter but went 13-of-14 at the foul line – a perfect summary of their gameplan for the night – to keep their edge heading into the fourth.

There, it was Madilyn Melton and Hannah Pinkston that gave the Eagles a shot. Both forwards played with four fouls for either most or all of the final ten minutes, but they both managed to last the rest of the way and scored a combined 13 of the team's 17 points. But again, Cottey got a ton of foul shots and made the most of them: the Comets hit 13 free throws in the fourth quarter – Avila attempted 19 total in the game – to neutralize the scoring work from Pinkston and Melton and help the Comets escape with a 71-63 victory.

Forward Autumn Wallace led all players with 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while do-it-all player Sarah Hunt scored 17 (9-of-9 from the line) with three assists and three steals. Melton had her best game as an Eagle with 13 points and eight rebounds, both season highs; Pinkston finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Next up for Avila is an exhibition match with NCAA Division II Emporia State next Monday, November 27 at 5:30 PM in Emporia. Details on how to watch and follow along are available on our website, avilaathletics.com.