Friends Ends Avila’s Three-Game Win Streak

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila women's basketball got off to an excellent start in the first quarter, but Friends (10-5, 7-2 KCAC) flipped the script in the second quarter and seized control in the third, ultimately defeating the Eagles (5-10, 4-5 KCAC) 78-65 on Wednesday night in Mabee Fieldhouse.

The Eagles famously shut down the Falcons to the tune of 38 points when the two teams met in Kansas City last season, but this time around Friends came into the contest as one of the top three teams in the KCAC, fresh off scoring 92 points in their previous game against York. The Eagles held the Falcons to quite a bit less than that after a strong first quarter, but Friends eventually got things in gear and pulled away in the second half to earn a road win, halting the Eagles' three-game win streak dating back to December 30 of last year.

Facing one of the top teams in the KCAC to this point in the season on a full night of action at Mabee Fieldhouse, the Eagles came out flying. Marlie Wright teed up Morgan Wiseman for a three-pointer on Avila's first possession, and that set the tone for an excellent opening period from the home team.

Friends tied the score once at 4-4, but Avila responded to that with back to back buckets from Hannah Pinkston and Madilyn Melton, and the Eagles stayed firmly in control from that point forward. Avila limited Friends to just one basket over the final five minutes, and Wright and Kathleen Stanley knocked down threes to help the Eagles take an 18-9 lead after ten minutes of play.

The Eagles were far from done. Eireon Adams scored Avila's first five points of the second and then Hannah Smith followed with back to back threes – both off Adams assists – for six straight points, giving the Eagles their largest lead of the night, 29-15, with 6:28 to play in the half. But that's when Friends came to life. Kickstarted by an and-one by their all-conference center Taylor Jackson, the Falcons scored the next 16 points to take the lead for the first time with 3:49 to play.

From then on, it was game on. The Eagles took the lead right back on a second-chance three from Hannah Pinkston before Jackson canceled it out with a layup. The teams traded buckets in the final two minutes until the Falcons set up Kori Babcock with a layup at the buzzer off an inbounds trick play, and that gave Friends a 38-37 lead heading into halftime.

The Eagles had to play from behind the rest of the way. After scoring only nine points in the first quarter the Falcons scored 25 or more in both the second and the third, and the Eagles simply could not match that firepower after leading early. Despite an evenly-matched fourth quarter, Friends was able to pull off the 78-65 road victory.

Jackson was lethal as usual for the Falcons after a slow start, shooting 10-of-18 from the field for 23 points and nine rebounds. Rayland Garner, fresh off a 30-point outing last time out, added 20. Melton led the Eagles with 12 points; Smith scored ten with five rebounds and six assists; and Pinkston led all players with 11 rebounds to go with her ten points, giving her her second double-double as an Eagle.

Up next, Avila women's basketball will travel out to Salina, Kansas to face Kansas Wesleyan this Saturday, January 13. Due to expected weather throughout the state of Kansas this weekend, the game times have been adjusted and are subject to change even further: currently, the doubleheader is scheduled to begin with the women's game at 1 PM and the men's game to follow at 3 PM. As always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the KCAC Network; stay tuned to @Avila_athletics on social media for any further updates.