Early Outburst Lifts Avila over Ottawa

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On the strength of a dominant stretch over the middle of the first quarter, Avila women's basketball (7-12, 6-7 KCAC) built up a 19-point lead at halftime and held on down the stretch to defeat Ottawa (11-8, 6-7 KCAC) 71-64 on Wednesday night in Mabee Fieldhouse.

The Braves outscored the Eagles by 12 points in the fourth quarter to steadily claw back to within single digits and make the final scoreline look a whole lot closer than it ever really was. But in reality, the Eagles were in control for almost the entire game: the game was never tied and there was only one lead change early in the first quarter. Though they would ultimately only win by seven, it was truthfully a comprehensive victory for the Eagles in their only matchup of the year against their local rivals.

A good crowd was on hand in Mabee Fieldhouse for the rivalry matchup between the Eagles and Braves that was also spotlighted as the KCAC's Road to Hartman Doubleheader of the Week. Everyone in attendance saw Ottawa start strong by scoring the game's first points, but then didn't see the Braves score again until the 2:40 mark of the first quarter.

That's because the Eagles had by that point seized firm control of the score, the momentum, and the game and never let it go. Hannah Smith got the Eagles going by scoring the team's first five points to flip a 4-0 deficit into a 5-4 lead with 6:23 left in the first, and from that point the Eagles never trailed again. Smith and Marlie Wright each knocked in threes and Eireon Adams added in a pair of layups as part of an 18-0 Eagle run over the course of almost exactly five minutes to help the home team build a 19-8 lead after ten minutes of play.

The Eagles only added to that in the second quarter. After both teams struggled to score for the first half of the second period, Kathleen Stanley got the Eagles back into a groove in a hurry thanks to back-to-back threes. Madilyn Melton chipped in a handful of free throws on offense while the Eagles limited Ottawa's number of good chances thanks to strong efforts on the glass from the likes of Daisy Washington and Cecelia Eddy. Avila expanded its 11-point lead after one quarter to 39-20 after two.

Hannah Pinkston then took over the scoring in the fourth quarter, dropping 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in that period alone, to help the Eagles keep pace with the Braves in the period. Anastasia Wright then kicked off the fourth quarter with a deep ball and Melton followed with two more free throws, giving the Eagles their largest lead, 64-40, with eight minutes to go.

After what had been a rough night to that point, the Braves certainly found some success over those final eight minutes to chip into that deficit of more than 20 and finally get back down to single digits. But Washington provided both the defense and the offense for the Eagles down the stretch, and Avila's lead was far too much for Ottawa to overcome in an eventual 71-64 victory for the Eagles at home.

Nikole Schnell and Tiyani Rollins were key contributors for the Braves off the bench in their late rally, combining for 24 points and eight boards on a night where two Ottawa starters finished 0-of-5 from the floor or worse. Avila limited Ottawa to just four three-pointers (17%) in the game. Pinkston led all players with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Stanley and Smith combined for 21 points on five made threes. Adams had a strong game off the bench with seven points and six boards and Washington, ever the ruthless rebounder, set new season highs with seven points and a game high nine rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.

Up next, Avila women's basketball completes a rare two-game KCAC homestand when the Eagles welcome their other local conference rivals, Saint Mary, to Mabee Fieldhouse this Saturday, January 27. First off, the Eagle women face the Spires at 1 PM with the men to follow at 3; as always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the Avila Sports Network with Joe Van Amburg on the call from Kansas City.