STRONG DEFENSE AND FREE THROW SHOOTING GIVE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL A BIG WIN OVER FRIENDS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Coming off a tough overtime loss on Wednesday night at home, Avila women's basketball was able to bounce back on Saturday afternoon to knock off Friends, 68-61. The Falcons entered the game ranked second in the KCAC and the conference's top rebounding team.

"I'm super proud of the way we played defensively and our mindset throughout the game," said Avila head coach Remy Wolfe. "I thought the girls played really well. They stuck to our gameplan and executed down the stretch."

Avila led for nearly the entire 40 minutes. The Eagles strong defense held Friends to just six first-quarter points and entered halftime with an eight-point lead.

Avila's zone defense and free throw shooting won them the game down the stretch, scoring 20 points off of 16 Falcon turnovers in the game.

Friends fought back to take a small lead late in the fourth quarter, but Avila would end the game on a 12-4 run thanks to 9-9 free throw shooting after Friends' brief one-point lead.

Madilyn Melton was one board away from her fourth-consecutive double-double, putting up 22 and nine.

"Madilyn was huge for us. She was our spark when we needed one down the stretch and came up big on the glass and the offensive end," said Wolfe.

Marlie Wright added 15 points, seven assists and three steals. Eleven of Wright's points came from the foul line, going 11-12 on the afternoon.

Hannah Smith (12) and Kathleen Stanley (11) were two other Eagles in double-figures in the game.

Avila's win snapped a three-game losing streak. The Eagles will look to make it two-straight on Wednesday evening versus Ottawa. Tipoff from Mabee Fieldhouse is slated for 5:30.