THIRTY-POINT VICTORY OVER SOUTHWESTERN GIVES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FOURTH-STRAIGHT VICTORY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A second-consecutive double-double from Marlie Wright and double-digit team steals for the fourth-consecutive contest helped Avila to an 80-50 win over Southwestern on Monday night to give the Eagles a sweep over the Moundbuilders in the season series.

The win is Avila's fourth-straight victory, the longest winning streak by the program since the 2021-22 season.

A sloppy first quarter from the Eagles set the table for a dominating final three frames. Avila held a one-point lead after one, shooting just 33 percent as a team with five turnovers.

The team took a 15-14 lead with just over 60 seconds remaining in the first quarter and would not let up the lead for the final 31 minutes.

Avila beat up Southwestern in the second quarter, outscoring the Moundbuilders by 12, nearly doubling their field goal percentage from the first quarter.

Coming out of the locker rooms in the third quarter, the two squads played tight, with Avila only able to increase its lead by one heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter is where Avila blew away Southwestern, outscoring the KCAC rivals 25-9 in the final 10 minutes.

Wright picked up her second-straight double-double with 17 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. One game after her first career double-double, Ava Hughes pulled down 11 boards and added seven points.

Talia Dyson (13) and Madilyn Melton (11) were the other pair of Eagles with double-digit scoring efforts.

The Eagle defense held the Moundbuilders to 25 percent field goal shooting in the game and forced 20 Southwestern turnovers – leading to 23 points – in the contest. Avila led in every major statistical category in the contest, notably out-assisting Southwestern, 27-7.

During the four-game Avila win streak, the Eagles average margin of victory is 32 points and the team is allowing just 54.2 points per game while scoring 87.2 on the offensive end.

The win is Avila's 11^th of the season, its most since 2021-22. 

Avila will travel to Oklahoma Wesleyan on Wednesday, looking for back-to-back season sweeps. Tipoff from Bartlesville is slated for 5:30 PM.

 (photo credit: Ali Nassir)