The Basics
Score: Baker 65, Evangel 60
Records: Evangel (8-7, 6-6), Baker (9-8, 7-7)
Location: Ashcroft Center

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Baker rode a big first-quarter scoring run and a stout defensive effort to hold off the Evangel women's basketball team, 65-60, in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at the Ashcroft Center Monday evening.

The Wildcats limited the Crusaders to 26.8 percent (19-of-71) shooting for the contest and seized control of the lead for good with a 13-0 spurt beginning late in the opening period. Evangel fought back to close the gap to one point with just over two minutes to play, but the BU defense held the Crusaders to one field goal over the final seven minutes to secure the win and a season split with EU.

Kinly Grubb led all scorers with 17 points for BU, after Sophia Purcell single-handedly fueled the Wildcat offense during its critical early run, scoring 13 unanswered points over a three-minute stretch spanning the final 1:52 of the first quarter and the first 1:22 of the second. With EU leading 9-8, Purcell buried a pair of three-pointers in a 29-second span, then converted two free throws and a jumper in the final minute of the period to hand BU an 18-9 advantage.

Purcell connected from long range again early in the second quarter to give the Wildcats a double-digit lead. The Crusaders responded with a 10-2 scoring run, getting treys from Logan Jones and Abby Oliver to slice the margin to 23-19 with just under five minutes to play in the half.

The Wildcats used the long ball to answer the Crusaders once again however, this time using back-to-back triples by Macey Frost and Sara Oca to push their lead back to 10.

A 7-0 run by Evangel helped the home club cut its deficit in half, as BU took a 33-28 lead into intermission.

The Crusaders cut the BU lead to three points on five different occasions in the second half, as Oliver tallied eight of her 13 points. The senior transfer knocked down a jumper with 2:27 left in regulation to pull EU to within 60-57, and Jones hit two free throws after Vogts corralled a Wildcat miss to make it a one-point game.

But Grubb stepped up to sink 3-of-4 free-throw attempts and the BU defense put the clamps on a Crusader offense that converted just one of its final 12 tries from the floor.

Baker finished 23-of-52 (0.442) from the field and 6-of-14 from three-point range, despite committing 22 turnovers. The Crusaders connected on 17-of-20 free-throw attempts, but went just 5-for-33 (0.152) from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT
Evangel embarks on a two-game road swing to close out the month of January, beginning with a Wednesday (Jan. 27) evening contest against the Park Pirates in Parkville, Mo.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EUAthletics), or visit EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the new Evangel Crusaders GamedayApp through Google Play. 

—EvangelAthletics.com—