The Basics

Score: Evangel 78, Park 60

Records: Evangel 2-5, 1-1; Park 2-5, 0-2

Location: Ashcroft Center | Springfield, Mo.

Box Score

By Mike Bennett, special contributer to evangelathletics.com

A hounding press throughout the game and a dominant third quarter helped boost Evangel to a 78-60 victory over Park on Wednesday night in women's basketball.

"We really clicked out there in the second half," said sophomore guard Jazzy Kirby, who led the Valor with 14 points, five steals and three assists. 

"We've been needing a game like this."

The aggressive Valor defense made 16 steals and forced 36 turnovers. They scored 34 points after those turnovers. 

Kirby led five players in double-figures for the Valor, who rose to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in the Heart of America Conference with their ninth consecutive victory over the Pirates (2-5 and 0-2).

Sophomore forward Micah Clayton scored seven of her 13 points in the third quarter and also totaled five steals. She led the Valor with eight rebounds. 

Paiton Acord and Alexis Roach added 12 points apiece and Sadie Chisum scored 11. All three are senior guards who can drive inside for field goals.

Evangel put up a blistering pace at Ashcroft Center and outscored the Pirates 22-10 in the game-deciding third quarter.

"One of the big things we talked about was rebounding. They were beating us 24-14 in the first half. We picked it up," said Coach Preston Beverly. "We stayed mentally focused and we locked in defensively."  

The defense forced two shot-clock violations in the opening minutes of the second half to set the pace. "Those back-to-back were a testament to them being able to lock in for 30 seconds and close it out," Beverly said. "We are who we are, fast-paced, pressing and in your face. We're learning how to win that way, close it out like that."

Clayton hit a trey for a 37-28 lead early in the third quarter and her driving layup made it 40-30 – Evangel's first double-digit lead.

Close-in baskets by Acord, Alexis Cauthon and Kate Gilbert soon made it 46-30.

Park went six minutes without scoring and trailed 55-38 going into the fourth quarter.

The Valor made 19 of their 38 rebounds on offense. Those were often put back in for lay-ins.

The third-quarter outburst followed a lackluster second quarter by the Valor, when a trey by Kirby and last-second layup by Clayton were the only Evangel field goals. 

The Valor led 25-16 in the second quarter before Park reeled off the next nine points for a tie. Clayton's lay-in gave Evangel a 33-28 at halftime. 

Evangel opened its nine-point advantage in the second quarter with three free throws by Chisum, but couldn't score then for 5 minutes. The Valor hit only two of 12 field-goal attempts in the quarter.

Kirby said the team knew coming out of halftime that it needed to step up to take the victory. "We were a bit down, but we are super motivated," she said. "We just had to pick it up and go from there."

The Valor were 26-for-68 overall in shooting for 38.2 percent and 5-for-15 on treys for 33.3 percent. Evangel hit 21-30 free throws, while Park was 12-18.

Kirby said she thinks defense first, despite hitting some critical points. She had five as Evangel took an early 8-2 lead. "Our defense is what makes our offense go," she said.

That was apparent in the second half.

Shelby Taylor and Donetra McGee scored 11 points each to lead the Pirates. Makayla Artis had eight points and seven rebounds.

Evangel returns to action at noon Saturday with a HoA game at Grand View in Des Moines, Iowa.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.  

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