Box Score The Basics
Score: Evangel 68, Baker 62
Location: Baldwin City, Kan. (Collins Center)
Records: Evangel (5-6, 4-2), Baker (5-5, 1-4)
Box Score
BALDWIN CITY, Kan. -- Looking to claim their third consecutive conference win of the year, Evangel traveled to Baldwin City to take on the Wildcats of Baker. Despite Evangel's top three leading scorers combining for just seven points, the Valor found exceptional performances from Lexi Berry, Sadie Chisum, and Sarah Lwambo to take down Baker, 68-62.
Evangel found themselves scoreless through the first four minutes of the match, as Baker raced out to an early 6-0 lead. A Kohnnar Patton layup in the paint broke the scoreless streak for the Valor and kicked off a 9-3 run that evened the score at 9-9. Baker hit two free throws to retake the lead but in the final minute and a half, Alexis Roach nailed a pair of free throws and Sophie Sparks hit a big three on an offensive rebound to give the Valor a 14-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Valor held off Baker in the second quarter. On two separate occasions, the Valor grabbed a seven point lead, but the Wildcats fought and were able to reduce it to just a one point deficit with 38 seconds remaining in the half. Again, Evangel closed out the quarter strong with Patton scoring a jumper and Sparks nailing a floater in the lane at the buzzer to give the Valor a 33-28 lead at the break. Sparks led Evangel with seven points at halftime.
Baker kicked off the third quarter with an 8-0 run over the first two minutes to take a 36-33 lead. Neither team made very much headway in expanding a lead in the quarter, with each team consistently trading baskets. As had been the theme of the night, Evangel dominated to end the third quarter. Trailing 45-42, Evangel's Chisum nailed a pair of free throws, followed by a tough and-1 basket by Berry. In the final 10 seconds of the quarter, Lwambo hit a jumper to put the Valor up, 49-45, heading into the final frame.
Evangel quickly gained momentum in the fourth quarter when Berry hit a wide open three in the corner to take a 52-45 lead. The following possession, the tenacious Valor defense forced a shot clock violation and forced Baker to call timeout. The Wildcat timeout allowed Baker to regroup and slowly cut into the Valor lead. With 1:15 remaining in the match, a Baker layup had Evangel leading by just two points, 60-58. Evangel's next possession was important as the Valor were able to run the clock down and Berry nailed a jumper to extend their lead. Baker was forced to foul on the remaining possessions and solid free throw shooting gave the Valor a 68-62 victory over Baker.
QUOTABLE
"This was a really great team win. We really believe that we have the best 15 players in the HAAC. Key contributions from our bench in a tough road environment proved that tonight," stated Head Coach Preston Beverly. "I'm really proud of our team and how they weathered Bakers runs down the stretch along with their enthusiastic fans."
NOTABLE
NEXT UP
Evangel will host the Bobcats of Peru State on Saturday (Dec. 17) afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in the Ashcroft Center.
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.
—#OneValor—
