The Basics

Score: Evangel 70, Benedictine 57 

Location: Atchison, Kan. (Ralph Nolan Gymnasium) 

Records: Evangel (7-8, 6-4), Benedictine (6-10, 3-7) 

Box Score 

ATCHISON, Kan. -- Despite dropping two consecutive conference matches and having won just one road game this season, the Valor Women's Basketball team put on a show in the second half against the Ravens, propelling themselves to victory, 70-57, behind a career night for transfer forward Micah Clayton.

Evangel's full court press forced Benedictine into several early turnovers, allowing the Valor to race out to an early 7-0 lead, thanks to scoring from Paiton Acord, Lexi Berry, and Micah Clayton. The Valor held a consistent six point lead throughout the first quarter, forcing the Ravens into tough shots with their gritty defense. A Jazzy Kirby jumper with a minute left extended the Valor lead to nine points, but was countered by a Benedictine jumper with 49 seconds remaining to give the Valor a seven point lead at the end of the quarter, 20-13.

Benedictine narrowed the deficit down throughout the second quarter as they were able to find success of their own forcing turnovers. Half of the Ravens second quarter points were scored off of Valor turnovers. With 1:01 remaining in the second quarter, Clayton scored a layup off a Berry steal giving the Valor a 31-23 lead. Benedictine ended the quarter on a small 4-0 run in the final minute, putting Evangel up by just four at the halftime break, 31-27.

The first six minutes of the third quarter resulted in Evangel and Benedictine competing in a back and forth battle. The Ravens consistently cut the score down to just five, but could never cut the Valor lead any more. Alexis Roach scored a layup followed by threes from Sophie Sparks and Kohnnar Patton, to push the Valor lead to 13 points. Baskets by Sparks and Clayton ended the Valor run and with 35 seconds remaining in the quarter, EU led by 17 points. Benedictine hit two free throws to end the quarter to give the Valor a 55-39 lead, heading into the final quarter.

Benedictine made the fourth quarter interesting, using a 14-5 run to narrow Evangel's lead down to just seven points, but the Valor defense continued to ramp their pressure up, forcing additional Ravens turnovers that resulted in easy baskets for the Valor. Despite the Benedictine run, Evangel expanded their lead and never looked back, taking home the 70-57 victory.

QUOTABLE 

 "This was a great team win and breakout performance for Micah. We knew after our poor shooting the previous game that we'd shoot better tonight but no one predicted 58% from the floor and 53% from the three-point line," stated Head Coach Preston Beverly. "I'm always proud of this group but to be able to overcome adversity on the road really shows just how tough this team is." 

NOTABLE 

• Clayton led Evangel with a career high 21 points, shooting 10-13 from the floor. Clayton also led the team with six rebounds in the win.

• Sadie Chisum came away with a team high six steals.

• The Valor shot their highest percentage since January 19th of last season, hitting 58.8 percent of their shots.

• Evangel scored 36 points off turnovers in the win.

NEXT UP 

Evangel will travel to Oskaloosa, Iowa, to take on the Statesmen of William Penn at noon on Saturday (Jan. 14).

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—