The Basics

Score: Evangel 74, John Brown 58

Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. (Gaulke Activities Center) 

Records: Evangel (1-0), John Brown (1-2) 

Box Score 

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Valor Women's Basketball opened their 23-24 campaign on Friday (Nov. 10) evening, taking part in the MACU Classic, taking on the John Brown Golden Eagles. Despite trailing at halftime, the Valor used a strong third quarter of offense and shut down the Golden Eagles in the final period, allowing just five points, to secure a 74-58 victory against John Brown.

Evangel secured an early lead on a Jazzy Kirby layup in the paint, 7-5, and were able to hold their lead until late in the first quarter when a JBU layup gave the Golden Eagles a 15-14 lead with 21 seconds remaining in the quarter. A Carson Dillard three pointer on the final possession in the quarter for EU pushed the Valor ahead, 17-15, heading into the second period.

John Brown outscored the Valor, 25-18, in the second period, hitting 75 percent of their shots in the second quarter alone. Despite John Brown's strong shooting, the Valor would not give in, continuing to fight in the quarter to keep the game close. The Golden Eagles would push out to a seven point lead on a pair of occasions, but three points by Giah Moore and a pair of free throws from Micah Clayton helped keep the Valor within close distance on the scoreboard, as EU trailed 40-35, heading into the halftime break.

Emma Mullings would open the second half by tying up the score on two possessions, hitting a three on one and scoring a layup on the other, making it a 44-44 game. A Kamie Jenkins basket put the Valor ahead 48-47 before Micah Clayton began to heat up. A 9-6 run by Clayton alone for Evangel put the Valor ahead, 57-53, to end the quarter on a strong run.

Evangel's fourth quarter was complete domination by the Valor. After allowing John Brown to score a possession opening basket, the Golden Eagles would only score three more points in the final 9:39 of the game as Evangel's stifling defense kept JBU off the board. The trio of Lexi Berry, Jazzy Kirby, and Carson Dillard contributed to score all of Evangel's points in the final quarter. On the final possession for EU, Kamie Jenkins showed her tenacity on the glass, pulling down a pair of offensive rebounds to drain the clock, leading to Evangel's 74-58 win over JBU, the first win in the Jim Middleton era at Evangel.

QUOTABLE 

 "It's always good to get that first one under the belt. We had a rough first half guarding the three. However, our coaches made some good suggestions at half time and our players responded by holding John Brown to 18 second half points including only 5 fourth-quarter points," stated Head Coach Jim Middleton. "Our players kept their composure being down 5 at halftime and controlled the second half tempo both offensively and defensively. We only had 9 turnovers for the game and finished with 15 offensive rebounds, many of them late in the game to seal the victory. We also hit some big shots with the shot clock running down which was great to see. Overall, this victory against an NAIA national tournament team from last year speaks volumes for our ladies."

NOTABLE 

• Clayton led the Valor with 15 points in the win, also pulling down a team high eight rebounds.

• Kirby passed off a team high five assists, also taking a team high four steals.

• Evangel shot 49.2 percent from the floor, compared to John Brown's 40.0 percent.

• The Valor claimed their first season opening victory in the last three seasons.

UP NEXT

Valor Women's Basketball takes on the 14th ranked MACU Evangels at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 11) afternoon in Oklahoma City, Okla.

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—