The Basics

Score: Evangel 74, Sterling 56

Location: Sterling, Kan. (Gleason Center) 

Records: Evangel (6-4, 4-3), Sterling (7-6, 4-3) 

Box Score 

STERLING, Kan. -- Valor Women's Basketball traveled to Sterling, Kansas, on Wednesday (Jan. 3) afternoon, to take on the Sterling College Warriors. After taking an early 17-7 lead in the first quarter, a power outage that affected the entire county caused a 30 minute delay to the game, but the outage did not slow down the Valor offense, as they used a strong fourth quarter to claim a dominant road win over the Warriors, 74-56.

Evangel came out hot to start the game, racing out to a 17-7 lead over the Warriors. After Micah Clayton scored a basket and was fouled to make it a 17-7 game, the power went out in the Gleason Center, causing a 30 minute delay. Despite the delay, Evangel's offense did not slow down, ending the quarter ahead, 22-11, behind six points from Kamie Jenkins and Carson Dillard, who netted a pair of threes in the quarter.

The Valor used the second quarter to maintain their lead, fighting against every Sterling run. A Lydia Babirye three at the 7:46 mark of the quarter gave Evangel a 16-point lead over the Warriors. Sterling fought back, using a 13-5 run to draw within eight points. Carson Dillard would cap off scoring for Evangel in the quarter as the Valor held a 41-32 lead at the halftime break.

Kamie Jenkins would score a layup to open the second half for Evangel, giving the Valor a double digit lead once again. The Warriors would outscore the Valor by eight points over the next 7:30 of the game to narrow Evangel's lead to just three points. Jazzy Kirby would respond with a three pointer and a Kamie Jenkins bucket pushed EU back out to an eight point lead, 58-50, to end the third quarter.

Evangel dominated the Warriors in the final quarter, hitting four threes to help outscore Sterling, 16-6, in the quarter. A layup by Carson Dillard in the final minute of the game gave Evangel a 21-point lead, their largest of the evening, as the Valor ultimately came away with a strong 74-56 victory on the road over the defending KCAC champions.

QUOTABLE 

"What a great way to start the game and new year tonight, taking a 17-7 lead before the power outage occurred. The lead simply settled us right into a good rhythm. I liked how we persevered through the run by Sterling, especially on their home court. We had good balanced scoring inside and outside tonight," stated Head Coach Jim Middleton. "Our perimeter hit some big threes early on and especially in the fourth quarter. We've been showing positive signs of getting much, much better, and tonight simply increased our team confidence."

NOTABLE 

• Kamie Jenkins led the Valor with 18 points in the win on Wednesday and pulled down 14 rebounds for her fourth consecutive double-double of the season.

• Micah Clayton and Carson Dillard also recorded double digit scoring for the Valor, scoring 16 and 13, respectively.

• Jazzy Kirby recorded seven assists in the win.

• Evangel shot 44.1 percent from the floor in the win, including 45.5 percent from the three-point line, their best percentage of the season.

• The Valor won the rebounding margin by two in the win on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Valor Women's Basketball will return home on Saturday (Jan. 6) afternoon, taking on the Ottawa Braves in the Ashcroft Center at 2:00 p.m.

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—