The Basics

Score: #22 Evangel 96, Kansas Wesleyan 89

Records: Evangel (15-1, 12-0), Kansas Wesleyan (9-9, 6-6)

Location: Salina, Kan. (Mabee Arena)

Box Score 

SALINA, Kan. – The Evangel Women's Basketball team returned to the road on Saturday (Jan. 17) afternoon, taking on the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes in Salina. After dropping all six matchups with the Coyotes in previous seasons, the Valor women made sure to not drop their seventh, as a big third quarter led EU to a 96-89 victory over Kansas Wesleyan.

Heaven Shockley could not be stopped in the first quarter, scoring 10 of the first 12 Evangel points to give EU a 12-8 lead. Ali Kamies added five points following Shockley's run and a Carson Dillard three pointer gave the Valor a 20-10 lead with 5:22 remaining in the quarter. The Coyotes ended the quarter on a 15-9 run as EU led, 29-25, at the end of the period.

Kansas Wesleyan opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run to take a 30-29 lead over EU. Evangel responded by using their full court pressure to speed up KWU, forcing turnovers and fueling a 12-2 run, with five different players scoring to give EU a 41-32 lead. The Coyotes continued to fight and narrowed Evangel's lead, before Mae Mae Gilmore scored a pair of baskets to help solidify the EU halftime lead, 52-48.

The Coyotes were able to draw within a point of Evangel's lead to open the third quarter, but the Valor used points from four of the five starters midway through the period to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter of play, 76-66.

Evangel dominated the opening four minutes of the fourth quarter, taking as large as a 15-point lead over Kansas Wesleyan with 6:17 remaining. Over the span of five minutes, the Coyotes were able to use a 17-7 run to make Evangel's lead just five points, 92-87. The Valor were able to nail free throws down the stretch, as the EU defense also earned stops, resulting in a 96-87 road victory on Saturday.

QUOTABLE

"I'm really proud of our toughness in today's physical matchup with Kansas Wesleyan. I thought we played through a lot of contact and exhibited our depth well," stated head coach Madi Wallace. "It's not every day that you have five players in double digits and that's pretty special. Back to work next week!"

NOTABLE 

• Heaven Shockley led EU in scoring with 24 points.

• Ali Kamies (16 pts.), Cassidy Hambelton (13 pts.), Carson Dillard (10 pts.), and Alyssa McCarty (10 pts.) rounded out double digit scoring for EU.

• Kamies and Hambelton led Evangel with eight rebounds.

• Evangel shot 58.1 percent from the floor in Saturday's win.

• Saturday's win over Kansas Wesleyan was the first all-time for Evangel over the Coyotes (previously 0-6).

UP NEXT

Evangel WBB kicks off a three game homestand on Wednesday (Jan. 21) evening, hosting the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles at 5:30 p.m. in AGFinancial Arena.

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.