The Basics

Score: #22 Evangel 87, Oklahoma Wesleyan 50

Records: Evangel (16-1, 13-0), Oklahoma Wesleyan (6-13, 2-11)

Location: Springfield, Mo. (AGFinancial Arena)

Box Score 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – After taking a pair of narrow wins last week, the Valor Women's Basketball team returned to action on Wednesday (Jan. 21) evening, taking on the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles. A dominant first quarter showing helped kick off a strong home win for Evangel, 87-50.

Evangel came out firing in the first quarter, going on a 13-0 run to open the ballgame. Six of the opening points came from Heaven Shockley, who was coming off an exceptional outing on the road last Saturday. Carson Dillard and Cassidy Hambelton helped keep Evangel's run going, as the upperclassmen accounted for 12 of Evangel's 35 first quarter points. Lydia Babirye helped close out the quarter on a high note, scoring six points to push EU to a 35-11 lead at the end of the period.

Babirye continued her strong play from the first quarter, nailing a three pointer to give EU a 40-16 lead at the 8:56 mark. Evin Montgomery was a vital piece of Evangel's scoring in the second quarter, as the sophomore nailed a pair of three pointers and scored a jumper to give EU a 48-20 lead at the under five media timeout. Both teams scored just four points to close out the half, as the Valor led, 52-24.

Alyssa McCarty opened scoring for Evangel in the third quarter, with Hambelton adding several points to the Valor total, as EU took a 59-28 lead with 6:58 remaining. Balanced scoring from Evangel's bench helped extend the Valor lead to as large as 37 points on a Ellison Mehrhoff basket before the fourth quarter, 73-36.

A pair of Emma Mullings free throws helped Evangel capture a 41-point lead, 79-38, with 7:19 left in the game. The Valor were able to keep Oklahoma Wesleyan's offense at bay for the remainder of the game, as EU capped off a 87-50 win with a three pointer from Evin Montgomery.

QUOTABLE

"Tonight was a great night for our team. I'm thankful for the opportunity to get everyone minutes," stated head coach Madi Wallace. "Back to work tomorrow to prep for Sterling!"

NOTABLE 

• Evin Montgomery led EU in scoring with 14 points off the bench.

• Cassidy Hambelton (13 pts.), Kamie Jenkins (10 pts.), and Heaven Shockley (10 pts.) rounded out double digit scoring for EU.

• Mae Mae Gilmore pulled down a team high nine rebounds.

• Evangel shot 48.6 percent from the floor in Saturday's win.

UP NEXT

Evangel WBB hosts the Sterling College Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 23) evening 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.