The Basics

Score: #1 Evangel 70, #8 Kansas Wesleyan 47

Records: Evangel (25-2), Kansas Wesleyan (14-15)

Location: Springfield, Mo. (AGFinancial Arena)

Box Score 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel WBB opened KCAC Conference Tournament play on Wednesday (Feb. 25) evening, taking on the 8th-seeded Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes in AGFinancial Arena for the quarterfinals. A dominant defensive performance for the Valor ultimately led EU to a 70-47 win in the Quarterfinals against the eight-seeded Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes.

Carson Dillard nailed a pair of free throws to open play for Evangel, while Heaven Shockley added a layup to give EU a 4-0 lead. Shockley consistently hit tough jumpers in the first quarter to keep the Valor ahead on the scoreboard, with her final jumpshot giving the Valor a 12-7 lead with 4:08 remaining in the first period. A pair of Cassidy Hambelton free throws and a layup from Lydia Babirye capped the quarter, with the Valor on top, 15-11.

Dillard was on the money to open the second quarter, scoring Evangel's first seven points to give EU a 22-14 lead. The Valor defense played well in the quarter, holding Kansas Wesleyan to just 10 points, while scoring 18, leading the Coyotes 33-21 at the halftime break, after a late KWU three pointer.

The trio of Kamies, Alyssa McCarty, and Brooklyn Kearbey led Evangel in scoring in the third quarter, all scoring six points. Kansas Wesleyan and Evangel battled through the third period, out-scoring the Coyotes by seven points in the period to lead 57-38, although KWU would score a game high 17 in the quarter.

The Valor defense shut down Kansas Wesleyan in the final quarter, allowing just nine points in the period. A layup from Babirye at the 4:25 mark gave Evangel their largest lead of the night, 69-42, and a Brooke Daniels free throw capped scoring for both teams, as Evangel came away with a 70-47 victory over the Coyotes, advancing to the conference tournament semifinals on Saturday.

QUOTABLE

"I'm proud of our commitment to our scouting report today," stated head coach Madi Wallace. "As always, back to work tomorrow!"

NOTABLE 

• Ali Kamies led the charge for EU, scoring 13 points in Wednesday night's win.

• Cassidy Hambelton (13 pts.), Heaven Shockley (12 pts.), Carson Dillard (11 pts.), and Brooklyn Kearbey (10 pts.) rounded out double digit scoring on Wednesday.

• Kamies passed off a team high four assists in the win.

• Dillard pulled down seven rebounds in Wednesday's contest to lead EU.

UP NEXT

The Evangel Women's Basketball team will take on the 4th-seeded Saint Mary Spires at home on Saturday (Feb. 28) afternoon for the KCAC Conference Tournament Semifinals, with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. in Springfield. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow (Feb. 26) morning and all tickets must be pre-purchased online.

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.