SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – After a dominant 10-year span as one of the top teams in NAIA basketball, the 2001-2011 Evangel University Women's Basketball programs have earned an induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Announced early last week, the 2001-11 Era of Evangel Women's Basketball earned an honor that few Evangel programs have earned, as EU went 240-121 throughout the 10-year run.

Evangel enjoyed eight NAIA Tournament berths, reaching the national semifinals in 2005 after earning berths into the national quarterfinals in 2003 and 2004. Along the way, Evangel won five conference regular-season titles and five tournament championships. Head Coach Leon Neal led Evangel during the 10-year span, as helping guide EU to over 400 wins in his career coaching. Six of the program's top 12 career scorers played in all or part of the era: Natasha Neal Moore (2,654 points), Staci Jones (2,008), Heather Collier (1,831), Kara Blankenship (1,574), Shaletha Page (1,477) and Ashlee Luko (1,340). Additionally, Evangel filled 39 slots for all-conference honors in those years, as the team put Evangel firmly on the NAIA basketball map. 

The Evangel women will be honored on Thursday, April 16th at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Women's Sports Luncheon at 11:00 a.m. at the Wilson Logistics Arena on the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, here in Springfield.

Sponsorship tables of eight are $600 and include recognition in the printed program and at the table. A head table ticket is $100 and includes the same perks. An individual ticket in advance is $75. Numerous sponsorships are available, including associate sponsorships and congratulatory and digital ads. For more information, call the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.

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.