Faith Eagles Soar Past Union Warriors 65-29 in Season-Opener

By Loretta Gamboe, Staff Writer

LINCOLN, Nebraska: The women's basketball team proved that they are ready for the upcoming season as they dismantled Union College, 65-29, in their first official game.

The Eagles showed up ready to play from the first minute of the game, outscoring the Warriors 22-2 in the first quarter. Faith increased its lead to thirty points at 32-2 with six minutes left in the half, maintaining that lead until they outscored the Warriors 6-1 in the final minute of the half to bring the score to 42-7.  

In the second half, the Eagles kept up the intensity, gaining their biggest lead yet at 41 points, 54-13, with three minutes left in the third quarter.  The Warriors made two 3-pointers before the end of the quarter to bring the score to 54-19. The Eagles reached a 42-point lead, the biggest of the game, at 61-19 with just over seven minutes left to play.  The Warriors outscored the Eagles 10-4 in the last seven minutes of the game, but the intensity the Eagles demonstrated over the first three quarters was more than enough to secure the win, 65-29.  

Two Eagles scored in double digits, led by sophomore Lyndi Shepard with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Mackenzie Hanson had the only double double of the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Karina Fritz and Loretta Gamboe rounded out the scoring with 8 points each, with Fritz also contributing 5 assists and 5 steals. Overall, the team shot 34.6% from the field.

Union's highest scorer was Angie Cedano with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Up next, the Eagles will host their first home game of the season on Thursday, November 15, against Providence University College at 6 p.m.  The Eagles will also play in the Faith Classic Tournament this weekend with games against Ozark Christian College and Randall University.