Lady Eagles Head into Christmas Break on a Winning Note

MOBERLY, Missouri—The Faith Eagles women's basketball team (2-6) broke a six-game losing streak Monday night with a 74-62 win over Central Christian College of the Bible (1-11).

The Eagles jumped to a quick 5-0 lead, only to watch it evaporate into an eventual 27-17 deficit by the middle of the second quarter following a 27-12 burst by Central Christian.

A pair of back-to-back scores by Mackenzie Hanson pulled the Eagles back within six with 5:05 remaining in the second quarter. The Eagles cranked up the defensive intensity the rest of the half, forcing 11 turnovers, and eventually regaining the lead with just over a minute to go in the half. After another Hanson basket with three seconds remaining, Faith took a 34-31 lead into halftime.

Faith stretched its lead to seven early in the third quarter and as many as ten after a three-pointer by Alicia Smith—a margin that held up through the end of the third as Faith led 55-45 heading into the fourth quarter.

A basket by Michaela Crider gave the Eagles their largest lead of the game (15) with 2:01 remaining, and Faith cruised to a 74-62 win. The 74 points scored by Faith's offense were the team's highest point total since February 17, 2015.

All five starters scored in double digits for the Eagles, led by Lyndi Shepard's 19 points. She was followed by Michaela Crider and Alicia Smith with 15 each, Mackenzie Hanson with 13, and Bekah Smith with 10. The 15-point effort from Alicia Smith was a new career high for the sophomore wing.

Despite the scoring output, the Eagles shot just 33.3% for the game and were 3 of 18 from three-point distance. Faith's defense forced 50 turnovers, converting those opportunities into 40 points.

The Eagles can celebrate their win with a nice reprieve from hoops action as they depart for a long Christmas break. Faith returns to action on Friday, January 11 with a home game against Barclay College (1-3) at 5:30 p.m.