Eagles Dismantle Warriors for Third Straight Win

ANKENY, Iowa—These Warriors were no Golden State Warriors by any means, but the Faith Eagles women's basketball team used a solid defensive effort and some woeful shooting by the Union College Warriors to earn their third straight win, 54-21.

Faith forced turnovers on five of the first six Warriors' possessions and jumped to a 15-1 first-quarter lead, dominating action from the opening tip. Freshman guard Karina Fritz picked up right where she left off the last game, scoring 6 of the Eagles' first 15 points on her way to a new career high of 11 points for the game.

The Warriors didn't score their first basket until the 7:08 mark in the second quarter, much too little too late as the Eagles had already soared to a 24-4 lead. Coach Fincham went deep into his bench midway through the quarter and Union made a small run, cutting the lead to 27-11 at halftime.

A three-pointer by Lyndi Shepard early in the third quarter opened the scoring back up for the Eagles. Shepard hit seven three-pointers on the evening, leading all scorers with 21 points. Faith continued to stretch its lead the remainder of the game, taking the lead to 37 points with less than two minutes to play.

Shepard and Fritz were the only two Eagles to score in double-figures. Michaela Crider (8 points), Alicia Smith (4 points), Loretta Gamboe (4 points), Abby Zollinger (4 points), and Bekah Smith (2 points) rounded out the scoring for Faith. Zollinger's four points were her first career points as a Faith Eagle.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 4-6 on the season. Faith hits the road this weekend with back-to-back nights of games against Calvary University (6-1) on Friday evening and Ozark Christian College (2-10) Saturday afternoon.