Eagles Win Big With Season-High Scoring Against FLBC

By Jon Crossman

ANKENY, Iowa—The Faith Eagles women's basketball team could not be stopped on Monday night, staying lethal with 45% shooting and a monster 44-point performance in the paint. The 71-34 victory against Free Lutheran Bible College puts Faith at six wins in a row, with 11 of the last 12 games resulting in an Eagles victory. 

The Eagles fought through 26 turnovers on their end by putting pressure on the opposition's centers, dialing up the attack under the basket for a total of 44 rebounds and a matching 44 points in the paint. FLBC put up a good fight in the first quarter, scoring the first big baskets of the game and wrestling the lead back several times. After going into the second quarter up by four, the lid popped off the basket for the Eagles, who doubled-up their opponent the final three frames. The ladies kept up the pressure thanks to a solid defensive presence from the bench, hanging on to a 37-point advantage at the final buzzer.

Tina Harms led the team in scoring with 19 points. Mikayla Jones tallied 15 of her own, with Rachel Kleczka scoring 10 to round out the players who got in double digits. Almost every player on the team made a contribution in rebounds with Tina Harms (8) and Mary Yarnell (7) taking most of the load. Tina Harms shined once again for the Eagles with steals, bullying up on the short passes from FLBC for 4 steals and converting a near perfect 7-8 on free throws. 

The Eagles now stand at 13-6 on the season, just a few steps behind Ozark from taking the top spot in the conference. Their chance to take on the number one team comes on Friday night, with a rematch against the Ambassador team they fell to 71-52 in early January. Game time is at 4:00 p.m.