Women's Basketball Wins MCCC Championship

Following the conclusion of the regular season where the Eagles earned the Regular Season Runner-Up title and the #2 seed heading into the MCCC Tournament, Faith women's basketball came out on a tear as they marched their way to a tournament championship.

Thursday saw the Eagles face #7 Emmaus in the quarterfinals. The Eagles took a few minutes to settle into the game, but once they got going, they never slowed down. Taking a comfortable 48-21 lead into halftime, Faith led by as many as 38 points before they took the eventual 75-54 victory over Emmaus and advanced to the semifinals. Katie Costello led the charge with 25 points and 7 steals, followed by Erica Sovereign chipping in 17 points and 7 steals, while Mikayla Jones dished out 7 assists while adding 12 points on the night. With the win, Faith set a program record for wins in a season with 23 (previous record held by 1996-97 team with 22 wins)

The Eagles faced off against #3 Barclay on Friday in what became an intense battle to claim the first spot in the championship game. Barclay took control early and charged to a quick 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Eagles fought their way back into the game, but the Bears managed to keep their 6 point lead at the half. Faith came out hot in the second half, and took the lead with seven minutes left in the third quarter, a lead they would not give back up. Barclay brought it to a one point game with 3:30 left, but the Eagles got six straight stops to give them the 50-49 victory and a spot in the Conference championship game. Mikayla Jones led all scorers with 17 points, dishing out 6 assists along the way, and Katie Costello added 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 steals.

On Saturday, Faith took on #1 Ozark in the championship game, a team who had beat the Eagles twice in the regular season. The Eagles struck first, hitting two free throws just 7 seconds into the game, and kept that lead for the remainder of the night. Faith pushed the tempo and attacked the paint throughout the night, making it to the free throw line early and often. The Eagles had solid control of the game at halftime, leading 41-28 and although the Ambassadors never let Faith pull away too far, the Eagles matched every blow given and outpaced Ozark on their way to the programs first tournament championship in 28 years. Four Eagles scored double digits, led by Miriam Beenken with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

On Friday, three Eagles were honored with All-Conference awards, as voted on by coaches throughout the MCCC:
Katie Costello: 1st Team All-Conference
Miriam Beenken: 1st Team All-Conference
Mikayla Jones: 2nd Team All-Conference

Up Next: The Eagles will host the NCCAA North Region tournament taking place March 3-5.