Kleczka Notches 1,000th Career Point as Eagles Win Fifth Straight

By Jon Crossman

Ankeny, Iowa—The women's basketball team was all smiles after another testing battle on the court, with Captain Rachel Kleczka sporting the biggest smile following her 1,000th career point with the Eagles. Her big night couldn't have been timed any better, with the Kansas native getting to share the moment with both her family and visiting high school (Shawnee Mission Christian School) in the 51-42 win.

Kleczka, who also recorded her 1,000th rebound earlier in the season, has shown her versatility on both defense and offense for the Eagles in a huge way. Her 16 point game was paired with a 13 rebound effort, one out of many of her double-doubles that the team has been leaning on throughout the season. Rachel's defining bucket came at the 4:44 mark in the final quarter, with a monster put-back bucket putting the Eagles in their most comfortable lead of the game and forcing a full timeout from Central Christian College of the Bible. 

In addition to the celebratory night for the captain, the Eagles have a five-game winning streak to be proud of, evidence of their progress from the start of the season to their spot in the conference now. The ladies kept pace with the Saints of Central for a good chunk of the game before pulling away near the end of the third quarter, taking a seven point lead after another basket under the net from Rachel Kleczka. Tina Harms exploded for 8 points in the fourth quarter to seal the deal for the Eagles, improving their record to 12-6.  

The Eagles look forward a rematch against Free Lutheran Bible College, a team they handled early on in the season by 23 points on the road. This time around they'll have home court advantage, playing in the Nettleton gym on January 30, starting at 4:00 p.m.