The women's basketball team hosted Benedictine University-Mesa for their first home conference game this past Thursday. The Golden Eagles defeated the Red Hawk 60-59 to move to 3-1 in conference play and 12-7 overall.

The Golden Eagles struggled offensively throughout the game as the Red Hawks outscored the Golden Eagles 34-30 in the first half. Sophomore Siena Jones gave the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game by knocking down a deep shot from behind the arc with 4:00 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. The Golden Eagles and Red Hawks went back and forth as the Red Hawks tied the game at 56-56. With 2:00 minutes left to go in the game, Red Hawks Junior, Gabby Zagari put the Red Hawks ahead 59-56 with a timely 3-point field goal. Junior guards, Sierra Cole and I'man Conley added a few more baskets to help the Golden Eagles secure the win.

"We really struggled to get going this evening. It was a tough grind out game and we were fortunate to come away with a win. Our bigs never really got going, but we were able to get solid contributions from our guards Conley and Cole, and Dayna Tanaka hit a key 3-pointer to help give us momentum at the right time.

We were very lucky to get away with this one because we couldn't convert on the offensive end after getting key defensive stops. Our ladies wanted to match up man-to-man at the end of the game and I thought they made a great call!

Moya and De Leon really helped us with their 5 steals each and De Leon made a key defensive play at the end of the game to help our team secure the win."

Impact Players:

I'man Conley: 13 points | 5 rebounds

Sierra Cole: 10 points | 3 assists

Kayla De Leon: 9 points | 5 rebounds | 4 steals

De'Brianna Hampton: 8 rebounds | 6 points | 2 assists

Madelyn Moya: 5 rebounds | 5 points | 2 assists

The Golden Eagles look to keep their momentum as they continue in conference and after their hard-fought win. They will host Embry-Riddle this upcoming Saturday night at 6:30 PM.