HANNAH SMITH RECORDS 1,000TH POINT, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WINS SECOND-STRAIGHT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a monumental individual and team game, Avila women's basketball recorded their second-straight victory with a 69-62 win over Evangel at Mabee Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

It was Avila first time winning back-to-back games in more than a calendar year.

A game with 10 ties and eight lead changes came down to the wire with Avila senior guard Hannah Smith hitting a dagger three-pointer with 2:34 remaining in the game for her 1,000^th career collegiate point. Smith's 19 points were a season-high for the Blue Springs native.

The game could not have been more tightly-contested in the first half with the score tied after the end of one (22-22) and at halftime (38-38).

Avila pulled away in the second half, outscoring Evangel by six in the third quarter and putting the game away in the fourth – led by Smith's late three-pointer.

Smith's 19 points led all scorers. Off the bench, Anastasia Wright put up an Avila career-high 14 points with five rebounds. Madilyn Melton had another big performance down low, scoring 15 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, her fourth double-double of the season.

As a team, Avila had eight steals in the game, with four from Marlie Wright. The Eagles shot nearly 50 percent from the floor in the game (28-57) and won the rebounding battle (38-23), including 14 offensive rebounds.

Avila (5-12, 5-6) will look to make it three-in-a-row on Saturday at McPherson at 1 PM.

(photo credit: Issy Aguilar)