From MACU Sports
Levi Convirs, Sports Information Director
Omaha, Neb. – The Mid-America Christian University Lady Evangels gave new head coach Hannah Moeller her first victory at MACU with a 106-47 rout of the Grace University Royals in the season opener tonight in Omaha, Neb.
“I’m proud of the energy and effort from our whole group tonight,” Moeller said. “We got great contributions from a lot of different players. I thought we did a nice job of being unselfish and playing hard.”
The Lady Evangels wasted no time seizing control, outscoring the Royals 18-3 during the first six minutes of the first quarter.
It was 25-10 Lady Evangels after one quarter and MACU quickly built the lead to 34-13 during the first half of the second period.
During the remainder of the half, the Lady Evangels outscored the Royals 14-3 to take a commanding 48-17 lead at the break.
With the lead still at 31 at the 4:17 mark of the third quarter, Sarai Rodriguez powered a 22-1 burst with eight points, including a three at the buzzer to end the period and make it 83-31.
Rodriguez led all scorers with 29 points and also dished out a game-high seven assists for the Lady Evangels (1-0).
D’Shala Powell had a double-double of 12 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, with Jamie Lamb also chipping in with 12 points.
The Lady Evangels also got great contributions from a pair of players in their first game with the program. Nevada Denton scored 14 points, while Brittany Thompson had a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards.
Kayla Bloodworth paced the Royals with 19 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
“It’s a long season, but we’re excited to have started the year off the way we did!” Moeller said. “We have a long way to go to be a team that can compete at the top of the Sooner Athletic Conference, but tonight felt like a great first step in that direction.”