Eagles Fall to Lions in Home Opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After starting the season with two games on the road, Avila women's basketball (0-3) returned to Mabee Fieldhouse for the first time in the 2022-23 season on Monday night, where the Eagles fell to the Langston Lions (3-1) by a final count of 80-49.

Playing at home for the first time since their KCAC Tournament Semifinal win over Oklahoma Wesleyan in February, the Eagles played tough against the Lions in the first half before Langston pulled away after halftime to secure the win. Langston held Avila to single-digit scoring in the third quarter and outscored the Eagles by 15 points in the period to help build up the final margin.

Simply put, the Lions took full advantage of their opportunities and didn't afford the Eagles enough chances to do the same. Langston was much better on the boards, including doubling up Avila on the offensive glass, and scored 29 second chance points and 26 points off turnovers compared to single digits in both categories for the Eagles. The free throw opportunities evened out late, but the Lions had the majority of chances from the charity stripe for most of the night, and even though Langston didn't shoot much better than Avila from the field (38% to 31%), the Lions were superior from the line and the three-point arc.

Hailey Jordan had a brilliant all-around game for the Lions and got the scoring started with a pair of buckets early. Avila had to play from behind the entire game but the Eagles more than kept things close in the first half – Langston led throughout, but Avila stayed within a possession or two for much of the opening 20 minutes.

Hannah Smith scored five straight Eagle points to help Avila pull right back within 8-5 midway through the first quarter, and a steal and fast break bucket from Riley Boggs finally leveled the scored at 8 apiece. Back to back buckets from Cecelia Eddy and London Foster made it 14-12 in the final two minutes of the first, and Smith came through once again in the second, scoring seven straight points for Avila to get the Eagles back within six with 4:20 left.

Avila stayed within seven – still firmly within striking distance – down the stretch of the first half, but one more putback from Jordan extended the Langston lead to 38-29 at the intermission, and the Lions put together the best period of the game in the third quarter to move in front for good. Emily Baldwin scored six points in the period but the Eagles only scored eight as a team: Langston led by 24 after the third quarter, stretched the lead to as many as 33 in the fourth, and ended up winning 80-49.

Jordan turned the ball over four times but was otherwise excellent, scoring a game-high 29 points with 14 rebounds (eight offensive), six assists and four steals. Smith was also excellent in her Mabee Fieldhouse debut, scoring a team-best 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Boggs added in 12 points while Kayla Navy continued her strong defensive start to the season with eight rebounds and three steals.

Up next, Avila women's basketball returns to the road this Saturday, November 12, to take on Benedictine, a team receiving votes in the latest NAIA national rankings. Tipoff is slated for 3 PM in Atchison, Kansas; stay tuned to avilaathletics.com for details on how to watch and follow along.