FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON COMES FOR AVILA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OVER SOUTHWESTERN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Led by 23 points from Kathleen Stanley and 16 points and 12 rebounds from Madilyn Melton, Avila women's basketball picked up its first win of the season on Saturday afternoon against Southwestern, 71-61.

Hannah Smith opened the scoring with a layup on the first possession and the Eagles would not look back, leading for the entire 40 minutes.

The Eagles shot 45.5 percent for the game and went 8-of-19 from three-point range en route to their first win of the 2024-25 campaign. Avila shot 50 percent or above from the field in three of four quarters and had four players shoot 50 percent or greater for the game.

Stanley's 23 points were a season-high for the Eagles and Melton's 16 and 12 marked her second-consecutive double-double.

A big game from the floor general, Hannah Smith, who added eight points and a game-high six assists to the Avila effort.

A 9-1 run thanks to three points each from Melton, Stanley and Marlie Wright to open the fourth quarter gave Avila a 23-point lead before the Eagles too their foot off the gas and settling on the 10-point win. Avila's 23-point lead was their largest of the season.

The Eagles will look to make it back-to-back wins on Wednesday night at 5:30 as the team hosts Southwestern at Mabee Fieldhouse.

(photo credit: Ali Nassir)