WINFIELD, Kan. — Avila University caught fire from long range and never cooled off, handing Southwestern College a 90-56 loss in women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Stewart Field House.
The Eagles (6-4, 3-2) buried 12 3-pointers and shot 55.2% from the field, using a balanced attack to keep control from the opening tip. Avila led 19-9 after the first quarter and took a 43-32 advantage into halftime before stretching the margin with a big second half.
Kathleen Stanley led Avila with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting, drilling 6 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Talia Dyson added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Marlie Wright matched her with 18 points and filled the box score with eight assists, four rebounds, and four steals. The Eagles dominated the glass 38-18 and converted at the line, finishing 14 of 17 (82.4%) at the stripe.
Despite the loss, the Lady Builders (4-6, 0-5) got several strong performances, especially from their backcourt.
Kennedy Ford paced Southwestern with 20 points, going a perfect 4 of 4 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 at the free-throw line in 33 minutes. She also added three assists and two rebounds while committing no turnovers, providing a steady scoring punch throughout.
Breanna Goad added 16 points and a team-high eight assists while playing the full 40 minutes. She knocked down two 3-pointers and was instrumental in keeping Southwestern's offense moving, accounting for two-thirds of the team's assists.
Off the bench, Aubrey Pond gave the Builders an important lift in the paint. Pond finished with 11 points and a team-best five rebounds in 32 minutes, going 4 of 8 from the field and 3 of 6 at the line. Her late first-quarter layup broke up an early Avila run, and she continued to attack the rim throughout the game.
Southwestern's best stretch came in the second quarter, when the Builders outscored Avila 23–24 (43–32 at the half) and found an offensive rhythm. The Builders shot 61.5% (8 of 13) from the floor and 2 of 3 from deep in the period, with Ford scoring 10 points in the frame and Goad and Pond chipping in key buckets to trim what had been a double-digit deficit.
But Avila responded after the break. The Eagles shot 60% in the third quarter and 70% in the fourth, consistently creating open looks from the perimeter and scoring 38 points in the paint overall. Stanley's hot hand from deep helped push the lead past 20, and Dyson's slashing finishes sealed the game in transition and half-court sets.
Southwestern finished the afternoon shooting 35.7% (20 of 56) from the field and 29.2% (7 of 24) from 3-point range, knocking down 9 of 12 free throws (75%). The Builders moved the ball well at times, totaling 12 assists, but were unable to generate second-chance opportunities, finishing with no second-chance points and just three offensive rebounds against Avila's eight.
Martha De La Rosa added seven points, four assists and a steal for Southwestern, while Emma Parker and Macey Pond contributed on the glass, combining for six rebounds.
Avila led by as many as 34 late in the fourth quarter, closing out the conference matchup with a 23-point final period to reach the 90-point mark.
Southwestern, still seeking its first conference win at 0-5 in league play, now turns its attention to Wednesday's road game. The Lady Builders travel to Bartlesville, Okla., to face Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.
