McMurry University's Lady War Hawks carry a lot of momentum into the Christmas break after beating George Fox University from Oregon 86-69 Wednesday, Dec. 20 in Kimbrell Arena.
 

Coach Drew Long's team stepped on the gas pedal from the get-go and outscored the opponent 21-10 in the first quarter and 18-12 in the second to lead 39-22 at halftime. A big cushion in points was needed because the opponent won the third quarter 31-27. McMurry, however, took the fourth stanza 20-16.
 

Junior guard/forward Emily Holland (Mansfield, Texas) was the leading scorer with 22 points, followed by sophomore forward/center Aryana Cleveland (San Antonio, Texas) with 18, sophomore guard Kylie Flippin (Wichita Falls, Texas) with 16 and junior post Katie Hale (Decatur, Texas) with 11. Hale was a perfect 3 of 3 from the three-point line, while Holland added three and Flippin made one. At the free throw line, Flippin was 5 of 6, Cleveland was 4 of 5, junior post Ashton Garner (Odessa, Texas) and Holland were both 3 of 4, and sophomore guard Helana Chadwick (La Vernia, Texas) was a perfect 2 of 2. Chadwick was the top rebounder with nine, one on offense and eight on defense, and Cleveland contributed eight, two on offense and six on defense. Cleveland had four of the team's 10 steals.

McMurry had its biggest lead of 24 points early in the third quarter.
 

The Lady War Hawks will pack a 10-2 overall record into their bags next week as they head to the Puerto Rico Clasico in San Juan for two games. McMurry goes against Westfield State University from Westfield, Massachusetts at 11 a.m. Dec. 29. The school is 1½ hours west of Boston and competes in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. On Dec. 30 at 1 p.m., the Lady War Hawks play Carroll University which is in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The school is 25 minutes west of Milwaukee and competes in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Carroll lost to the then ninth-ranked and 22nd-ranked teams in the country before Thanksgiving. However, it beat a different team ranked number nine in overtime 101-98 on Dec. 9. Both tournament games will be in Mario Morales Coliseum. Puerto Rico College Sports Tours is hosting the six-team tourney. McMurry returns to Kimbrell Arena Jan. 6 for a 1 p.m. tipoff with Hardin-Simmons University.