SURPRISE, ARIZ. - After two long, hardworking seasons, the OUAZ women's basketball team will play its first ever game in Faith Arena. The Spirit's matchup with Benedictine-Mesa on Saturday is the last of three games for the team this week.
OUAZ hits the road for its second exhibition against a NCAA Division I school, as they take on California Baptist on Wednesday. But, the day before the matchup with the Lancers, the Spirit will take on La Sierra. Tuesday's game is scheduled for 7pm, and Wednesday's action is slated for a 7:30pm tip.
The Spirit have faced La Sierra once before, a matchup that saw the Golden Eagles pick up a 85-67 win in Riverside, Calif. OUAZ's exhibition against California Baptist will be the first one between the two schools.
All of that leads up to the Spirit's first ever home game at Spirit Arena. The team played at Willow Canyon High School for its first two seasons, amassing nine wins in 18 home contests.
The start of the season is a fantastic one for the Spirit. In the season opener,
Kirsten Shinske put up 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. In the team's second game against an NAIA program, it was freshman
Natasa Radovic who led the way, dropping 27 points and grabbing seven rebounds in a win over SAGU American-Indian College.
The game Saturday will be the fifth matchup between the Spirit and the Redhawks. The Spirit have lost three of the four meetings to Benedictine, but did split the season series last year.
Live video of Wednesday's exhibition at California Baptist will be found at https://www.wacdigitalnetwork.com/cbu/
Coverage of Tuesday's and Saturday's games will be available on the OUAZ Game Central portal and the NAIA Network for $7.95. The NAIA Network is available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV devices. Live stats will also be available through Game Central at portal.stretchinternet.com/ottawaaz. Video and stats for Tuesday's matchup will also be found at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lasierra/.
This is the busiest week for the program early in the season. The Spirit will have only two games over 14 days following its matchup with Benedictine-Mesa. They will have a rematch with SAGU American Indian College on Nov. 20, and a home date with Westcliff on Nov. 30.
