On Thursday, October 24th the Nebraska Christian College Women's Basketball Team opened up their 2019-2020 campaign against Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, Iowa. Each team returned multiple players from last year and were excited to get back to work. The Sentinels challenged the Eagles throughout the game, but the Eagles were able to pull away in the 2nd half to finish with an 82-50 victory. 

Pollard Fieldhouse was filled with energy to start the 2019-2020 Women's Basketball Season. The gymnasium carried cheers from both fan bases in the early going as buckets were exchanged. Each time the Eagles scored to try and pull away the Sentinels would find a way to answer. The first quarter closed 21-18 in favor of the Eagles. The second quarter proved to be just as exciting. The Eagles went on a run to gain an 11 point lead. However, the Sentinels were not done yet and finished the half on a plus 6 run to go into halftime with the score 41-36. The late run was led by Seniors Jazmyne Santiel and April Eldridge.

The Sentinels continued to battle into the 3rd quarter keeping the game with striking distance. Emmaus' lead fluctuated between 5 and 11 points for the next several minutes. Late in the 3rd quarter the offense for the Sentinels began to stall and Emmaus was able to use its balanced attack to start to pull away. The Eagles were up 16 to close the 3rd quarter. The Eagles continued their solid offensive play into the 4th quarter and put the game away. The final score was 82-50. 

Despite the final score, the Sentinel Coaching Staff was very pleased with the effort from the women. "We have made it our goal from the beginning to try and get better everyday and I think we did that tonight. We never gave up and played as a team all night. We have to give a lot of credit to Emmaus; they are a good team with some really talented players. We have a great group here and look forward to competing night in and night out."

Statistically, the Sentinels were led by Jazmyne Santiel and April Eldridge. Santiel scored 26 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. Eldridge opened her senior season with her first ever double-double. She contributed 10 points on a very efficient 4-6 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds, including 5 offensive rebounds.

Emmaus Bible College (1-0) will next be in action at the Trojan Classic in Deerfield, IL on November 1st and 2nd. The Sentinels (0-1) will return to the court quickly on Monday, October 28th. Nebraska Christian will play Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS.