After a tough first two games against NAIA competition, the Saints collected their first victory of the season on Saturday. Having yet to play a contest at home, Central Christian College of the Bible went on the road and topped Union College (Neb.), 44-33.

Early on, Central Christian (1-2) had shooting struggles. Union (0-3) found themselves up by one just a few minutes into the first quarter. The Saints regained the lead on an and-one basket from Karrisa Baber, and never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game.

Starting the second quarter up 15-7, sloppy play from both teams contributed to a low-scoring contest. The Saints however did enter halftime with a slim 20-13 lead.

The Warriors went on a 6-2 run early in the third quarter to cut the lead to three, the closest they would get the rest of the night, as Crystal Eureste found her stride and sparked an 11-1 run with seven points and one assist during the stretch. 

Eureste finished with a team-high 16 points. Damia Covington finished with a team-high 12 rebounds.

The Saints will play their first home game of the season on Thursday when they face Nebraska Christian College at 5 pm.

The Saints put together what was perhaps their best performance of the young season on Thursday, but it wasn't enough as Nebraska Christian College escaped with an 82-68 victory over the Central Christian College of the Bible women in the Ferneau Center.

Early on there were multiple lead changes until Nebraska Christian (4-4) caught fire from behind the 3-point line and pushed their lead to 23-15 at the end of the first quarter. Central Christian (1-3) narrowed the gap to 29-27 midway through the second stanza, but again the Sentinels answered to take a 40-31 advantage at the half.

Early in the third quarter, both team traded baskets before the Saints went on another run to bring the score up to 51-49. The Sentinels responded one final time, this time extending their lead to 22 with a 23-3 run in the fourth quarter.

Crystal Eureste and Amber Grimes both scored a team-high 20 points to lead Central Christian. Damia Covington finished with a double-double scoring 10 points and grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds.

Nebraska Christian was led by Kayla Bloodworth with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Alexis Frondarina tossed in 19 points, while Aleita Amparan added 17.

The Saints return to action on Saturday as they travel to Jacksonville, Ill., to face NCAA Division III opponent MacMurray College. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m., following the Central Christian vs. MacMurray men's game that begins at 2 p.m.

After a back-and-forth battle, the Central Christian College of the Bible women's basketball team picked up their second win of the season with a 49-45 victory over Calvary University on Tuesday in the Ferneau Center.

Central Christian (2-5) jumped out to a 14-6 lead after one quarter thanks to three 3s by Crystal Eureste. Calvary (3-4) responded in the second stanza, however, with a 17-9 run to knot the game at 23-apiece at halftime.

The two teams were tied once again - at 35-apiece - at the end of the third quater and traded leads throughout the final frame. The Saints took the lead for good when Karissa Baber's 3-pointer put Central Christian up, 46-45, with 1:05 left to play.

Calvary missed on their ensuing posession and was forced to foul. Baber sank two free throws to give the Saints a three-point advantage, while another stop on the other end allowed CCCB to add one more free throw to seal the win.

Baber went to lead Central Christian with 16 points and seven assists. Eureste finished with 10 points, while Damia Covington grabbed a game-high 20 rebounds.

Calvary was led by Alyssa Krestan with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

The Saints are back at home on Friday when they host fifth-ranked Randall University at 7 p.m. following the men's game.

Coming off a tough loss the night before in the conference opener, the Central Christian College women's basketball team picked up their first Midwest Christian College Conference victory on Saturday by topping Barclay College, 66-32.

Both teams struggled early in the game with the Saints (4-10, 1-1 MCCC) shooting just 28 percent from the field and the Bears (1-9, 0-2 MCCC) 24 percent in the first half. Despite the low shooting percentages from both teams, the Saints held a 28-17 advantage heading into halftime.  

The second half would be a different story. Strong interior play from Damia Covington and Hunter Salmons contributed to the Saints outscoring the Bears, 22-9, in the third quarter. They would continue to perform well throughout the second half, eventually leading to the 34-point final margin.

Covington led the way with 15 points and 23 rebounds. Salmons also registered a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Crystal Eureste added 15 points for the Saints. 

On Friday, the Saints will travel to Joplin, Mo., to face Ozark Christian College in a MCCC matchup that begins at 5:30 p.m. The men's game follows at 7:30 p.m.