While most of us were at home enjoying our holiday meals and unwrapping presents, the Lady Eagles were hard at work in their first season of play in the Sun Belt Conference.

It may not have been the winter break head coach Chris Vozab wanted, but it gave the team an opportunity to get quality time against opponents to prepare themselves for the rest of conference play and the 18 games remaining on their schedule.

Gator Classic Tournament

On Dec. 21, the Lady Eagles traveled to Gainesville, Fl. to play in the Gator Classic Tournament against Eastern Washington University and Southern University.

Their first game pitted the Lady Eagles against Eastern Washington. Sophomore guard Angel McGowan was able to put up 11 points along with the lone-senior Anna Claire-Knight scoring nine. However, it would not be enough as Eastern Washington prevailed, 55-42.

Next up for the Lady Eagles was the Southern University Jaguars. Freshman guard Abby Hix helped lead her team to a 68-52 win, thanks to her putting up 19 points in 31 minutes. Hix’s performance in the Gator Classic earned her the recognition as being named Sun Belt Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.

Start of Conference Play

On Dec. 30, conference play was opened against the University of Texas at Arlington. McGowan scored 13 points and was followed by sophomore guard Alexis Sams with 11 points of her own. UT Arlington was able to escape with the win, 64-52.

In their second Sun Belt game, the Lady Eagles faced Texas State who had won six out of their first 10 games. McGowan led the team again in scoring with 18 points and junior forward Briana Jones scoring the second most with eight. They were unable to stop Texas State’s Patrice Butler on her way to 24 points as the Bobcats walked away with the win, 79-65.

Road Play

The Lady Eagles hit the road in search of a win against Arkansas State on January 8. While the first half tested both teams and things seemed to be going well for McGowan and her team, things turned around for the home team, and the Lady Eagles fell, 86-63. Knight led the team in scoring with 14 points.

Immediately following their loss to Arkansas State, the blue and white had to make another journey to Mobile, to play South Alabama. The Lady Eagles played like an entirely different team, jumping out to an early lead, thanks to Butler putting up seven of the first 11 points, and in the second half led by as many as 29 points.

The Lady Eagles put away the Jaguars, 67-53. Butler led the team with 17 points in the contest, Knight put up 15 and grabbed five rebounds while McGowan scored 14 and got two rebounds.

A home game is up next for the Lady Eagles as UL-Lafayette travels to Statesboro. The match is set for Thursday night at 5 p.m. in the Hanner Fieldhouse.