Four players hit double figures, and six more scored points in TCJ Eagles Women's Basketball's win over NCCAA Division 1's Paine College Lions on Thursday. All points mattered as the Lions erased a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to take the lead. Trinity, though, regained that lead before the period ended and held off another Paine attempt to win 77-70.

M'lani Vitela (16), Travesha Giddens (13), Kirsten Joseph (12), and Emma Parrish (10) all hit double figures. Vitela split her points evenly through each half, using 10 of 12 successful shots at the line to lead the Eagles. She hit 7 of 8 in the third quarter alone and scored 8 total points in the first. 

Giddens helped the Eagles build a lead in the first half, scoring 9 of her 13 in the first two frames; She was 5 for 7 from the field and 3 for 4 at the line. Joseph was 6 for 12 from the field with 4 of those baskets coming in the third. Parrish scored 8 of her 10 in the fourth, which helped fend off the Lions' comeback effort. 

Joseph broke a 6-6 tie in the first with her second basket, and the Eagles led from that point until well into the third quarter. Foloowing that shot, Victoria Broadway, Parrish, Vitela, Desiree Greene (three-pointer), and Giddens all contributed points in the final 5:38 of the quarter to put up a 17-9 run and give the Eagles a 10-point lead at 25-15 at the end of the first. 

Paine, though, outscored the Eagles by three in the second to close the gap a bit at halftime with the Eagles leading 39-32. 

Trinity rebuilt the lead to double figures in the third, but Paine's Kyra McCrary and Leia Brown combined to get the Lions to within 2 at 41-39. After Joseph's two jumpers that followed, Paine's Nina Solomon (2 free throws), Adia Dormu and Brown (layups) tied the score at 45-all with 4:24 left in the third.

Brown put Paine ahead 49-48 with two foul shots moments later, but that was the last lead the Lions would have. With 2:01 left in the third, Vitela drew a foul on a three-point attempt and sank all three free throws to reclaim the lead for the Eagles, who countered a 13-6 Paine start to the period. 

Trinity built an 8-point lead midway through the fourth, and the teams played nearly even basketball for the final five minutes. Paine got as close as 5, but Giddens put the game away with a layup for the final tally with 1:32 remaining. Trinity then ran down the clock and secured the win.

Greene hit both her three-point attempts and totaled 9 points for the Eagles. Broadway finished with 7 while Laila Harvey and Jaedin Houston each hit a 3-pointer and Caroline Smith and Alexandra Perez each scored 2. 

Dormu and Brown each led the Lions with 19 points; McCray scored 10, and Solomon finished with 9. All Lions on the court contributed points.

The Eagles return to South Region play when they battle Southeastern Baptist College at home at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The top-ranked Eagles of Pensacola Christian College come to Jacksonville for a 6:00 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday, February 3. A road trip to Toccoa Falls College and Bob Jones University follows on Friday and Saturday, February 6 and 7.