Benedictine Mesa built an early lead with aggressive defense and sharp shooting, then held off a furious fourth-quarter rally from Arizona Christian to secure a 73–63 victory. 

After Arizona Christian opened the scoring on an Emily Till free throw, Benedictine Mesa seized control with a flurry sparked by its defense. Olivia Arvallo answered with a jumper, Alannah Northam converted a steal into a layup, and Shyla Moore and Naomi Elliott added buckets as the Redhawks turned turnovers into points in transition. A late three by Cayci Muessig couldn't offset Benedictine's momentum, and the Redhawks closed the frame up 20–8.

Arizona Christian trimmed the margin through the line—Till knocked down six free throws in the period—and Jordan Zaragoza hit a three to pull within single digits. Benedictine Mesa responded with composure. Northam hit a mid-range jumper off Arvallo's feed, and Arvallo buried multiple threes, including one at 3:27 that pushed the advantage to 37–19. ACU countered with threes from Ellie Heideman and Charlotte O'Neal, but the Redhawks carried a 37–22 lead into the break.

The Firestorm came out strong after halftime—Till scored quickly inside—but Arvallo answered with another three to steady Benedictine Mesa. Alexia Wilcox and Naomi Elliott added mid-range makes, and the Redhawks' defense produced run-stopping steals (Elliott, Northam, Lepe). ACU's best stretch of the night came here, with Till repeatedly scoring in the lane and at the stripe, plus a Bryce Wolf layup off Till's assist. Even so, Arvallo punctuated the quarter with a buzzer-beating three to restore the cushion at 51–37.

Arizona Christian opened the final frame with renewed energy. Ellie Heideman knocked down a three at 8:43, and Till added two free throws to cut the deficit to 42–53. Benedictine Mesa answered with Northam's and-one layup and a steal-turned-score, pushing the lead back to 58–42. But ACU wasn't done—Cayci Muessig caught fire from deep, hitting three triples in a two-minute span to pull the Firestorm within seven at 55–62.

The closing minute was frantic. Till scored a layup with 16 seconds left to make it 61–67, but Benedictine Mesa stayed calm. Northam sank two clutch free throws, and after another ACU basket, Olivia Arvallo sealed the win with four straight free throws—including two after a technical foul—stretching the final margin to 73–63.