The Benedictine Mesa Women's Basketball team opened Thursday night's matchup with a dominant first quarter, jumping out to a commanding lead before the game came to an unexpected early end. After the first period, Westcliff University was forced to forfeit the contest due to not having enough eligible players to continue, resulting in an official Redhawks victory.

Before the forfeit, Benedictine controlled every aspect of play. The Redhawks pressured Westcliff into a series of early turnovers and quickly converted them into points. Alexia Wilcox got Benedictine on the board with a layup, followed by a smooth jumper from Shyla Moore to extend the lead. Moore continued to make an impact on both ends, adding another jumper and a transition layup as the Redhawks surged ahead.

Aaliyah Garcia added a fast-break layup off a steal, while Wilcox finished once again in the paint to push the lead even further. Naomi Elliott knocked down a three-pointer late in the quarter and added a layup moments later, and Olivia Arvallo capped the scoring with a deep three to make it 22–4 at the buzzer.

Despite Westcliff battling through the quarter and getting on the board with a Valeria Brewer layup and a pair of free throws, the gap only continued to widen as Benedictine dictated the pace.

With Westcliff unable to field the minimum number of players after the first quarter, their head coach elected to forfeit, giving Benedictine Mesa the win by the official score of 2–0.

Looking Ahead: The Redhawks are back on the field Monday night as they head on the road to face Utah Valley in an exhibition matchup.