Champion Christian College edged Welch 72–71 on Thursday evening (Jan. 8, 2026) at the Welch Activities Center, surviving a back-and-forth game that swung late in the fourth quarter.
Champion Christian built a small early cushion by taking the first quarter 14–10, then went into halftime up 29–27 after Welch answered with a 17–15 second period. Welch made its biggest push coming out of the break, winning the third quarter 23–16 to grab a 50–45 lead heading to the fourth. But Champion Christian closed strong, outscoring Welch 27–21 in the final period to steal the one-point win.
The difference came down to efficiency and late scoring. Champion Christian shot 48.1% (26-of-54) from the field and hit 7-of-16 from three (43.8%), while Welch finished at 37.7% (20-of-53) and 7-of-25 from deep (28.0%). Champion Christian was also perfect at the line (13-of-13), a key margin in a one-point game, while Welch left points behind by going 24-of-31 (77.4%) on free throws despite getting there often.
Olivia Sepulvado led Champion Christian with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, knocking down 3-of-4 from three and a perfect 4-of-4 at the stripe, along with the game winning 3 pointer from nearly half court. Jordan Hammons added 17 points and a team-high 7 rebounds, and Ja'mya Gooch provided a major lift off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 from three). Natalia Silva chipped in 10 points, going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
Welch was paced by Karilyn Wieting's 22 points and 10 rebounds, plus 8-of-9 free-throw shooting. Faithe Johnstone added 20 points and attacked the rim consistently, going 10-of-13 at the line. Lyndsey Wright hit four threes and finished with 15 points. Welch won the rebounding battle 33–30 and earned far more free throws (31 attempts to Champion Christian's 13), but the lower shooting percentages and missed free throws proved costly in the final tally.
With no technical fouls and a tight finish, Champion Christian's fourth-quarter surge—paired with flawless free-throw shooting—was enough to escape with the 72–71 road win.
