The Thunder women's basketball team traveled to Aurora, Illinois on Monday afternoon to play Aurora University in an exhibition contest. This was the first game for the Thunder in 2026 after a 16-day hiatus. The Thunder would jump out to a 4-0 lead to start the game, but the Spartans would use a 11-0 run to take a seven point lead. After one quarter, the Thunder would trail 14-9. The second and third quarter would not be in favor of the Thunder as the Spartans would outscore the Thunder 56-16 over those two periods. The Thunder would regroup in the fourth and outscore the Spartans 12-11, but the damage would be done in the middle quarters and the Thunder would fall in their final exhibition of the season, 81-37. Nekayla Williams and Macayla Hines would both score nine points to pace the Thunder, while Tahlia Morris would chip in with seven points. The Thunder would shoot 24.0% from the field, 20.0% from the three-point line, and 64.3% from the free throw line. With this game being an exhibition, it does not affect their record and the Thunder remain 5-8 on the season.

The Thunder will play again on Friday, January 9th where they will host Calvary University at 6:30PM at the Howie's Activity Center.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.