The No. 14 Baker University women’s basketball team extended its Heart of Athletic Conference win streak to 13 games with wins against Benedictine College and Culver-Stockton College.

The Wildcats opened the week with a 61-41 victory over Benedictine on Thursday in Collins Center. The Ravens, who average seven 3-pointers per game, made a long-range shot just 26 seconds into the contest. However, it marked the only 3-pointer the Ravens would score. Baker’s defense held the Ravens to 1-16 from behind the arc and just 24 percent from the field.

With the win, Baker held on to its one-game lead in the league standings. Assistant coach Murray Knox said if the ‘Cats can keep the streak alive for the four remaining conference games, the Wildcats will be a team to remember.

“I told them the other day, and not to put pressure on them, but here’s an opportunity to be an elite team. Come back here in four or five years and everyone is going to be talking about this team and what you can accomplish,” Knox said.

Senior BriAnna Garza and junior Kyrstie Ehm paced the Wildcats with 14 and 13 points, respectively. While starting center Macy Wallisch did not put any points on the board, she made up for it on the defensive end. She posted five blocks and pulled down nine rebounds.

On Saturday, Baker grabbed its 20th win of the season with a 58-44 victory over Culver-Stockton in Canton, Mo. BU again eliminated the 3-point shot, holding C-SC to 0-4 from behind the arc.

Wallisch dominated the block again against Culver-Stockton, grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds. She also chipped in 10 points and five blocks. Garza led the way offensively with 14 points through 37 minutes of playing time.

Knox believes the Wildcats have been able to find success because they are playing by head coach Ben Lister’s philosophy.

“Ever since we’ve been here, coach Lister has preached to them that if you buy to his philosophy, what he’s trying to get across, the victories will take care of themselves,” Knox said.

With four regular-season games remaining, the Wildcats stand at 20-5 overall and 13-1 in HAAC play. BU will try to add to its win streak against Avila University on Thursday.

The Eagles have just five wins this season and fell to BU by 16 points earlier in the season. The matchup is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Collins Center.