On January 9, 2021, the Eagles competed against their first NCCAA opponent of the season, the Welch College Flames. This would be their last opponent before region play began, and the Eagles were looking forward to seeing what their team could accomplish.

The first half began with mixed emotions for the Eagles. While they had several missed opportunities, they had held the Flames to only 4 points in the first three–and–half minutes. The offensive turning point came when James Shodimu finished an and one opportunity. The buckets began to fall for the Eagles, and a made three-pointer by Austin Lewis gave the Eagles a 10–7 lead. Although the Eagles were playing well, the Flames came back and regained the lead. The Eagles would not stay down. A pair of free throws by Caleb Ifill tied the game. Then, a steal by Christian Porter led to a basket by Brian Ugalde, allowing the Eagles to take the lead, a lead that they would sustain for the rest of the half. Heading into halftime, the Eagles led 39–34.

The Eagles started out the second half strong, scoring first and going on a 6–2 run. The Eagles sustained their lead until the ten-minute mark. The leading team went back and forth multiple times over the next few minutes. Then two back–to–back shots by Brian Ugalde put the team up 4 points. A 19–13 point run allowed the Eagles to keep their lead the rest of the game. The final score was 74–66, giving the team their first win of the season!

The team put together a solid performance. AJ Ward led the team in points with 19. Brian Ugalde scored his career high of 12 points. AJ Ward and Will Higdon led the team in rebounds with 7 apiece. James Shodimu contributed a career high of 3 blocks.

"I'm really proud of how the guys worked this week through multiple practices and three games," Coach Mark Goetsch said. "Despite exhaustion, they came to games ready to play and compete. Will [Higdon], AJ [Ward], and Clayton [Buckley] put some really nice plays together and went 10–14 from the free throw line today. AJ has had solid back–to–back performances. Our defense was spot on today, with James Shodimu having 3 blocks, Christian [Porter] having 4 steals and Austin [Lewis] and AJ pulling 6 defensive rebounds each."

The Eagles next game is Tuesday, January 12, against Johnson University of Florida.