Orem, Utah – After a slow start, the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team shot 52 percent in the second half then withstood a late charge from host Utah Valley to defeat the Wolverines, 68-62, in its first game of the 2014-15 season Friday, Nov. 14, at the UCCU Center.

Win-Loss Records
EWU improves to 1-0 with the win while Utah Valley drops to 0-1.

Turning Point
Down by four, 38-34, with 17:23 remaining, the Eagles would go on an 8-4 run over the next two minutes to take the lead for good with 15:10 left to go. Senior Melissa Williams accounted for two buckets and assisted on a third during the game-changing run.

The Hodgins sisters took over from there as junior Hayley Hodgins and freshman Delaney Hodgins combined to score Eastern's next seven points to give EWU an eight-point edge, 49-41, at the 11:56 mark. Utah Valley would pull to within three, 49-46, one minute later only to see the Eagles answer with a 9-2 run spanning nearly four minutes to go up 58-48.

The hosts had one final charge left, cutting EWU's lead to two, 60-58, with 3:11 left to play but Eastern turned up its defense and nailed its free throws to hold off the Wolverines and secure the win.

Top Performers
Williams led the Eagles with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while pulling down 12 boards to finish with a double-double. She added three blocks and two steals to her impressive stat line.

Freshman Jade Redmon also recorded a double-double, the first of her career, behind a 14-point, 12-rebound performance.

Hayley Hodgins finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go along with two steals while senior Lexie Nelson chipped in 12 points and knocked down a pair of three-pointers.

Delaney Hodgins did a little bit of everything in her first career collegiate game, registering nine points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Key Statistics
Eastern shot 41 percent for the game but upped its rate to 52 percent in the second half. Utah Valley shot 38 percent on the day. Neither team shot well from three-point range as the Eagles made just two of 12 attempts from distance while UVU was 2-of-9 from downtown.

EWU outrebounded the Wolverines, 44-41, and finished with 13 second chance points to UVU's 11.

The Eagles committed 14 turnovers compared to Utah Valley's 11 miscues.

Quoting Coach Schuller
"We made some defensive adjustments at halftime, specifically focusing on doing a better job in guarding their zone offense. I thought we communicated better defensively in the second half and our zone frustrated them over the final 20 minutes.

"I thought Melissa was fabulous. She set the tone defensively for us in the paint and did a great job on their post players. She was a presence, and her offensive performance is something that we need from her consistently this year. Jade also had a great game. She was phenomenal on the glass. Overall, I thought our team rebounding effort was better than it's been in a while."

Game Notes
* The win marked Eastern's first victory in a road season opener since the 2009-10 season while head coach Wendy Schuller improved to 7-7 all-time in season openers during her 14 years at EWU.

* The Eagles are now 3-0 all-time against Utah Valley.

* Williams now has double-doubles in six career outings. Coming into this season, she was the only returning player with a double-double to her name.

* Redmon's 14 points tied her previous career high while her 12 rebounds were five more than her previous career best.

Tweet of the Night

Up Next
Eastern welcomes Wichita State to Reese Court for its home opener this Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m.