MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- Junior Delaney Hodgins matched her season-best in points on Friday (Nov. 18), but the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team fell to Elon University, 77-56, in the first game of the Preseason WNIT Consolation Bracket.
"Elon is a very good basketball team and showed it today," said head coach Wendy Schuller. I thought we came out strong, but when they turned the pressure up on us we didn't respond as well as we needed to. Our goal right now is to get rested and be ready to play tomorrow."
Eastern Washington trailed by just a point at 13-12 after the end of the first quarter, but would be outscored, 27-14, in the second stanza to by Elon to give the Phoenix a 15-point advantage heading into halftime. The Eagles could not get closer than that for the remainder of the contest, as they suffered a 21-point defeat to the Phoenix.
Hodgins, a Preseason All-Big Sky first team selection, was the lone Eagle to score double-digits on Friday with 13, as she matched her point total in the season-opener at No. 15/17 Washington last Friday. The junior was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line, which helped the team to an 84.6 percent (11-of-13) success rate from the charity stripe.
A pair of seniors were just one point off from joining Hodgins in the double-digit scoring column, as Ashli Payne and Tisha Phillips each had nine points against the Phoenix. Payne and Hodgins tied for the team lead in rebounds with six caroms apiece.
Jada Graves led the way for Elon, as she was one of three players to score double-digits, matching Hodgins game-best total of 13 points.
Win-Loss Record: The Eagles fall to 0-2 both on the year and in the Preseason WNIT, while the Phoenix improve to 2-1 on the year after collecting its second-straight victory.
What it Means: With the loss, Eastern moves to 0-2 in the Preseason WNIT. The Eagles will have one more chance to capture a victory in this prestigious early-season tournament, as they'll play either Central Michigan or Furman tomorrow afternoon.
Turning Point: Eastern Washington trailed by just one point at 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, but Elon would outscore the Eagles 27-14 in the second to take a 15-point lead into the break. EWU would fail to pull within single-digits for the remainder of the afternoon.
Key Stats: Despite shooting 59.3 percent from the free throw line, Elon was still able to outscore Eastern 16-11 from the charity stripe. The Eagles hit 84.6 percent of the line on 13 attempts, while the Phoenix had a total of 27 shots from the free throw line.
Elon shot 44.8 percent from the field (26-of-58), while holding Eastern to a 32.3 percent (20-of-62) success rate from the field.
Top Performers: Junior Delaney Hodgins scored a game-best 13 points, while pulling down six boards. It is the second-straight 13-point outing for the Pasco, Washington native this season.
Senior Ashli Payne claimed a share of the team lead in rebounds for the second-straight game by matching Hodgins' total of six. Payne also scored a season-best nine points on Friday.
Freshman Symone Starks made her Eastern Washington debut on Friday and scored a career-best six points in 10 minutes of action.
Notables: Today's loss puts Eastern at 0-2 in the Preseason WNIT.
Today was the first time that Eastern Washington and Elon met on the court for a women's basketball contest.
Junior Delaney Hodgins' 13-point afternoon extends her double-digit scoring streak to 19 games. She has now posted double figures in the scoring column in 53 of the career 67 games she has played in at Eastern.
The 55 points scored by Eastern Washington today was a season-high.
What's Next: The Eagles conclude the Preseason WNIT tomorrow afternoon in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, but they will have to wait for the outcome of tonight's Central Michigan/Furman contest. If Eastern plays the Paladins, they will tip-off at 1:30 p.m. PT. If the host Chippewas fall tonight, then they will take on the Eagles at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday. Check with @EWUWBB on Twitter for the latest updates on the Preseason WNIT.
For more information on the Eastern Washington women's basketball team, follow @EWUWBB on Twitter and Instagram, or follow EWU Women's Basketball on Facebook.
