CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team was handed its first loss at home this season on Sunday (Dec. 11), as the Eagles fell to regional rival Gonzaga, 73-54.
Junior Delaney Hodgins paced the way for Eastern, as she scored a game-high 13 points against the Bulldogs. It is the 26th-straight game that the Pasco, Washington native has posted double-figures in the scoring column.
Gonzaga limited Eastern to a 35.3 shooting percentage from the field on Sunday. It is just the second time over the last six games that the Eagles have posted a shooting percentage below 47 percent from the field.
"Coming into today's game I knew Gonzaga was a good team," said head coach Wendy Schuller. "They have great length and experience. We didn't perform to our capability tonight. Give Gonzaga credit for taking us out of our game."
The Bulldogs jumped out to an 18-9 lead after the first quarter of play, and extended their advantage to 16 points at the break.
Eastern looked to be starting a comeback midway through the third quarter, as an 8-0 spurt pulled the Eagles to within 10 points at after a jumper from Symone Starks with 2:37 left in the frame. However, that would be the final points EWU would put up in the quarter, as Gonzaga took a 15-point advantage into the fourth
"I love the heart and fight this team has," said Schuller of her team pulling back within 10 points. "We continued to battle despite not making some shots that we normally hit. I'm proud of our effort today, we were able to match them in rebounding, but we have to hit some of those shots we missed."
GU built its lead to as many as 24 in the final quarter of play before handing the Eagles a 19-point defeat at Reese Court.
Win-Loss Records: Eastern falls to 5-4 on the year, while Gonzaga improves to 7-2.
What It Means: The loss brings the Eagles brief two-game winning streak to a halt. It is also the first time this season EWU has dropped a contest at Reese Court.
Turning Point: The Eagles held a brief 8-7 lead nearly four minutes into the contest, Gonzaga would close the first quarter on a 13-2 run to build a nine-point advantage they would never relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Key Stats: Eastern shot 35.3 percent from the floor, while Gonzaga hit 47.1 percent of its shots.
Despite a size advantage, Eastern was able to pull down as many rebounds as the Bulldogs with 33.
The Eagles committed 22 turnovers today, while forcing Gonzaga into 17 of its own.
Key Performers: Junior Delaney Hodgins picked up a team-best 13 points and eight rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Hodgins added two blocks, two assists and two steals.
Redshirt senior Tisha Phillips scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.
Notables: Gonzaga now leads the all-time series against the Eagles, 31-13. They have won 13-straight in the series.
Sunday's game marks the first time this season that Eastern has loss at Reese Court this season.
Junior Delaney Hodgins scored 13 points on Sunday against Gonzaga to extend her double-digit scoring streak to 26 games. However, it does snap her five-game streak of 20-plus points.
With 12 points on Sunday, redshirt senior Tisha Phillips pushes her double-digit scoring streak to seven games.
What's Next: Eastern will enjoy a week off before traveling to Colorado to take on Air Force next Sunday (Dec. 18). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. PT.
For more information on the Eastern Washington women's basketball team, follow @EWUWBB on Twitter and Instagram or like EWU Women's Basketball on Facebook.
