Grand Forks, N.D. - Keeping stride for stride in a back and forth battle, the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team fell just short, 72-69, on the road against Big Sky Conference opponent North Dakota, on Thursday, Feb. 11.

Win-Loss Records

Eastern drops to 16-8 with the loss and 10-2 in league play, while North Dakota improves to 12-11 with the win and 8-4 in league play.

Turning Point

After a slow first half where both teams shot under 35 percent from the field, shots began falling on both sides in the third quarter, turning the contest into an intense fight where no lead was safe. Halfway through the third period, EWU saw its largest deficit of the game down 39-34 with 5:09 left, but it did not last long. Senior Hayley Hodgins and sophomore Delaney Hodgins would combine for 14 points in four minutes, bringing the Eagles within striking distance, down 51-49 with 1:04 left. In the final minute of the third quarter, junior Tisha Phillips wreaked havoc on the opposing Fighting Hawks, stealing the ball three times, giving Eastern the 51-51 tie with one quarter to go.

Eastern got off to a quick start in the fourth quarter, pulling ahead 55-51, thanks to freshman Amira Chandler providing a spark off the bench. In 1:30 of play she took over the game, scoring four points, grabbing two offensive rebounds, and blocking a shot. Despite holding a seven point lead with 5:38 left in the game, EWU began to struggle and UND started to heat up inside. North Dakota converted four straight layups, taking the lead 64-63 off of a 10-3 run. Now down with 2:42 left, the Eagles started going shot for shot with the Fighting Hawks, resulting in four lead changes down the final stretch of the game. The win was in reach for Eastern until one last steal by UND with only 12 seconds left, put the game away for good.

Top Performers

Hayley Hodgins led the team in scoring with 27 points on 10-of-23 shooting. She also stole the ball four times.

Delaney Hodgins scored 18 points, while tallying five rebounds, four assists, and a block.

Tisha Phillips scored 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting with a team leading six rebounds and six steals.

Key Statistics

EWU shot 39.7 percent from the field and just 2-of-19 from three, while North Dakota shot 44.4 percent from the field and 1-of-7 from three point range. In the second half, the Eagles shot 47 percent from the field, while the Fighting Hawks hit 58.3 percent of their shots.

Eastern grabbed 32 rebounds on the game, including 14 on the offensive side that resulted in nine second chance points. North Dakota secured 42 total boards, including 17 offensive, resulting in 21 second chance points.

EWU turned the ball over 16 times, giving UND 14 points off the turnovers. North Dakota turned the ball over 22 times, allowing Eastern to score 26 points off the miscues.
 
Quoting Coach Schuller

"As a team, I thought we played hard, and we did a lot of things well. Going 2-for-19 from three-point range is uncharacteristic of us. We fought hard and did a lot of things that put us in a position to win, but we didn't make enough plays down the stretch to close it out."

Game Notes

Hayley Hodgins has now scored in double figures in 40 straight games dating back to last season, and has 87 career games of at least 10 points. She is getting closer to becoming Eastern's all-time NCAA Division I leading scorer, sitting just 31 points behind Brenda Souther (1983-87).  Based on her current average of 21 points per game, she's expected to break the record against Sacramento State at home on Thursday, Feb. 18.

Hayley Hodgins' 1,690 career points moved her up to 12th all-time on the Big Sky Conference career scoring list, ahead of NAU's Alyssa Wahl (2003-07).

Up Next

The Eagles stay on the road against Northern Colorado, on Saturday, Feb. 13, starting at 12 p.m. PST.