Greeley, Colo. - The Eastern Washington women's basketball team finished off its road trip on a high note, beating Big Sky Conference opponent Northern Colorado for the second time this season, 66-57, on Saturday, Feb. 13.

Win-Loss Records

Eastern improves to 17-8 with the win and 11-2 in league play, while Northern Colorado drops to 11-12 with the loss and 6-7 in league play.

Turning Point

EWU came out firing on all cylinders, dropping 24 points in the first quarter, on 9-of-14 shooting. Sophomore Bethany Montgomery provided a great spark off the bench when she took over the game, scoring eight points in just 90 seconds of action. On three shots, without missing, she drove the lane for a layup, then on the next possession she crashed the offensive glass and converted the and-one putback. Finally, she drained a three pointer to close out the quarter, giving the Eagles a 24-19 lead.

Northern Colorado rallied behind a strong second-quarter performance to take a 40-39 edge at the half. However' the Eagles locked up the Bears' offense in the third quarter, forcing 10 turnovers and holding Northern Colorado to just five points on two made field goals. Freshman Amira Chandler nailed a baseline jumper to give EWU a 51-46 lead heading into the final quarter, and despite UNC's best attempts at a comeback, the Eagles' defense held the hosts scoreless over the final 4:28 to secure the big road win.

Top Performers

Sophomore Delaney Hodgins led the team in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while tallying six rebounds and three assists.

Bethany Montgomery scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, along with three rebounds in only 10 minutes of action.

Junior Tisha Phillips scored 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting, while recording three rebounds and three assists.

Senior Hayley Hodgins scored 10 points, along with three assists and a block.

Key Statistics

The Eagles shot 52.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three, while the Bears shot 39.3 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three.

On 15 fouls, Eastern shot 13-of-14 from the free throw line, compared to only 3-of-6 for Northern Colorado on 11 fouls.

EWU controlled the glass grabbing 35 total rebounds, while UNC recorded 25 total rebounds.

The Eagles turned the ball over 23 times, allowing the Bears to score 12 points off the mistakes, while Northern Colorado turned the ball over 18 times, allowing Eastern to score 18 points off the turnovers.

Quoting Coach Schuller

"We didn't go a great job defensively in the first half, especially in the second quarter. We let them kind of pick us apart and get back in the game. We made a few adjustments at halftime, and I thought the team picked up those adjustments well. We communicated a lot better on that end of the floor in the second half and found a way to get it done."

Game Notes
Hayley Hodgins has now scored in double figures in 41 straight games dating back to last season, and has 88 career games of at least 10 points. She is getting closer to becoming Eastern's all-time NCAA Division I leading scorer, sitting just 33 points behind Brenda Souther (1983-87).  Based on her current average of 21 points per game, she's expected to break the record against Portland State at home on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Hayley Hodgins' 1,700 career points rank 11th all-time on the Big Sky Conference career scoring list, 10 points behind former Montana player Katie Bussey.

Up Next

The Eagles return home for a contest against Sacramento State, on Thursday, Feb. 18, starting at 6 p.m. PST.