CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team collected a hard-fought 67-66 win at Southern Utah on Saturday (Jan. 21) in Big Sky Conference action.
"Sometimes you have to find a way to win," said head coach Wendy Schuller. "It's been a long road trip and we are beat up, so I was really pleased with our effort today against a tough Southern Utah team. I thought it was good for us to be able to scratch and claw to get a way to win today."
The Eagles had to gut-out a victory against the Thunderbirds, as they saw their nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter slowly evaporate during the first four minutes of the day's final frame. Eastern held a 61-60 lead with 4:34 left in the game, but they would never give up the lead, as they matched SSU point-for-point over the next four minutes of play.
Senior Tisha Phillips gave Eastern Washington held a four-point lead with 20 seconds left in the contest, however, Southern Utah was able to sink a 3-point field goal with 10 seconds remaining to pull back to within a point at 67-66. The Thunderbirds were able to force a turnover on the ensuing inbounds to give them the ball with back 7.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
Eastern's defense stood tall on the game's deciding possession, as they forced Southern Utah to miss a baseline jumper from 15-feet out, to pick up a thrilling 67-66 win in Cedar City.
Senior Ashli Payne was one of four Eagles to score double-digits on Saturday, as she scored a team-best 19 points and went 3-of-6 from behind the arc. The forward added a game-high 11 rebounds to pick up her third double-double of the season.
Win-Loss Record: Eastern Washington improves to 10-8 on the year and more importantly improves to 5-2 in the Big Sky this season. For Southern Utah, they fall to 5-13 and 0-7 in Big Sky play.
What It Means: Today's win gives Eastern a split on this week's two-game Big Sky road trip. It also gives Eastern its 10th win of the season, marking the 15th time the program has won double-digit games in 16 seasons under head coach Wendy Schuller.
Turning Point: It looked as if Eastern Washington was going to run away with a victory, as they led by as much as 15 points in the third quarter. However, Southern Utah chipped away at the Eagles lead from that point and battled all the way back to make it a one-point game, with the ball, with 7.2 seconds remaining in the contest.
The Eagles defense was able to stand tall on the game's final possession, as the Thunderbirds' baseline jumper clinked on the far side of the rim as the buzzer went off.
Key Stats: 3-point field goal shooting was the difference in Saturday's contest, as the Eagles hit eight 3-point buckets, while Southern Utah managed to make only two shots from behind the arc.
Top Performers: Senior Ashli Payne picked up her third double-double of the season with a team-best 19 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday. It is the second-straight Saturday Payne has posted a double-double, as she had 26 points and 11 rebounds last week against Weber State.
Junior Delaney Hodgins was one assist shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine assists. The nine helpers mark a new career-best for the Pasco, Washington native.
Redshirt senior Tisha Phillips picked up 10 points in her return after a one-game absence due to injury.
Notables: Eastern Washington picks up its 10th win of the season, marking the 15th time under head coach Wendy Schuller the program has won double-digit games in season.
With today's win, Eastern moves to a perfect 6-0 in Saturday games.
The Eagles hit eight 3-point field goals on Saturday, marking the 320th-straight contest with at least one 3-point field goal make.
Senior Ashli Payne picked up her 11th career double-double on Saturday with 19 points and 11 rebounds. It is also the 31st game with double-digit points, while it is her 14th career contest with double-digit caroms.
Junior Delaney Hodgins has now scored double-digits in 33 of her previous 34 outings with 13 points against Southern Utah on Saturday.
What's Next: The Eagles return to Reese Court next week to face both Montana schools for the second time this month. Eastern takes on Montana on Thursday (Jan. 26) at 6 p.m. PT, before hosting Montana State on Saturday (Jan. 28) at 2 p.m. PT. Both games will be streamed live on WatchBigSky.com and on the Watch Big Sky App.
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.
