GREELEY, Colo. – Road wins are crucial in the Big Sky Conference, and the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team will be heading back to Cheney with one after topping Northern Colorado by a score of 76-72 in Greeley on Thursday evening (Feb. 14).
 
Eastern shot 50 percent from the field (27-54) in the victory to go with nine three-pointers and had three in double figures. Violet Kapri Morrow led all scorers with 29 points, while Alissa Sealby added 14 and Grace Kirscher had 13.
 
The Eagles led for over 26 minutes of action and the win snaps a three-game losing streak to the Bears.
 
"I am really proud of our team. They showed a lot of grit and determination tonight. We had a very specific game plan and I thought they did a phenomenal job of sticking to it," said head coach Wendy Schuller. "Savannah Smith is an unbelievable player and she had a huge game, but I thought our players did a really nice job at making her make tougher shots. Violet Kapri Morrow was awesome, especially in the fourth quarter when we really needed baskets. Overall, I'm just really pleased with our effort and our determination to find a way to get it done."
 
Eastern trailed 13-9 when the offense caught a spark, scoring six-straight points and took its first lead of the day, 15-13. After one quarter of play, Eastern only trailed by two points, 17-15.
 
Both teams exchanged leads during the second quarter, Eastern's first lead came from a Morrow layup and later the Eagles used a 5-0 spurt to lead 25-22. EWU went on an 11-2 run to build its largest advantage of the night of 10 points, 34-24. The run was highlighted by two Jessica McDowell-White three-pointers.
 
Northern Colorado responded with a 7-0 scoring run of its own to cut the deficit to three points, but Eastern's steady 57.1 percent shooting from the field in the second quarter (8-14) helped them take a 39-31 lead into the locker room. The Eagles outscored the Bears 24 to 14 in the second quarter.  
 
In the first half alone, Eastern shot 50 percent from the field (15-3) with five three-pointers. At the end of two quarters, Grace Kirscher (11 points) and Violet Kapri Morrow (10 points) were in double figures.
 
The Eagles fell into a scoring drought that allowed the Bears to score five unanswered points until Alissa Sealby snapped the run. Eastern then built a 53-44 lead until the Bears cut the deficit to four points following a 7-2 scoring spurt. Morrow came up with a layup with seconds remaining to lead 57-54, but Northern Colorado's Savannah Smith hit a three-pointer as time expired, sending the game into a 57-57 tie with one quarter remaining.
 
The Bears took their first lead since the second quarter, 59-58 in the early moments of the fourth. Eastern led by just one point when Morrow went on a 10-0 scoring run of her own to help the Eagles lead 70-61. UNC would not go away quietly, firing off six unanswered points to cut the deficit to two, 70-68.
 
Eastern was solid at the free throw line down the stretch, as Morrow, Sealby and McDowell-White went 2-for-2 at the stripe. With nine seconds left, McDowell-White's free throws gave Eastern a 76-70 lead. UNC would get a shot off as time ran out, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles held on for the 76-72 victory.
 
WIN-LOSS RECORDS: Eastern Washington improves to 7-15 overall and 6-7 in Big Sky Conference play. Northern Colorado falls to 15-8 and 10-4 in the conference standings.
 
The win marks just the fourth in program history in Bank of America Arena, as Eastern is now 4-8 all-time in Greeley. The Eagles still trail the all-time series, 15-10, but the win snaps a three-game losing streak to the Bears. The last four meetings have been decided by 10 points or less.
 
Eastern splits the season series with the Bears, as they avenge a 67-62 overtime loss in Cheney earlier this season on Jan. 7.
 
TOP-PERFORMANCES: Violet Kapri Morrow led all scorers with 29 points and added eight rebounds. She now extends her double-digit scoring streak to 20-straight games this season and 23-straight dating back to last year. This was her fourth 20-plus point performance of the season. She was 9-for-16 from the field tonight (56.3%), including 4-for-6 from three-point range and 7-for-9 from the free throw line.
 
Alissa Sealby added 14 points and three blocks to go with seven rebounds and three assists. She was a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line and was 5-for-9 from the field with two three-pointers.
 
Grace Kirscher had 13 points and led the team with four assists.
 
KEY STATISTICS: Eastern Washington put together its best shooting performance of the season, shooting 50 percent from the field (27-54). They held the Bears to 40.9 percent on 27-for-66 from the field. Eastern was 9-for-23 from three-point range while UNC was 10-for-28. UNC was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, but the Eagles were steady as well, making 13 of 17 attempts.
 
The Eagles out-rebounded the Bears 35 to 33 and the bench scored 16 points. Eastern had four blocks to UNC's two, but committed 13 turnovers to Northern Colorado's 11.
 
1,000-POINTS AND COUNTING: After becoming the newest and 18^th member of Eastern Washington's 1,000-point club at Montana on Jan. 10, 2019, Violet Kapri Morrow continues to climb EWU's all-time scoring list.
 
After scoring 29 points this afternoon against Montana, Morrow remains in 9th all-time with 1,190 points. She is now just eight points away from eighth place with 1,194 career points.
 
UP NEXT: The longest home stand of the season awaits the Eagles when they return home to Reese Court. Three-straight home games begin with Idaho on Monday, Feb. 18 for a President's Day matinee doubleheader set to begin at 2:05 p.m. Both the Eastern Washington and Idaho men's teams will follow at 4:15 p.m. The first 500 students to both games will receive a free t-shirt. For tickets and more information, visit GoEags.com/tickets.
 
Eastern Washington then hosts Southern Utah on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 6:05 p.m. before taking on Northern Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2:05 p.m.