The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team began the Husky Classic by giving the University of Washington all that it could handle today (Dec. 18) at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Eagles led for 18:13 in a game that saw four lead changes and two ties, but came up just short in the 62-59 loss.

"I'm proud of the way we represented Eastern Washington University today. This team worked extremely hard and had a chance to win on the road against a Pac-12 opponent.
We were up 12 late in the third, they answered with a 10-0 run and this momentum shift was tough to overcome. We showed toughness and battled to the end but ultimately came up short," said head coach Joddie Gleason. "Andie Zylak played a heck of a game at the point guard position,distributing the ball as well as scoring herself. Having Jacinta Buckley and Bria Rice back in the rotation really provided length and athleticism we needed to defend the Huskies tonight. Our team was locked in at the defensive end especially in the first half. We gave up a few too many offensive boards, but we battled.We have to bounce back and be ready for a tough, scrappy and hard nosed Nevada team tomorrow. I'm sure our team will do just that."

Both squads struggled offensively in the first half, shooting below 27 percent, but EWU outscored the Huskies 13-8 in the second quarter to take a 22-19 lead into the locker room. With 1:40 left to play in the third, Eastern held a 44-32 lead that was diminished by a 20-0 UW scoring run that spanned two quarters. The Eagles climbed out of an eight-point deficit with 1:38 left in regulation when Jaydia Martin tied the game with a three-pointer. Another triple from Jacinta Buckley made it a one-point game, 58-57, with a minute remaining. Eastern trailed by five with 10 seconds to play, and Buckley had the last say with a layup, but the Huskies held on for the 62-59 victory.
 
A trio of Eagles in Andie Zylak, Martin and Buckley each led the way with 15 points. Eastern now falls to 2-6 on the year while the Huskies improve to 4-3.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter. Washington opened with a 5-0 run and held Eastern scoreless until the 5:02 mark when Jaleesa Lawrence connected on a pullup jumper. After UW pulled ahead 9-2, the Eagles strung together a 5-0 run thanks to a triple from Buckley and a layup from Zylak. The Huskies pulled ahead 11-7, but two free throws by Lawrence with a second on the clock made it an 11-9 game in UW's favor after one.
 
It was all Eastern Washington in the second quarter, outscoring UW 13-8. The Eagles used a 7-0 run to take a 16-13 lead, but fell behind 20-17 before a 4-0 run by Milly Knowles gave EWU a 20-17 lead back. After that, Eastern was held scoreless for 4:45 as the Huskies made it a one-point game, 20-19. However, EWU held Washington off of the board for the final 3:25 of the quarter and a jumper by Jaydia Martin gave Eastern a 22-19 lead at the half.
 
Although Eastern forced nine turnovers and were just edged in rebounds, 26-to-24, in the first half, both teams struggled offensively. The Eagles were 9-of-34 (26%) from the field and the Huskies were 8-of-33 (24%). Eastern also held UW without a three-pointer, as the Huskies went 0-of-12 from a distance in the first 20 minutes.
 
Eastern Washington jumped out on a 12-4 run and held its largest lead of 36-23 midway through the third quarter. With 1:40 left to play, Eastern led 44-32 but the Huskies exploded on a 10-0 run to end the quarter, cutting the deficit to 44-42 heading into the fourth.
 
Washington's run stretched to 20-0 as they retook a 52-44 lead, holding EWU off of the scoreboard until there was 5:59 left to play in the game. Eastern Washington immediately came back on a 7-0 run that included four points from Buckley. Both teams entered scoreless spells, with UW not making a field goal for 4:51. Martin made a triple to tie the game, 54-54, and a Buckley three-pointer made it a 58-57 game in UW's favor with 49 seconds to play. After the Huskies pulled ahead 62-57 on a 4-0 run, Buckley gave one last final effort with a layup with five seconds to play, but UW was able to hang on to the win.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES: Andie Zylak scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 from the field plus a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line. She also led the team with two assists and added two rebounds.
 
Jaydia Martin continued her double-digit scoring streak for the eighth-straight game, also adding 15 points to go with six rebounds. She drained three three-pointers, led the team with three steals, and added a block.
 
After sitting out three out of the last four games due to injury, Jactina Buckley made her return. She also added 15 points on 5-of-6 from the field, plus a perfect 3-for-3 from the three-point line and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. She had three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.
 
Milly Knowles finished with four points while adding six rebounds plus a block. Jaleesa Lawrence had seven points plus five rebounds.
 
KEY STATISTICS: Both teams improved their overall shooting percentage from the first half. Eastern Washington was 22-of-61 (36%) overall, 9-of-24 (38%) from three-point range and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
 
UW was 25-of-62 (40%) from the field, 4-of-18 (22%) from behind the arc, and 73% percent (8-11) from the free throw line.
 
Eastern Washington forced 16 turnovers and turned them in to 21 points, but committed 14 for 18 UW points. Eastern was out-rebounded 43-to-36, and had 12 offensive boards compared to 16 for the Huskies. In the paint, EWU was out-scored 36-to-16.
 
UP NEXT: The Husky Classic continues tomorrow (Dec. 19) against Nevada at 2 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash. The game will be streamed on the Washington Live Stream on Pac-12 Networks.