Eastern Washington wrapped up its road trip on Saturday afternoon, coming up short against Northern Colorado, 62-54. The game was competitive, but the Eagles could not punch through and take the lead at the end. Their record now goes to 4-13 and 2-6 in Big Sky games, as UNC improves to 5-8 and 1-4 in conference.

"UNC did a nice job of mixing up their defenses and kept us off balance offensively," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We made a run at them in the second half and never quit. But ultimately, they executed and made more big plays down the stretch than we did. We have to find a way to increase our shot selection and shooting percentage moving forward to compete in the Big Sky."

Eastern was off to quick start, racing out to a 7-0 lead on UNC. Jaydia Martin knocked down a three, while Jacinta Buckley and Milly Knowles each added a basket. The Bears countered with their own 7-0 run to tie the game up. Alexis Pettis dropped in three to give them back the lead, but UNC would respond again. They jumped ahead 11-10. Knowles would take back the lead with a layup and the Eagles were up, 12-11 after the first quarter. Both teams had an identical shooting percentage, with a 31.3 figure.

It was a different story in the second quarter, as the Bears went on an 8-0 run to separate from Eastern early. A three-pointer from Jaleesa Lawrence ended the run and gave the Eagles their first points of the quarter with 7:02 on the clock. Eastern would pull to within two of UNC at 22-20 on a pair of Buckley free-throws at the 4-minute mark. The Bears would respond with another 8-0 run to give them a double-digit lead over the Eagles. UNC had a 30-23 lead at halftime, shooting 50 percent from the field. Eastern managed a 20-percent shooting performance in the quarter.

The third quarter was a defensive battle between the two teams, with neither team finding a consistent rhythm on offense. Eastern and UNC combined for seven points through the first five minutes and the Bears had a 34-25 lead over the Eagles. Eastern was able to claw its way back into the game with three-pointers from Martin and Jordyn Boesel and trimmed the lead to 37-33 after the third quarter. The Eagles shot 30 percent from the floor, while the Bears were limited to a 23.1 percentage.

In the final quarter, the offense picked up for both sides, as Buckley found some room and delivered with a pair of field goals for the Eagles early in the quarter. UNC's Hannah Simental was shooting well for the team and matched Eastern's baskets. The Bears stretched the lead to 10 at 51-41 with 4:17 left in the game. The Eagles would not go quietly, organizing a 7-0 run that was powered by an and-one from Andie Zylak. After a UNC basket, Zylak would convert two more free-throws to keep Eastern within three at 1:16 left on the clock. Despite the tight score, the Bears would make their free-throws down the stretch and pull away from the Eagles for good, winning 62-54.

Eastern Washington ended with a 29.8 shooting percentage and UNC had a 39.6-percent mark for the game.

Top Performances
Jaleesa Lawrence led Eastern with 13 points on 3-of-10(30%) shooting. Lawrence added three steals and two rebounds.

Jacinta Buckley scored 10 points on 4-of-10(40%) shooting and had a game-high eight rebounds. It is Buckley's fourth straight game scoring in double-digits.

Jaydia Martin earned her sixteenth game scoring in double-digits with 10 points on Saturday. Martin added three steals and hit two, three-point shots.

Milly Knowles recorded two blocks against UNC giving her five games with two-or-more blocks. She has 12 total this season.

Key Statistics
Eastern Washington had an 11-3 scoring advantage in fast break points.

The Eagles had a 17-15 advantage scoring off turnovers. Eastern forced 20 turnovers and committed 12 of their own.

Eastern had three players record two-or-more made three-pointers. Jaydia Martin was 2-of-7(29%), Jaleesa Lawrence was 2-of-6(33%), and Jordyn Boesel was 2-of-7(29%).  

Up Next
Eastern Washington will return home to host Northern Arizona on Monday, Jan. 24 at Reese Court. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific Time.

As a reminder, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours for fans ages 11 or older is required for entry to home games. Masks must be worn for fans ages five years old or older unless actively eating or drinking.