Eastern Washington women's basketball team battled Northern Arizona Monday night, falling short against the Lumberjacks, 69-54. The Eagles played well in the game, but NAU's offense was well balanced and difficult to defend.

"This is a really good Northern Arizona team that can score. They have a lot of weapons," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "They make the right reads and decisions with dribble penetration. Too many of those times they made the right reads and hit the shots. You have to tip your hat to them. We felt like we had a good rotation and felt we had them on their heels a little bit and made a run at them and that was good to see.

Jacinta Buckley scored a game-high 17 points Monday night, on 8-of-14(57%) shooting and added three steals.

"Jacinta had only three steals recorded, but probably had 10 deflections which resulted in steals," Gleason added. "Her ability to get in the lane and work makes us better and we were able to take advantage and score off of them."

Each team took a minute to coordinate their offense, but when they did the baskets started falling fast and furious. After NAU had a 4-0 lead, Jacinta Buckley streaked across the court with a steal and an easy basket. The Eagles would take the lead on a three from Jaleesa Lawrence. The Lumberjacks ripped off the next four, but Eastern was not deterred. Starting with a three from Buckley, the Eagles would counter with an 8-0 run. The game went back-and-fourth, but the Lumberjacks would take a small, 16-15 lead at the end of the quarter. Both teams shot well in the quarter, with Eastern going 6-of-15(40%) from the floor and NAU went 7-of-14(50%).

In the second quarter, Eastern struggled scoring, recording only three points in the first five minutes. NAU was able to separate from the Eagles scoring 10 points to give them a 26-18 lead at the media timeout. After Eastern pulled within six of NAU at 26-20, the Lumberjacks organized an 8-0 run to build a double digit lead over the Eagles. Closing out the quarter, Eastern managed to cut into the NAU lead with a layup from Buckley and another three from Lawrence. The Eagles trailed 34-25 at halftime after shooting 25 percent in the quarter.

The Lumberjacks came out of halftime shooting at a high level, stretching the lead out to 18 with three, three-point baskets by the 7:50 mark.  Despite the deficit, Eastern began to chip away at the lead, going on a 9-0 run, with scoring from four different players. Lawrence, Buckley, Milly Knowles and Alexis Pettis contributed baskets to drive the run. The Lumberjacks would again respond, scoring the final five points of the third to bring the score to 52-38 with one quarter left to play. The Eagles were 35.7 percent from the floor in the quarter, while NAU was shooting 43.8 in the quarter.

Eastern came out energized in the fourth quarter, opening with a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 54-48 with 6:33 left in the game. A pair of layups from the Lumberjacks pushed the lead back to 10 with five minutes on the clock. NAU would continue to keep the Eagles at arms-length, building its lead to 15 with three minutes left in the game. The separation proved enough for the Lumberjacks and they went on to win 69-54.

Eastern finished shooting 32.8 percent from the floor, while Northern Arizona had a 48.3 mark. The Eagles drop to 4-14 this season and 2-7 in Big Sky games.

"We get Montana State for the first time and then start the second round of Big Sky competition with Montana on Saturday who we already played," Gleason said of the home matchups this week. "They're both great programs and well coached. Their tough and they defend well, but we will be ready. The team comes ready to practice and play. They learn the scout and they're a fun group to coach."
 
"It's everything to be at home and go home to your own bed," sophomore Jacinta Buckley said. "It's a great atmosphere when you're at home and on your own court with the band and I love it."

Top Performances
Jacinta Buckley had 17 points Monday night and fell one points short of her career high in scoring. The sophomore also added six rebounds along with her three steals.

Alexis Pettis came off the bench and scored 10 points for the Eagles, going 2-of-7(29%) from the floor and 5-of-6(83%) from the free-throw line.

Jaleesa Lawrence finished with nine points, going 3-of-5(60%) from three-point range. The true freshman grabbed six rebounds.

Key Statistics
Eastern Washington forced 20 NAU turnovers and converted them into 21 points.

The Lumberjacks had a 42 to 29 rebound advantage and a 34 to 22 scoring advantage in the paint.

The Eagles had 10 steals in the game, giving the team eight games this season with double-digit steals.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will stay at Reese Court for the next two weeks. They host Montana State on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. PT and Montana on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. Both games can be streamed live on ESPN+

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.