Eastern Washington women's basketball returned to the court for the first time in more than two weeks to battle Montana on Thursday night. The Grizzlies managed to top the Eagles, 68-50, despite a strong second half effort. EWU falls to 2-9 on the season and 0-2 in Big Sky play.

"We obviously struggled offensively in the first quarter to find our rhythm and finish shots after the longer layoff," associate head coach, Skip Gleason said. "Once we settled in and got our legs under us, I think we did a better job attacking the basket, running our action and finishing shots. Milly Knowles had a nice second half and we did a good job getting the ball inside to her and letting her go to work. We are happy with the improvement shown in each quarter and look forward to returning home for a few games with this first one under our belt."

EWU kept the game close, through the first quarter, keeping Montana's offense in check and only trailed 4-6 at the 4:06 mark. The Grizzlies then went on a 16-0 run over to close out the quarter and held a 22-4 advantage over the Eagles. Shooting was a struggle for EWU,  as they were held to a 1-of-15 shooting (6.7%), while Montana shot 8-of-16 (50%) from the floor.

Out of the gate in the second quarter, the Eagles scored four quick points on a pair of Jaydia Martin free-throws and a Jaleesa Lawrence layup. The defense for EWU was lock-down, holding the Grizzlies scoreless for the first six minutes of the second. Montana ended the half strong, going on a 9-4 run and bult a 33-12 lead over the Eagles.  

EWU's offense turned it around in the third quarte, scoring 16 points on 6-of-17 (35.3)  shooting. Martin found her shot in the third, scoring nine points, including her first three of the game. The Grizzlies had a strong quarter as well, putting up 20 points in the quarter on 5-of-14 (35.7)  shooting and extended their lead to 53-28.

The Eagles saved their best quarter for last, as the offense hummed to 9-of-18 shooting (50%) and 2-of-6 (75%) from three-point range. Martin poured in another 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting (44%) and was helped by Jacinta Buckley and Milly Knowles, who both scored six points in the quarter. EWU cut the lead down to 16 points with 4:42 left to play in the game, by way of a 13-6 run. The deficit was too much for the Eagles and Montana held on to win the game, 68-50.

EWU finished with a 42.0 shooting percentage in the second half, improving from 14.3 percent in the first half. Montana had a 35.7 percentage for the game.
 
Top Performances
True freshman Jaydia Martin recorded her first career double-double in game, scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Martin's 11 rebounds were a new career high for her and has now opened her career at EWU with 11 straight double-digit scoring games.

Jacinta Buckley recorded her fourth double-digit scoring game of the season with 15 points, tying her second-best total for the season. She was 5-of-10 from the floor.

Milly Knowles set a new career high with three blocks and added six points and five rebounds.

Bria Rice matched her career high with five rebounds against the Grizzlies.
 
Key Statistics
Montana was 9-of-19 (47%) from three-point range, while keeping EWU to 3-of-23 (13%) from beyond the arc.

EWU had a 24-20 advantage in the paint and the teams matched each other with 11 offensive rebounds. Montana had the edge in total rebounds, with a 46-41 margin.

The Eagles were 9-of-12 (75%) from the line, while the Grizzlies went 9-of-19 (68%).

Up Next
Eastern Washington will return to Reese Court and host Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed 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.
 
Tickets are available at GoEags.com/tickets.