Eastern Washington women's basketball was back in action at Reese Court on Saturday afternoon, hosting Idaho. The Eagles fell to the Vandals, 63-42, and their record on the season now sits at 2-10 and 0-3 in conference play.

"We have to find a way to score a little bit more," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "I thought we had pretty good looks that did not fall. Credit to Idaho; they came in prepared and were tougher then us for 40 minutes. I think Jacinta [Buckley] does a great job inside. She battles and we need more people getting those [offensive] boards. The game was really physical tonight and that physicality took us out of our game, preventing us from getting good looks and finishing inside. We are slowly trickling back in and trying to get our legs under us, but we are not making any excuses."

"I really just kept going [inside] and my teammates rallied behind me," Sophomore Jacinta Buckley said. "They encouraged me to keep going at it and keep going tough. That's what I was trying to do. It has been really nice to back to be girls. It was a tough loss today, but there is nothing we love more than playing the game we love, with the people we love, for the people we love."

The game was back-and-fourth in the first quarter, as both teams worked to get their offense going. Eastern found its three-point shot early, getting triples from Jacinta Buckley and Jaleesa Lawrence. After the Eagles lead 8-6, Idaho went on a 12-1 run over a two-minute stretch to jump in front 18-9. Jaydia Martin hit a three near the end of the quarter to pull Eastern to 18-12 at the break.

In the second, Idaho continued to hold its advantage over Eastern mid-way through the quarter. Alexis Pettis knocked down a three, while Buckley and Milly Knowles went to work in the paint, adding a basket each. Idaho built a 31-20 lead with 3:16 left in the half after the Vandals' Tiana Johnson connected with a three-pointer. Despite the deficit, the Eagles stayed poised and ended the half on a 6-0 run. The run was fueled by jumpers from Pettis, Buckley and Knowles. Going to half, Eastern trailed Idaho, 31-26.

The Vandals responded in the third quarter, going on their own 6-0 run to rebuild their 11-point lead. Both teams struggled from the floor in the third, with an almost three minute stretch of the quarter with no points from either side. The two teams combined to shoot 5-of-37 from the floor. Eastern trailed Idaho, 41-29, heading to the final quarter.

Buckley started the fourth quarter for Eastern with a three, followed by a pair of layups by Martin and Lawrence to keep the game close. Idaho used a 9-0 run to separate from the Eagles and build a 20-point lead at 56-36 with 4:16 left in the game. Idaho went on to win 63-42 over Eastern.

For the game, the Eagles finished with a 23.5-shooting percentage and 25-percent from three. Idaho had a 37.5-percent mark from the floor and 36.7-percent from behind the arc.

Top Performances
Jacinta Buckley led Eastern with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting(33%). Buckley also matched her career high with 12 rebounds, including five offensive.

Jaydia Martin continued her streak of double-digit scoring games, adding 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting(36%). Martin has now scored in double-digits in her first 12 games as an Eagle.

Milly Knowles recorded a career high with five assists against the Vandals.

Jaleesa Lawrence earned a new career mark, with eight rebounds, three coming off the offensive glass.

Bria Rice continues to improve in the paint, setting a career high with six rebounds.

Key Statistics
Eastern had a slight advantage in rebound margin(48-47), but did pull down 14 offensive boards. The Eagles scored nine points off these second chance opportunities.

Idaho scored 23 points off of 17 Eastern turnovers. The Vandals also had 27 points from their bench against five for the Eagles.

The teams combined to commit only 20 fouls for the entire game.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will get an extended home stand as they host three games over the next 10 days. The Eagles begin with Idaho State on Jan. 13 at 6 p.m., then Weber State on Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. They finish the home stand with Portland State on Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. All games 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.