The season began with style for Eastern Washington women's basketball, as they defeated Corban University, 86-47 on Monday night (Nov. 7). The Eagles had a balanced offensive attack, shooting well from three-point range, while also driving into the paint for more high percentage shots.  Eastern defense was disruptive and kept the Warriors from establishing any rhythm. 

"The stats that stood out to me were the 21 assists and points off turnovers. I thought we did a nice job at the defensive end in harassing them and forcing 26 turnovers. We were able to convert at the other end and that was huge for us. We really try to score from every level. We have some mismatches at the guard position. We look for them to get to the rim or post up inside. They execute those actions well for us tonight. We have a lot of weapons at the three-point line. They did a nice job of finding teammates when they drew two on defense."

Aaliyah Alexander made her first start appearance since spring of 2021 and scored 15 points on 6-of-12(50%) shooting.

"It was a big win, and we were sharing the ball so, everyone was scoring," Alexander said. "We had some really good defensive plays. It was really good basketball. Last year, sitting out, I was able to learn a lot of different skills in shooting and ball handling. It was just exciting to be back with the team. We have a lot of talented players. Being able to come in and create, while set up people is important. We have a lot of different options that can score."

Eastern set the tone early in the first quarter, as Jaydia Martin picked up where she left off last season, scoring four early points. Aaliyah Alexander returned to the court and drained a fast break three-pointer to give the Eagles a 9-2 lead. The Warriors would stay close, pulling the score back to 11-8 with their own three-pointer. With a one-possession lead, Eastern turned on the afterburners and closed the quarter on a 15-0 run. The run was ignited by eight points from Jamie Loera, who hit two three-pointers. Eastern led 26-8 after the first 10 minutes with 10-of-20(50%) shots and 4-of-8(50%) from three-point range.

Corban made adjustments at the break, coming out with a 10-0 run to cut the lead back to single digits. Jacinta Buckley broke the run with an easy layup and Jaleesa Lawrence would connect with a jumper rebuild the lead to 12 points. After trading baskets, Eastern put the ball into the paint and began to pull away from the Warriors. Buckley and Alexander would find space and continue to assert the Eagles' control in the paint. Eastern extend its lead to 47-23 at halftime with 9-of-19(47.4%) shooting.

The Eastern hot shooting continued in the third as the team compiled an 8-for-15(52.3%) effort from the floor. Alexander continued to score from inside and outside, while Martin found her stroke from beyond the arc in the third. Eastern's freshmen entered the game and scored their first points in the red and white. Ella Gallatin and Camille Jentzsch would both record their first points in the quarter. Eastern led 69-34 after three quarters.

Eastern cooled off in the fourth quarter but had a sizable lead over the Warriors. Jayden McNeal entered the game and recorded her first points as an Eagle with two free throws. Gallatin scored five more points, including her first career three-pointer to finish with seven points on the night. The Eagles were 5-of-14(35.7%) from the field in the fourth, but outscored Corban 17-13.

Eastern Washington won the game 86-47 over Corban University. In the game, Eastern shot 47.1 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three-point range. Corban finished with a 41.9 shooting night and 28.6 percent from three. Eastern is 1-0 on the season, while Corban falls to 0-2. 

Key Statistics
Eastern Washington led wire-to-wire in the game, with no ties. The margin of victory (39) was the largest lead of the game for the Eagles.

Eastern had 20 steals in the game which ties for third most in single game in program history. The team created 26 turnovers, while only committing seven of its own.

Jaydia Martin scored 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 3-of-6 from three-point range. It was her 27^th career game scoring in double figures. She added five steals in the game as well to set a new career high.

Aaliyah Alexander was 3-of-6 from three-point range and matched her career high with four steals.

Jamie Loera finished with 10 points on 4-of-6(66.7%) shooting and 2-of-3(66.7%) from three-point range. She tied for the team lead with six rebounds.

The Eagles finished 12-of-15 at the free throw line. Martin was a perfect 5-of-5 from the line.

Eastern had a 35-26 advantage in rebounding, while outscoring the Corban in the paint, 40-14.

Breeje Schuler scored her first point of her career on a free throw in the fourth quarter.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will be back in Boise, Idaho on Friday, Nov. 11 to play Boise State at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time.