Road trips always go better when they start off with a win, as Eastern Washington women's basketball defeated Seattle U, 66-60 on Tuesday night (Dec. 13). It was Eastern's leading scorer, Jaydia Martin, who powered the win, as the sophomore scored a game-high 23 points. Martin was 7-of-13(53.8%) on field goal attempts and 5-of-9(55.6%) on three-point shots.

The Eagles improve to 6-2 on the season, while Seattle falls to 0-9.

"I'm proud of the way we pulled out this road win. Jaydia [Martin] was a huge presence at the offensive end," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We got stops and made free throws down the stretch when we needed to. Our players had a bunch of friends and family in Seattle supporting them, which we appreciate so much. I was so glad they were able to get the win for them!"

Seattle opened with a quick 4-2 lead, but Jacinta Buckley would tie the game with a basket in the paint. Jamie Loera would give the Eagles its first lead at 5:15 left in the quarter. Alexis Pettis returned to the Eastern's lineup and scored four points to build a 10-6 lead with 2:05 on the clock. Milly Knowles would work in the paint and get her layup to go to add to the lead. The Redhawks would score a late layup and Eastern had a 13-10 lead after the first quarter.

The Eagles shot 33.3 percent in the opening quarter but were 3-of-4(75%) from three. Seattle shot 31.3 percent and did not make a three.

Eastern began to expand its lead in the second quarter, pushing it out to a 23-13 advantage at the 5:47 mark. The Eagles got points from Loera, Knowles, Ella Gallatin and Martin during the stretch. After the Redhawks cut the lead down to seven, Martin knocked down another three to get the lead back to double digits. Seattle was able to answer Martin's offense and the Eagles went into halftime with a 27-20 lead.

In the second quarter, Eastern shot 44.4 percent and the Redhawks posted a 35.7 percentage.

Starting the third quarter, the Eagles again pushed the lead to double digits behind free throw shooting and a Martin three-pointer. Eastern was up 51-28 with 5:36 on the clock in the third behind a short jumper from Aaliyah Alexander. The Eagles would lead by as many as 15 in the quarter, but Seattle again closed the quarter strong.

At the end of the third, Eastern led 49-38 and they shot a scorching, 62.5 percent. The Redhawks shot 37.5 percent in the quarter.

Moving to the fourth quarter, the Eagles scoring was still going strong, with Loera and Knowles picking up the effort on the offensive end. Seattle's offense was poised to make a comeback trailing, 46-58. The Redhawks launched a 10-0 run to reduce the Eastern advantage to a single possession. Alexander ended the run with a steal and a layup in fast break. Buckley came up clutch in the final minute, making four free throws to keep the lead for the Eagles. They won the game 66-60, despite shooting only 27.8 percent in the final quarter. Seattle's rally was due in part to a 69.2 shooting percentage in the fourth.

Eastern Washington finished with a 36.4 shooting percentage for the game, while the Redhawks had a 44.4 percent mark.

Key Statistics
Jaydia Martin notched her seventh career 20-point game and first this season. She also had her fourth career game with five or more made three-pointers.

Jamie Loera scored 11 points in the game and had six rebounds, along with a pair of assists.

Eastern recorded 15 steals in the game, led by Jacinta Buckley's four. Loera had three and Milly Knowles and Aaliyah Alexander each had two.

Buckley led the team with nine rebounds and Eastern had the advantage on the boards, 39 to 31.

The Eagles generated 17 points off of 24 Redhawk turnovers.

Eastern had a season-high, five blocks, led by Buckley who recorded two.

The game was also Eastern most productive of the season at the free throw line, with season-bests in attempts (30) and made shots (20).

Up Next
Eastern Washington will have one day off before returning to the court to play Oregon on Thursday, Dec. 15. Eastern will play the Ducks in Eugene, Ore. at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.