Eastern Washington women's basketball battled tough in Flagstaff, but fell short against Northern Arizona, 81-67. After being tied at halftime, NAU was able to control the game in the second half and outscore the Eagles, 38-24.

"This game was decided on the glass where NAU was more aggressive and showed their toughness and desire to get the win," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We gave up 18 [offensive] rebounds which resulted in 24 second chance points. They were corralling almost 50% of their misses, which cost us the game."

Eastern started the game with scoring from everywhere as five different Eagles scored in the first four minutes for an 11-6 lead. NAU pulled within one at 11-10 before a three-point shot from Jordyn Boesel kept the two-possession advantage. The Lumberjacks kept scoring and staying close to Eastern. After one quarter, the Eagles were up, 21-19 after shooting 50 percent from the floor. The Lumberjacks were right there with 50 percent shooting as well in the quarter.

The offensive rhythm continued for the Eagles in the second quarter, as the team continued to score from inside and outside. Jaleesa Lawrence scored five points for Eastern to showcase the rhythm. NAU kept up with their own offense, scoring efficiently and pulling the score to 35-33 at the 5:01 mark. The Lumberjacks would then tie the game at 35 as part of a 7-0 run with 3:56 left in the half. The run extended to 11-0 and NAU had its first lead of the game. Jacinta Buckley stopped the bleeding with a layup and Jaydia Martin would tie the game with a three-pointer. A pair of free throws would give Eastern the lead back, but the Lumberjacks responded with two of their own and the teams went to halftime tied at 43. The Eagles improved their shooting to 57.1 percent, while NAU fired off a 40-percent mark.

Starting in the third, the game remained tight, with neither team being able to separate on the scoreboard. Martin put in another layup and Lawrence connected with another three to build a four-point lead. NAU would tie and then take the lead with a 6-0 run. Boesel drained her third, three-pointer of the night to pull Eastern within one at the media timeout. NAU responded with four points, before Buckley countered with three of her own. At the end of the quarter, NAU had a 60-56 lead after shooting 42.1 percent in the third. The Eagles were held down to a 21.1 shooting percentage to trail going to the final frame.

The Lumberjacks started the fourth with eight straight points for an abridged 10-0 run and a double-digit lead. Martin would hit a three-pointer to give Eastern their first points of the quarter with 4:47 left in the game. The Eagles found a rhythm on offense after Martin's three but were matched every score by NAU. Martin scored 7 of her 16 points in the fourth, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. Northern Arizona went on to win the game, 81-67.

Eastern Washington's record fell to 8-20 overall and 6-13 in Big Sky games, while the Lumberjacks improved to 14-13 and 11-8 in conference. Eastern shot 38.1 percent for the game and NAU finished with a 43.1 percentage.

"We need to have a short memory and be focused for a Portland State team who is playing very well right now and is better than their record indicates," added Gleason.

Top Performances
Jaydia Martin scored 16 points on 6-of-14(42.9%) shooting and 2-of-5(40%) from three-point range. Martin now has 25 double-digit scoring games this season. The true freshman added four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the game.

Jacinta Buckley also scored 16 points on 5-of-14(35.7%) shooting and was 5-of-6(83.3%) from the free-throw line. Buckley added six rebounds and two assists in the game. It was the sophomore's 18^th double-digit scoring game.

Jaleesa Lawrence scored 13 points on 5-of-10(50%) shooting and was 3-of-4(75%) from three. Lawrence now has nine games scoring in double figures.

Jordyn Boesel was 3-of-8(37.5%) from three-point range to account for her nine points in the game.

Milly Knowles led Eastern with seven rebounds, adding a block and four points.

Key Statistics
Despite being out-rebounded, Eastern was only outscored in the paint 28-26. NAU had a 24-8 second chance point advantage.

Three Eagles had three steals in the game, with Martin, Lawrence and Andie Zylak all tying for the game high.

Eastern was 9-of-21(42.9%) from three-point range, with Lawrence and Boesel each making three.

The game had seven lead changes and five ties. The Eagles led for 19:16 minutes in the game.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will play its final regular season game on Friday, taking on Portland State, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific Time.