LOGAN, Utah — After a slow start to the game, Eastern Washington women's basketball turned up the energy and picked up their second consecutive road win. The Eagles defeated Utah State, 75-39, on Friday evening.
Aaliyah Alexander led the team in scoring for the second-straight game with 18 points on 7-of-12(58.3%) shooting. Jacinta Buckley delivered 15 points on 6-of-9(66.7%) shooting.
"We really showed our depth tonight. We had a bunch of players out with illness and injuries today. This group showed resilience and toughness by defending and rebounding for 40 minutes. Holding them under 40 was huge," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "What a weekend for Aaliyah [Alexander] and Jamie [Loera]; they carry us every single day. When we were struggling to score in the first half, Ella Gallatin really gave us a spark off the bench by hitting shots and rebounding like crazy. Jacinta [Buckley] was such a matchup problem on offense and defended their one through five for us. We are thrilled to be 2-0 this opening weekend, especially starting on the road. We're looking forward to being back at Reese next week, Go Eags!"
The teams were evenly matched in the first quarter, with neither building more than a three-point lead. Jamie Loera and Buckley each connected with a three-pointer in the quarter. After the first 10 minutes, the score was tied at 10, with Eastern shooting 26.7 percent. Utah St. shot 36.4 percent in the first.
EWU's shooting heated up in the second quarter, as the team went 6-of-9(66.6%) from three-point range. A 10-1 run from the Eagles put them up 22-14 at the 6:23 point of the quarter. After the Aggies cut the lead down to 25-22, Eastern went on an 8-0 run, getting threes from Buckley and Ella Gallatin. At halftime, EWU had a 36-23 advantage over Utah St. after shooting 52.6 percent overall, while the Aggies shot 50.0 percent in the quarter.
Now into the third quarter, Eastern continued to build its lead, extending it out to 20 points at the 5:30 mark. Buckley and Alexander each scored a pair of baskets out of halftime. The Eagles shot 43.8 percent in the quarter, while the Aggies were 33.3 percent from the floor. EWU led 50-32 after the third, holding Utah State to nine points in the quarter.
The Eagles did not take their foot off the gas in the fourth, outsourcing the Aggies 25 to seven. Alexander had her best quarter with eight points. Eastern's closing effort was also aided by Breeje Schuler, who scored five points off the bench in the fourth. EWU continued to build its advantage and won the game 75-39.
Eastern shot 47.6 percent from the floor in the game, while Utah St. had a 31.1 stat line.
Eag Notes
- Eastern forced 24 turnovers from the Aggies, registering 10 steals. Jaleesa Lawrence had a game-high, three steals. The turnovers led to 30 points for the Eagles. Utah St. forced eight turnovers, but scored only a point off of them.
- EWU finished 10-of-24(41.7%) from behind the arc. The total marked the first time Eastern had 10 made three-pointers since they connected for 10 against Montana State last season (12/31/22).
- The Eagles recorded 22 assists on 30 made field goals in the game. Jamie Loera posted a career-high 12 assists, surpassing her previous best of 10.
- Ella Gallatin scored in double figures for the first time in her career, scoring 10 points on 4-of-8(50.0%) shooting, including 2-of-5(40.0%) from three.
- EWU won the rebounding battle, 35 to 31. Milly Knowles, Jacinta Buckley and Loera all tied for the team lead with five apiece.
- All nine of Eastern's players that recorded minutes scored points and had a rebound against Utah St.. It was the first time since Feb. 25, earlier this year, against Idaho State that all players with playing time scored.
Up Next
Eastern Washington will play its home opener against Corban University on Thursday, Nov. 16. Tip-off from Reese Court will be at 6 p.m.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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