LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The opening game of the Vegas Holiday Hoops tournament was never in doubt, as Eastern Washington women's basketball defeated Presbyterian, 92-51. EWU led by double-digits after the first quarter and never looked back. Eastern improves to 7-3 on the season with Big Sky games set to begin next week.
Eastern had three players score in double figures and five additional players scored at least eight points. Aaliyah Alexander scored a game-high 12 points, while Milly Knowles and Jamie Loera each scored 10.
"I'm really proud of the way our team prepared for this game. We wanted to focus on being aggressive and defending with urgency to create offense from defense. We did that to start the game and really pounced on them to create a big lead." head coach
Joddie Gleason explained. "Presbyterian tries to mix things up defensively and our players did an excellent job of attacking it, making the extra pass and finding teammates for open shots. We talk a lot about passing up a good shot for a great shot and that unselfish play really payed off today. We look forward to playing a tough Wyoming team tomorrow in the second day of the Holiday Hoops Classic. It should be a great matchup, Go Eags!"
Early on in the game, Eastern was in control, building out an 18-5 lead after nearly five minutes of game time. Jacinta Buckley scored six points and Alexander had five during the run. EWU was able to score from the outside and limit the Blue Hose scoring. After the first 10 minutes, the Eagles led 26-11 behind 57.9 percent shooting, while Presbyterian was shooting 35.7 percent.
Eastern continued to extend its lead into the second quarter, opening with a 12-2 run. Off the bench, Jaydia Martin scored five points to build the EWU advantage. The Eagles outscored Presbyterian 28-14 in the quarter and led 54-25 at halftime.
In the third quarter, EWU was in cruising mode and continued to pad their lead. The lead grew to as much as 34 at the 7:20 mark on a Buckley three. Loera went 2-of-3(66.7%) from three point range in the quarter and Alexander added in five more points to carry the offense. Eastern led 77-44 after three.
With control of the game, the Eagles pushed their lead to 40 points in the fourth quarter, going up by 43 at one point. Gabrielle Jung led the team in the fourth, scoring seven points on 3-of-5(60.0%). EWU shot 46.2 percent in the final quarter to close out Presbyterian, 92-51.
Eag Notes
- Eastern scored a season-high in points and had a season-high field goal percentage (54.5%). EWU scored 90 points for the first time since Jan. 23 of this year against Northern Arizona in a 96-89 overtime win. The last time the team scored 90 points in regulation was Nov. 20, 2022 against Evergreen State (90-44).
- The Eagles scored 50 points in half for the first time since Dec. 12, 2022 against Montana State when they had 56.
- EWU had a 45 to 25 rebounding advantage. They scored 34 points in the paint to the Blue Hose's 20.
- Ellie Boni made her debut for Eastern, playing 17 minutes and scoring eight points with four rebounds.
- The Eagles bench scored 43 points, with Jaydia Martin scoring nine.
- Eastern had 23 assists on 36 made field goals. It was the third game this season the Eagles have recorded 20 or more assists. Jamie Loera led the team with five assists giving her five games with five or more assists this season.
- EWU matched its season-low with eight turnovers, while forcing 13 from Presbyterian.
Up Next
Eastern Washington finishes the Vegas Holiday Hoops tournament tomorrow afternoon against Wyoming, with tipoff at 12 p.m. Pacific Time.
Season tickets for EWU men's and women's basketball are now available and start as low as $100! Tickets for basketball and all EWU Athletics events are available at goeags.com/tickets or via the EWU Athletics Ticket Office at 509-359-6059.
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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