SACRAMENTO, Calif.— As Big Sky play begins, road wins are crucial to a team's success and Eastern Washington women's basketball delivered in the first weekend of conference games. Eastern defeated Sacramento State, 60-33, turning in another lockdown defensive effort. EWU opens 2-0 in the Big Sky and is 10-3 overall this season, currently on a four-game win streak.
The Eagles held Sacramento St. to a 23.7 field goal percentage and 6.3 percent from three-point range.
Aaliyah Alexander was a force against the Hornets, finishing with a game-high 23 points, her second-straight 20-point game. Alexander also registered her second double-double of the season with a game-high 10 rebounds.
"We are extremely happy with the Big Sky road sweep and especially with our defense in both games," head coach
Joddie Gleason said. "We struggled to find rhythm on offense so it was nice to see our defense respond. Aaliyah [Alexander] was outstanding again tonight and really took over when we needed her. We have been on the road all month so it will be nice to be back at Reese Court next week. Go Eags!"
Eastern struggled at the beginning of the game as Sacramento St. jumped out to a 6-0 lead. They extended the advantage to 8-0 with 6:05 on the clock. Alexander connected from three for the Eagles' first points of the game. EWU pulled the Hornets back in the quarter and tied the score at 10 on another three from Alexander with 34 seconds left. The teams were tied after one quarter of play.
Alexander carried over her offensive outburst into the second quarter, scoring four-straight points to give Eastern the lead. The Eagles pushed their lead to 22-10 at the 5:45 point of the quarter. Sac. St. steadied the game with a 6-0 run and the lead was down to six with 1:18 remaining in the half. Alexander had the last word again, connecting with a jumper for the 24-16 halftime advantage for EWU.
Opening the second half, Jaydia Martin stepped up her aggressiveness with two driving layups and three free throws to extend Eastern's lead. The Eagles posted a 50.0 percent shooting mark in the quarter and outscored the Hornets, 21-11. EWU's defense kept Sac. St. in check with a 31.3 shooting percentage and led 45-27 after three.
With a double-digit lead, Eastern maintained its effort level and continued to pull away from the Hornets in the fourth quarter. Jaleesa Lawrence dropped five points in the quarter and Martin added four. The Eagles had a 33.3 shooting percentage in the quarter. EWU stifled Sac. St.'s shooters, allowing only a 14.3 shooting mark. Eastern cruised to the 60-33 win with a 15 to six scoring advantage in the fourth.
Eag Notes
- Eastern matched its season-low in points allowed to opponents, previously allowing 33 to Walla Walla(12/9)
- Aaliyah Alexander now has three, 20-point games this season and seven overall for her career. She was 9-of-15(60.0%) from the floor and 3-of-6(50.0%) on three-point shots today.
- The Eagles forced 17 turnovers from the Hornets and scored 18 points off the mistakes.
- Jaydia Martin scored 13 points on 4-of-10(40.0%) shooting. It was Martin's fourth double-digit scoring game of the season.
- EWU's bench outscored Sac. St.'s, 15 to zero.
- Jamie Loera led the team with five assists.
Up Next
Eastern Washington will be back at home to start the new year, playing host to Omaha on Jan. 3 in the first Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The game tips at 6 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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