Eastern Washington women's basketball traveled down to Moscow, Idaho to play Idaho on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 11). The Vandals topped the Eagles, 88-64 behind a strong shooting performance. Eastern falls to 7-6 in the Big Sky and 14-9 overall. Idaho improves to 607 in conference and 10-14 this season.

"We didn't have an answer for Beyonce [Bea] in the first half. She got too comfortable too many times in the first quarter. We did a better job against her in the second quarter and made her take tougher shots. She didn't get to the free throw line as much," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "It wasn't the way we wanted to start the game. We are still trying to figure out our new roles we have to establish. With Jacinta and Jaydia out, others have to recognize to take the open shots early when they're open."

Jaleesa Lawrence scored 21 points on 7-of-13(53.8%) shooting, including 4-of-7(57.1%) from three.

"I just try to incorporate my teammates into the game. I'm there for my team in whatever I need to do. I came into the starting role in the past few games," Lawrence said "I think today was a good learning experience. When the other team gets on a run, we need to be able to answer."

The teams battled close early in the game, with Idaho leading 7-4 at the 6:16 point in the quarter. The Vandals extended the lead to 12-4 before Alexis Pettis streaked to the hoop for a strong layup. Eastern pushed back into the game as Aaliyah Alexander found her jump shot. The lead sat at 15-8 with 3:59 left in the quarter. Jamie Loera would get the Eagles closer with a three and they went into the quarter trailing 13-15.

Eastern managed only a 29.4 percentage from the floor, whole Idaho also struggled with a 31.6 percentage.

In the second quarter, Idaho began to assert itself with a 11-2 run to take a double-digit lead. Eastern trailed 15-26 with 5:56 on the clock. Jaleesa Lawrence connected with a jumper to get the Eagles points, but the Vandals continued to find their shots as well. With 3:12 on the clock, Eastern trailed 17-33. Pettis settled into her offense, getting another jumper to go and adding a free throw. Lawrence would connect from three at the end of the quarter to bring the score to 41-28 in favor of Idaho.

Eastern notched a 24.3 shooting percentage in the quarter, with the Vandals shooting an impressive 66.7 percent.

Idaho opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run to further build its lead. Eastern would counter with a 9-0 burst to cut the lead down to 48-37 with 4:43 left in the quarter. Lawrence led the charge with seven of the team's points during the run. A minute later, a layup from Jayden McNeal would bring the lead down to 51-41. The Vandals pushed the lead out to 62-45 with 1:22 left in the quarter behind a three-pointer. Lawrence would connect from three as time expired and Eastern trailed 48-67.

The Eagles shot 41.2 percent in the quarter. Idaho continued to shoot well with a 63.6 percentage.

Loera scored Eastern's first point of the fourth quarter with a layup. Idaho then went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game. Loera would stop the run with a three, but the Vandals had broken the game open. The graduate student continued to score well, but Idaho was able to answer each score. The Vandals won the game on their home court, 88-64. Eastern shot 38.5 percent in the final quarter. Idaho registered a 53.8 percentage.

The Eagles shot 35.9 percent for the game, while Idaho was at 51.7 percent.

Key Statistics
Jaleesa Lawrence was two points off her career of 23 points that she scored earlier this season against Northern Arizona (1/19).

Aaliyah Alexander scored 12 points for her 13^th game in double figures this season. Jamie Loera scored 11 points for her 15^th game in double-digits this season.

The Eagles' bench scored 18 points to the Vandals 12.

Eastern grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and scored 10 points in those second chance opportunities.

Ella Gallatin recorded her first career block against the Vandals.  

Up Next
Eastern Washington will be on the road next weekend, playing Northern Arizona on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. The Eagles then travel to play Northern Colorado on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m.