MOSCOW, Idaho — Braving the cold, Eastern Washington women's basketball stayed hot with their seventh-straight win on Saturday. Eastern defeated Idaho, 67-44, as the team's defense proved difficult for the Vandals to figure out. EWU improves to 3-0 in the Big Sky and 13-3 overall.
"This team is so awesome that our coaches get them ready with our scouts. Then our players buy-in with what we want to do," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "They are watching film on their own and they make sure to take notes. They do everything we ask and they transfer it to the court. Our defensive effort was key tonight. We shot poorly in the first half, but we used our defense to get some transition buckets. That opened up things for us."
Aaliyah Alexander had the hot-hand today, matching her career-high with 27 points on 11-of-16(68.8%) shooting and 3-of-3 on three-point shots.
"Aaliyah always has that mentality where she is always calm and exposes peoples' weaknesses. We had some size mismatches so we took her inside or Jamie [Loera] found her in transition for a three. She is just a tough matchup and we try to run through her. Jamie, Jaydia [Martin], Jaleesa [Lawrence] and Jacinta [Buckley] are all tough. Aaliyah is the most consistent right now, especially if we're struggling to score early in the game."
Both teams spent the first quarter slowly figuring out their offense. The score was tied at five with 3:49 left in the quarter. The Eagles picked up the pace with a 7-1 run, led by Loera with three points. Following a Vandal layup, Alexander closed the quarter with two layups of her own. Eastern doubled up Idaho for a 16-8 lead, shooting 46.7 percent.
Alexander stayed hot into the second quarter, scoring EWU's first four points and pushing the lead to 20-10 at 7:13. Scoring stayed scarce in the second, with the teams combining for 19 points. Jaleesa Lawrence connected from three, while Alexis Pettis and Jacinta Buckley each hit jumpers. The Eagles went to the half with a 27-16 lead and a 31.3 shooting percentage in the quarter.
Up by double figures, Eastern looked to pull away in the third. Leading 31-24 at the 5:41 mark, the Eagles blitzed the Vandals with an 11-0 run, as Alexander contributed nine of the points. As a team, EWU shot 50.0 percent in the quarter to outscore Idaho, 21-12. Heading to the fourth, Eastern had a 48-28 lead.
Holding the advantage, the Eagles cruised in the fourth quarter, shooting 47.1 percent. Alexander added five more points and Alexis Pettis scored four. Idaho shot 41.7 percent in the quarter, but EWU outscored them, 19-16. Eastern closed out the Vandals, 67-44 and had a 43.9 shooting percentage for the game.
Eag Notes
- With the win, Eastern Washington matched the program record for consecutive wins. There have been five previous, seven-game winning streaks, with the most recent between Dec. 31, 2015 to Jan. 23, 2016.
- Aaliyah Alexander now has four 20-point games this season and eight for her career.
- EWU controlled the boards with a 45 to 28 rebounding advantage. They outscored the Vandals in the paint, 40 to 26.
- Jamie Loera pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, her first double figure rebounding game this season. She finished with seven points, six assists and three steals.
- Eastern's bench delivered 20 points to Idaho's seven. Jacinta Buckley and Alexis Pettis both scored eight points.
- The teams were even in turnovers with 14 apiece. The Eagles had the advantage in points, scoring 16 off turnovers while Idaho had six.
- The Eagles had a season-high with five blocks, led by Buckley's two.
Up Next
Eastern Washington returns home next week to host two Big Sky games, starting with Weber State on Jan. 18 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. Eastern next takes on Idaho State on Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.
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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