FARMINGTON, Utah — Following the most successful season in Eastern Washington women's basketball history, the Eagles will have something to prove this season. The Big Sky Conference released it's women's basketball preseason polls today, with the media picking Eastern to finish seventh and the conference coaches' picking the team eighth. 

Eastern is the reigning Big Sky regular season and tournament champion after a conference record 29 wins last season. The Eagles went 16-2 in the Big Sky to win the regular season title. The season included a 13 and 10-game winning streak, the two longest winning streaks in program history.

Jamie Loera was named Big Sky MVP, adding Defensive MVP, All-Conference first team and All-Big Sky defensive team honors. Head coach Joddie Gleason was named Coach of the Year, bringing the program its first regular season title since 2010. Aaliyah Alexander earned All-Conference first team honors and Jaleesa Lawrence earned second team honors. 

In Boise, Eastern went in as the No. 1 seed, knocking off No. 9 Weber State (71-58) and No. 4 Montana State (56-39) to advance to the championship game. EWU faced No. 2 Northern Arizona and used a second-half rally to win the tournament title, 73-64. Loera was named tournament MVP. 

The Eagles made their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 14 seed, traveling to Corvallis, Ore. to play the No. 3 seed Oregon State. The Beavers defeated Eastern, 73-51. EWU held the lead after the first quarter, but OSU took control in the second quarter to get the win. 

With a new season ready to begin, Eastern has a revamped roster to defend its title. The team returns eight players while adding eight newcomers, including three transfers and five true freshmen. 

The returners include senior Alexis Pettis, graduate student Ellie Boni, redshirt-sophomore Bella Hays and junior guard Ella Gallatin. Pettis is the top returning scorer with 4.2 points per game, while Hays is the top returning rebounder with 2.4 rebounds per game. Redshirt-sophomore Camille Jentzsch, junior Addison Hall, redshirt-sophomore Cori Wilcox and junior Breeje Schuler also return for the Eagles.

Eastern brings in five freshmen for the '24-'25 season to add depth with power forward Jaecy Eggers, guard Valérie Cassidy-De Falco, guard Léa-line Romain, small forward Kourtney Grossman and guard Emily McElmurry.

Gleason bolstered the roster with transfers, adding guard Rachel Harvey (Cal State Northridge), guard Peyton Howard (Seattle U) and power forward Paris Kirk (Robert Morris).

Northern Arizona was selected to win the conference in both the media and coaches' poll, earning 7-of-10 first place votes in the coaches' poll and 16-of-25 in the media. The Lumberjacks' Sophie Glancey was picked as the preseason MVP. 

The 2024-25 season officially starts next month as the Eagles play Washington State on Nov. 4 in Pullman at 4 p.m.. The team's regular season home opener is on Nov. 9 against Walla Walla at 7 p.m. 

Prior to the regular season, Eastern hosts Eastern Oregon this Sunday, Oct. 26 at Reese Court for its final exhibition game. Tipoff to the game will be at 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
 

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Season tickets for women's basketball are now on sale. Reserve your seats at Reese Court for the 2024-25 seasons by clicking on the link here, emailing tickets@ewu.edu or calling the ticket office at 509-359-6059.

Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.

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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