CHENEY, Wash. — Following a road trip, the nets at Reese Court were looking good for Eastern Washington women's basketball. Eastern defeated CSU Bakersfield, 67-58, on Wednesday night, snapping a four-game losing streak. EWU improves to 2-5 this season and CSU Bakersfield falls to 0-6.
After a high-scoring, closely fought first quarter, the Eagles used a 10-2 run in the second to build a double-digit lead at the half. The teams went back-and-forth in the second half, but Eastern stayed ahead with timely scoring.
"We knew that this was a tough game after a long road trip, with little rest. We wanted to make sure that we defended with urgency and rebounded and we did that pretty well for the most part. Holding [CSUB] to single digits in the second quarter won us the game," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We've had several games where we don't get to the free throw line until the third or fourth quarter and that's something we have been trying to do. We want to get the ball inside to our post players or attack the basket off the bounce. When you get offensive rebounds like we did tonight, those can turn into free throws."
EWU lived through second-chance opportunities, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds in the game. The team then scored 19 points off of those opportunities.
Peyton Howard delivered another 20-point game, scoring 21 on 7-of-18(38.9%) shooting and 3-of-9(33.3%) from three-point range. Kourtney Grossman set a new career-high with 12 points off the bench and Ellie Boni added 11.
"I was trying to go in with confidence and leave the game better than I found it. When I get the ball, I try to step in confidently and envision it going in," Grossman explained. "I'm taking it one game at a time and learning from my older teammates. I want to learn in the moment and get hyped for my teammates when we're successful, while staying grateful for the opportunities. We're taking our one-on-one defense personally and not letting opponents get to the rim. We want to make sure we have help-side defense and leave our teammates on an island. Ultimately, every possession is a team effort; we're all out there for the same goal."
"We need our freshmen to play quality minutes and we have been getting them as prepared as we can in a short amount of time," Gleason added. "They keep getting better every game as they gain more confidence and continue to better understand our offense and defensive schemes. Playing at this level, it's so much faster then what they're used to at high school ranks. They're doing a great job and we need them moving forward."
CSUB was up early to start, leading 13-6 three minutes into the game. Peyton Howard scored four-straight points and Alexis Pettis drained a three to tie the game with 5:15 on the clock. EWU took the lead on a three from Ellie Boni on their next possession. With the Eagles up four, the Roadrunners scored five-straight to get back on top. Four made three throws from Eastern to close the quarter and ended the back-and-forth opening period. EWU shot 31.8 percent in the first and led 22-21.
Now in the second quarter, both teams struggled to find the basket. CSUB scored first at 7:57, but Bella Hays responded quickly with a layup. Leading 26-24, Eastern put together a 10-2 run over a five-minute stretch to separate from the Roadrunners. Kourtney Grossman hit two three during the stretch to power the scoring. EWU led 36-26 at halftime after shooting 31.6 in the quarter.
The Eagles continued their scoring ability in the third quarter, getting to the free throw line nine times and making seven of their attempts. CSUB scored 17 points in the quarter behind 43.8 shooting. Eastern managed to outscore the Roadrunners by one in the third and maintained their double digit lead, 54-43.
CSUB cut the lead down to single digits early in the fourth quarter. Eastern stayed aggressive and continued to get the free throw line and convert their opportunities. Howard and Boni each scored four points in the quarter to keep the Eagle lead. Despite being out-scored in the fourth, Eastern held the lead and won the game, 67-58.
EWU shot 28.2 percent for the game, but was 78.3 percent from the free throw line (18-of-23). The Roadrunners shot 35.8 percent for the game.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington posted a season-best 53 rebounds in the game, while CSU Bakersfield finished with 37. Ella Gallatin recorded a career-best 11 rebounds, with 6 on the offensive end.
- Peyton Howard recorded her third 20-point game of the season. She also led the team with five assists.
- Eastern recorded 7 blocks in the game, getting 2 from Howard and Jaecy Eggers each.
- EWU's bench outscored the Roadrunners' bench, 32 to 16.
- The Eagles also had a season-best 11 steals, with Gallatin leading the team with 3. Howard, Ellie Boni and Alexis Pettis each had 2 apiece.
- CSUB's Ary Dizon recorded 7 blocks in the game and the team finished with 8 total.
Up Next
Eastern Washington is off until next Wednesday (Dec. 4) when they travel for the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. Eastern will play South Dakota State in Brookings, S.D. at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
