PULLMAN, Wash. — An opening night overtime thriller is not what most would have predicted from the Eastern Washington-Washington State matchup, but the game showcased two teams in midseason form. WSU emerged with the win over EWU, 83-82, that needed extra time to decide the outcome.
"What we know in our gym, that maybe others don't know, is that we are a good team. What a great women's basketball game, especially this early in the year. I love that our kids answered every time Washington St. threw something at us. They did a great job," head coach Joddie Gleason described. "We were a little careless with the ball. I think that we didn't anticipate stepping up and increasing their defensive intensity. We need to make sure we address that. The whole game is going to be a battle, especially against a young team that is going to try and crank things out defensively."
Eastern jumped ahead of Washington St. in the first half and built a 38-26 lead at halftime. After Eastern led by as much as 15 in the third quarter, the Cougars were on the comeback trail, taking the lead late in the fourth at 75-73. Peyton Howard drove into the paint and tied the game up to force overtime.
Howard scored a game-high 25 points, shooting 9-of-17(52.9%) from the floor.
In overtime, Ella Gallatin hit a three with 20 seconds remaining to put the Eagles up two. The Cougars' Astera Tuhina answered with her own three for a one-point WSU lead and four seconds on the clock. Eastern could not get a shot up at the buzzer and the Cougars won their home opener.
EWU suffered from turnovers, committing 19 in the game that led to 24 points from WSU.
The Eagles had a sizable rebounding advantage, 52 to 37, including 15 on the offensive end.
"We felt we had some really good looks that we missed and missed too many free throws," Gleason explained. "I think that we are going to run action through Peyton [Howard] or through our attackers down the stretch. Peyton had a great game and we don't want to base the outcome of the game on her. She kept us in the game with different reads and opportunities."
Quarter Breakdown
Eastern opened the game shooting 35 percent from the floor. Ellie Boni and Peyton Howard each scored five points in the first quarter, with Boni grabbing four rebounds. After one, EWU had a slim 17-16 lead against WSU. The Cougars shot 40 percent in the quarter.
Now in the second quarter, the Eagles continued to run an effective offense, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range. Alexis Pettis scored five points in the quarter and EWU expanded its lead to 38-26, closing the half on a 7-0 run. The defense held WSU to 25 percent shooting.
In the third quarter, the Cougars cut down the Eastern lead. WSU used a 13-0 run to take the first lead late in the quarter. Breeje Schuler managed to find space and knock down a three in the closing seconds to reclaim the lead for EWU. The Eagles had a 52-51 advantage headed to the fourth after shooting 40 percent.
The teams went back-and-forth in the fourth quarter, with neither building any separation. The teams tied five times down the stretch of the game. After WSU tied the game at 70 with 2:31 on the clock, Howard scored on a layup for a slim lead. Eastern had a three-point lead with a little over a minute, but the Cougars cut it down with two free throws. WSU then connected from three with four seconds left for a 75-73 advantage. Following the trend of the quarter, it was Howard with the answer, driving into the paint and tying the game at 75. The teams headed to overtime after Howard scored 12 points in the quarter.
Eastern had the early lead on a jumper from Ella Gallatin 20 seconds into the period. There would be no scoring again until the 2:12 mark, as WSU converted a pair of free throws to tie the game. Howard converted two of her own to take the lead again. The lead was short-lived as the Cougars tied it up again on a layup. A 1-out-of-2 free throw trip for WSU gave them a one-point lead at the one minute mark. Gallatin came up clutch again, hitting a long three for a 82-80 lead and 20 seconds remaining in the game. The Cougars' Tuhina found space on the next possession and nailed a three for a 83-82 WSU lead. Their defense tightened up and prevented the Eagles from attempting a game-winning shot.
For the game, Eastern shot 45.1 percent and Wash recorded a 38.0 mark.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington shot well from three, going 10-of-16(62.5%). Peyton Hward was 4-of-6(66.7%) from behind the arc.
- Paris Kirk led all players with 13 rebounds in her Eagle debut, getting four offensive.
- Ella Gallatin scored a career-best 11 points on 4-of-10(40%) shooting.
- Jaecy Eggers put up 11 points and seven rebounds in her first game for EWU.
- Despite the rebounding advantage, EWU only outscored WSU 36-32 in the paint. Eastern's 15 offensive rebounds did lead to a 18-to-7 edge in second-chance scoring.
- Washington St. bench outscored the Eagles, 23-20.
- The Cougars had eight blocks to Eastern's one in the game.
- EWU struggled at the free throw line, going 8-of-19(42.1%).
Up Next
Eastern hosts Walla Walla for its home opener on Saturday (Nov. 9) with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
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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