CHENEY, Wash. — Returning to Reese Court is just what Eastern Washington women's basketball needed as they approach the end of its non-conference schedule. Eastern had a commanding 98-45 win over Warner Pacific. The Eagles improved to 3-8 on the season, snapping their three-game losing streak.
The game was close for the first five minutes, but the Eagles used a 12-0 run in the first quarter to separate from the Knights.
"We had goals of really winning the assist battle. We wanted to make sure that there was a focus for us to move the ball," head coach Joddie Gleason explained. "The goal was to get inside-outside looks, then setting up teammates in transition or the half court. That was consistent and the 28 assists demonstrated that. We wanted to set up our teammates. When you create your own shots, those are tougher to make. We're continually working on setting others up because those are easier to make. That has always been a focus for us this season."
EWU recorded 28 assists in the game - a season-best - and the total tied for the fourth-most in program history for a single game. The Eagles also dominated inside with 55 rebounds and 52 points in the paint.
Rachel Harvey led the team with seven assists, matching her career-best. She tallied 15 points on 6-of-7(85.7%) for a new career-best scoring mark as well. Emily McElmurry also scored a new career-best with 16 points on 7-of-10(70%) shooting; her first collegiate game in double figures. In total, six Eagles scored in double figures against Warner Pacific.
"I was honestly just trying to get back in the motion of the game after being out. I needed to get my swagger and confidence back. I think this game was a great game to accomplish that," Harvey described. "As a point guard, I love creating assists and being aggressive on defense. Those are the two elements I pride myself on. It was great today to find open teammates to get assists and add a few steals. This past week was big to feel back in motion and good on the court."
Eastern opened the game looking to make a statement and quickly built a 10-3 advantage with four points inside from Bella Hays. The Eagles continued to score well, pushing the lead out to double digits at 16-5 and 4:30 on the clock. The stretch was part of a 12-0 run by Eastern to close the quarter. EWU led 22-5 at the break following a 37.5 shooting percentage from the floor.
The Eagles continued rolling in the second quarter, shooting an impressive 52.2 percent. They were 4-of-9(44.4%) from three-point range as well. Kourtney Grossman scored 9 points in the quarter and Emily McElmurry added eight points. At the half, EWU had blown the game open with a 52-20 advantage.
Out of the half, Eastern did not let up, shooting 45.0 percent and scoring 20 points. EWU held Warner Pacific to 26.7 percent shooting in the quarter. Peyton Howard scored five points to lead the team, while Jaecy Eggers and Ella Gallatin each scored four points. The Eagles padded their lead to 72-31.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles posted their best shooting quarter of the game at 55.0 percent. Rachel Harvey delivered with six points to solidify the win for EWU with a 98-45 final score.
Eastern shot 47.1 percent for the game, while holding Warner Pacific to 26.4 percent.
"Our preseason schedule has been really tough," Gleason added. "We've played top teams in each conference we faced. I'm proud of our players for their resiliency, sticking together and continuing to work. We tell them that the schedule prepares us for the Big Sky schedule and be ready for the quality teams we play in the conference."
Eag Notes
- Eastern scored 90-plus points for the first time since January of this year against Omaha (96). The team also had 51 points in the first half, marking the first time EWU has scored 50-plus points since they posted 54 in a half against Presbyterian (12/21/23) last season.
- EWU recorded 19 steals, tying for the seventh-most in program history. The team forced 22 turnovers total for the game, scoring 31 points off Warner Pacific's mistakes. Rachel Harvey matched her career-best with 4 in the game. Emily McElmurry, Kourtney Grossman and Peyton Howard each had 3 in the game to add to the effort.
- Eastern's 28 assists was the most since the team had 26 against Walla Walla last season (12/9/23).
- The Eagles rebounding advantage (54-to-27) was led by Grossman with a game-high 9 rebounds. Jaecy Eggers and Paris Kirk each added 8 for the game. The team had 23 offensive rebounds - led by 5 from Eggers - turning those second chances into 31 points.
- From behind the arc, Eastern recorded their second game this season with 10-or-more made three-pointers, going 11-for-33(33.3%). Harvey went 3-of-4(75%) to lead the team, while Grossman, Howard and Alexis Pettis each made two threes.
- Howard scored in double figures for the 10th game this season, while Harvey had her first double-digit scoring game as an Eagle. Grossman earned her third game this season in double figures, while Pettis notched her third and Eggers had her fourth.
- The Eagle bench poured in 52 points against the Knights. Eastern also kept up the pressure with 26 fast-break points.
- As a team, EWU committed only 9 turnovers, a season low. It was the Eagles' first game with under 10 turnovers since they had 8 against Montana this past February.
Up Next
Eastern Washington completes its non-conference slate on Friday (Dec. 20), hosting UC Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. from Reese Court.
Single game tickets for women's basketball are now on sale. Reserve your seats at Reese Court 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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