BROOKINGS, S.D.— Eastern Washington women's basketball played its first game of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge on Wednesday against South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits won the game 81-58 over Eastern behind an efficient offensive performance. Eastern falls to 2-5 on the season and South Dakota St. improves to 6-2.
"We made some strides today that will help prepare us for Big Sky play," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "Our players are continuing to learn valuable lessons about how to prepare and execute against some of the best in the nation. Good teams capitalize on their opponent's mistakes and SDSU really did that for a couple of stretches in tonight's game, scoring 20 points off turnovers."
SDSU built an early lead in the first quarter, but EWU fought back in the second. The Jackrabbits out-scored the Eagles by 20 in the third quarter to pull away in the game.
SDSU forced 15 turnovers and scored 20 points off of them.
Peyton Howard led the team with 15 points on 6-of-16(37.5%) and 3-of-7(42.9%) from three point range. Kourtney Grossman notched her first career double-double with 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
"I love how this team stayed together and continued to battle the entire game," Gleason added. "Kourtney Grossman sparked us off the bench with her first collegiate double-double and Emily McElmurry also played well at the guard position. We look forward to returning home for Saturday's tough matchup against NDSU."
The Jackrabbits opened the game with the first four points, but the Eagles responded quickly with a three from Ella Gallatin. EWU jumped ahead 8-6 at 5:24 behind a jumper by Paris Kirk. The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes with little separation. With two minutes left in the quarter, SDSU went on a 7-0 run to build a 23-14 advantage. EWU did shoot well in the quarter at 40 percent, but had five turnovers.
Starting the second, the Jackrabbits continued to score to keep their advantage. Peyton Howard kept the Eagles alive in the quarter, scoring eight points. Emily McElmurry came off the bench and scored five points as well. SDSU shot 33.3 percent in the quarter. EWU narrowly outscored the Jackrabbits, 15-14, to bring the lead down to 37-29.
In the third quarter, SDSU exploded on offense, shooting 71.4 percent from the floor and scoring 28 points. Eastern was held to 20 percent shooting, scoring only eight points. The Jackrabbits led 65-37 at the end of the quarter.
The Eagles found some rhythm on offense, shooting 42.1 percent and scoring 21 points. Kourtney Grossman was key with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting. Gallatin also was effective with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting. Despite the effort, the deficit was too much to overcome and SDSU won the game 81-58.
Eastern shot 35 percent for the game, while the Jackrabbits delivered with a 50-percent mark.
Eag Notes
- Kourtney Grossman's 14 rebounds was the most by an Eagle this season. It was the first double-double for an Eastern Player since Jamie Loera had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Montana last season (2/29/24).
- Ella Gallatin scored in double figures for the third time this season, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-12(41.6%) and 2-of-4(50.0%) from three point range.
- Peyton Howard scored in double figures for the seventh time this season.
- EWU had the slight edge in the rebounding battle, 39 to 38. South Dakota St., however, outscored the Eagles 46 to 32 in the paint.
- Alexis Pettis matched her career-best with 3 steals.
Up Next
Eastern Washington gets back to Reese Court on Saturday (Dec. 7) to host North Dakota State for the second game of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The game tips off at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.
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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