CHENEY, Wash.— Eastern Washington women's basketball ended its Big Sky-Summit League Challenge on Saturday afternoon. Eastern hosted North Dakota State at Reese Court, losing 74-47 to the Bison. EWU fell to 2-7 on the year, while NDSU improved to 6-3.
"We played a really good North Dakota State team as one of the top teams in the Summit League. They came in here and took it to us; we had a tough time scoring and they played hard defense," head coach Joddie Gleason described. "They took us off the routes we wanted to take and we couldn't get any rhythm going offensively. One of our goals was to disrupt when they got the ball inside or drove inside. We did a good job of digging and racking, trying to disrupt and defend from the inside out. In the second half, we started pressing and our players did a really nice job with executing that plan. Pressing takes a lot of energy and our team continued to fight the entire time to force quite a few turnovers."
The Bison jumped out to a lead in the first quarter and extended their advantage throughout the game.
Peyton Howard led Eastern with 16 points, shooting 7-of-23(30.4%). Ella Gallatin added 11 points on 3-of-9(33.3%) shooting.
"I think, as a team, we are trying to score when we face an aggressive defense," Howard explained. "We are getting the shots and it's just a case of making them now. We're trying to find different looks so it's not just the same thing over and over on the court. We're trying to get that tone and play down hill, which will help us get foul calls."
Both the Eagles and Bison were feeling out their offenses to begin the game. NDSU had the early lead, 7-4, but Eastern responded with four-straight points to take the lead. After Eastern went up 10-7 at 3:07, the Bison went on an 11-0 run to take control in the game. NDSU led 18-10 at the end of the first quarter, with EWU shooting 26.3.
Starting out in the second half, the Bison extended their run to 16-0 to go up by double digits. A made three from Howard ended the run, but NDSU had built the separation they needed in the half. They shot 42.9 percent in the second quarter, while Eastern shot 31.3. The Bison's lead grew to 12 at 34-22 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, NDSU scored even more effectively, shooting 66.7 percent on the way to a 24-point quarter. EWU shot 31.3 in the quarter and scored 13 points, as the Bison extended its lead.
NDSU looked to close the game strong, putting up another efficient scoring quarter in the fourth. The Bison shot 54.5 percent from the floor, with Eastern managing only 22.2 percent. EWU was out-scored in the quarter, 16-12, ending any chance of a comeback. NDSU won the game 74-47.
Overall, Eastern struggled shooting in the game, with a 27.5 percent mark and 15.8 percent from three-point range. NDSU shooting led them to the win, shooting 54.2 percent and 57.9 percent from three.
Eag Notes
- Peyton Howard had her eighth game this season scoring in double figures. Ella Gallatin posted her fourth game this season in double figures.
- Eastern forced 19 turnovers, scoring 15 points off the mistakes.
- NDSU had the rebounding advantage - 39 to 33 - but the teams tied in scoring in the paint with 28 points each. EWU had 15 offensive rebounds, turning them into 14 second-chance points. Kourtney Grossman led Easter with 7 rebounds.
- The Eagles had a season-high 13 steals, with six players recording a steal. Grossman recorded 5 steals for a new career-best.
- The Bison had nine blocks in the game.
Up Next
Eastern Washington is off for a week, but take a short road trip up north to play Gonzaga on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.
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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