CHENEY, Wash. — At Reese Court, Eastern Washington women's basketball has begun a new winning streak. Eastern defeated Idaho, 62-52, on Saturday afternoon for its third consecutive victory. The Eagles are now 9-2 in the Big Sky and 19-5 overall.
"We have seven players that could start at any given time," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We told our bench how huge they were in the win for us. We kind of tried to pump them up that this is your opportunity to get some time and use it to your advantage. We knew they could do it after they put in the work at practice. Breeje [Schuler], Ella [Gallatin] and Bella [Hays] came in and really did a nice job. We're happy they got rewarded with gameplay. I thought that we disrupted Idaho's offense with our defense and our ability to switch, talk and communicate helped us keep them from running what they wanted. Idaho is a good team and they defend really well. They force you into second and third looks when you're in your offense."
Three Eagles scored double-digits, led by Aaliyah Alexander's 15. Jaleesa Lawrence added 13 and Jamie Loera had 11.
"We've been practicing with the different lineups all week so we just really pulled together and stepped up," Alexander said of the team's effort.
The first quarter was a close battle between the two teams, with neither leading by more than three. After Eastern had a 7-4 lead, Idaho scored four-straight to get in front. The teams tied at 10 and 12 as the quarter went on. Jaydia Martin delivered with an and-one at 39 seconds left to put the Eagles on top 15-12. Following a Vandal layup, EWU led 15-14 after the first quarter, shooting 45.5 percent.
Idaho would retook the lead early in the second quarter, starting with a 5-0 burst. The Vandals clung to lead until the 3:51 mark when Lawrence made two free throws for a 24-23 advantage. Lawrence hit a three with 56 seconds left in the half to extend the lead to 31-26. At the break, the Eagles led 32-28 following 40.0 percent shooting in the quarter.
EWU asserted itself defensively in the third quarter, limiting the Vandals to a 16.7 shooting percentage. Eastern shot 35.3 percent and shot 50.0 percent from three point range. Martin scored six points in the quarter to help pull away from Idaho. Eastern led 49-37 at the end of the third.
In the fourth quarter, both teams exchanged points as Idaho tried to get back into the game. Eastern was able to keep them at a distance, shooting 41.7 percent for the quarter. The Vandals cut the lead down to nine at 7:52, but Loera responded with an and-one for a three-point play. Alexander scored six points to carry the offense in the quarter. With Alexander's scoring, the Eagles closed out Idaho, 62-52. The team shot 40.0 percent overall for the game.
Eag Notes
- The teams were tied with 32 points in the paint. Idaho had a 34 to 31 advantage in rebounding.
- Jaleesa Lawrence led the team with seven rebounds and three steals.
- Eastern committed only nine turnovers in the game. It was the sixth game this season when the team had under 10 turnovers.
- Jamie Loera led the team with six assists, adding five rebounds and two steals.
- The Eagle bench had a 11 to seven scoring advantage over Idaho.
- Jaydia Martin nearly gave Eastern four in double figures with nine points.
Up Next
Eastern Washington gets on the road next week to play Idaho State on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. The Eagles then travel to Ogden, Utah to play Weber State on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m.
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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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