BOISE, Idaho — The idea of March is to survive and advance, as Eastern Washington women's basketball will embrace that idea. Eastern defeated Weber State, 71-58 in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals today. The Eagles won their 11th consecutive game, breaking the program record they set earlier this season. The team improves to 27-5 on the season.
"I'm super proud of our team. We've been in this situation before. I think we're battle tested," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "This conference is so tough and we've been in every scenario. It was one of those where Weber played great in that first half. The bye sometimes hurts you where we were super nervous; they were composed and making shots. We were just trying to stay positive in the huddles. Just tell them to rely on our defense which is what has gotten us here this year, to create offense (from defense). We talked about getting that stop, how important that stop was, then getting out in transition. I thought we did that a little better in the second half. We started picking the ball up a little more (on defense) and forcing turnovers."
Eastern had five players score in double figures, led by 15 from Jaleesa Lawrence. Loera added 14 points, along with 13 from Aaliyah Alexander, 12 from Jaydia Martin and 10 from Jacinta Buckley.
"Jamie Loera; We know we're going through her. We ran a bunch of plays that make sure she has the ball and is making those decisions for us. She does an exceptional job of reading the defense, whether she's open to finish or if she should find a teammate," Gleason added. "We hit some huge shots; [Alexis Pettis] hit a big three, Jaleesa [Lawrence] hit one, I think Aaliyah [Alexander] did, too. We rely on Jamie to do so much for us and she showed up tonight. I want to shout out Jaydia Martin, she had a great game. She's been trying to get back into her flow and I'm so happy for her. She stepped up and knocked down shots for us tonight, and was huge on the defensive end."
Weber St. did not shy away to open the game, jumping out to a 13-4 lead at the first media timeout. The Eagles countered with a 8-0 run, led by six points from Buckley. After tying at 14, Loera stole a Wildcat pass and went coast-to-coast for the easy two and the team's first lead. Weber St. tied the game before the quarter ended and the teams went to break knotted up at 16. Both teams shot well with EWU at a 63.6 percentage and the Wildcats at 53.3.
A defensive battle ensued to begin the second quarter, as Weber St. held a 20-18 lead over Eastern at the 5:00 minute media timeout. Neither team scored again until 2:11 when Martin worked inside for a layup. Martin converted a three-point play with 42 seconds remaining in the half to give the Eagles a 25-22 lead. The Wildcats tied the game up with a long three and the teams went to half tied at 25. The Eagles shot 21.1 percent in the quarter.
The third quarter continued a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with Alexander providing four points. With the score tied at 29, Weber St. put together a 9-2 stretch to separate. The Wildcats pushed the lead to 43-34 at the 4:38 mark. The Eagles stayed composed, responding with a 6-0 run and cutting the lead down to three. Weber St. scored the next three to lead by six, but EWU was ready to respond again. Martin keyed a 7-0 spurt that put the Eagles on top, with Alexander's offensive rebound and put back gave them the lead. Eastern held a 47-46 advantage after three, shooting 46.7.
Weber St. jumped in front by three early in the fourth quarter, but EWU continued to stay focused. Lawrence scored five-straight points and gave the team the lead back at 54-50 and 7:11 on clock. The Eagles gradually separated from the Wildcats, with Lawrence continuing to score, helped by Alexander and Loera. Eastern went up by double-digits at 68-58 and 1:09 left in the game. At the end, EWU won the game 71-58 shooting 43.9 percent for the game.
Eag Notes
- The 2023-24 Eastern Washington now has the two double-digit winning streaks this season. They are the two longest streaks in program history.
- Eastern forced 21 turnovers from the Wildcats, scoring 26 points. Jamie Loera led the team with four steals, while Aaliyah Alexander had three.
- Loera recorded eight assists and the team finished with 12.
- Jacinta Buckley pulled down nine rebounds to lead the team. Jaleesa Lawrence added six and Alexander had five.
- Alexander notched her 27th game in double figures, while Loera had her 24th game. Lawrence now has 15 double-digit scoring games this season, while Buckley has nine and Jaydia Martin earned her eighth.
- The Eagle bench had a 17-9 scoring advantage over Weber St.'s.
Up Next
The Eagles await the result of Monday's quarterfinal matchup between #4 Montana State and #5 Northern Colorado. They'll meet the winner in the semifinals at Idaho Central Arena on Tuesday at 12 p.m. MT / 11 a.m. PT, streamed live on ESPN+.
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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