BOZEMAN, Mont. — The calendar has changed to March and the excitement has already begun. Eastern Washington women's basketball defeated Montana State, 52-50, on Saturday afternoon to clinch a share of the Big Sky regular season title.
Jamie Loera led the heroics with a made jumper just outside of the paint to beat the buzzer. Eastern is now 15-2 in the Big Sky and 25-5 on the season.
"Jamie Loera's last second shot to secure a share of the [Conference] Championship is what you dream about as a little kid in your backyard. She was, once again, absolutely huge at both ends of the court," head coach Joddie Gleason described. "Ellie Boni also hit some big shots for us when we were struggling to score and came up clutch at the defensive end, grabbing five boards. Holding MSU to only 50 points is a testament to how hard we work on defense. We need to recognize that the Bobcats played a great game, are well coached and kept us off balance on offense."
Along with making the game winning shot, Loera had a game-high 15 points and eight assists.
The two teams traded points to begin the game, with three ties between them. Eastern built some separation with a 12-6 lead, getting layups from Jacinta Buckley and Aaliyah Alexander. The Eagles maintained their advantage and stretched it out to 19-10 on a fast break layup from Jamie Loera. The Bobcats closed the gap with a 5-0 run to end the quarter. EWU led 19-15 after shooting 50 percent in the opening quarter.
The game remained close in the second quarter, with Montana St. staying close to Eastern. After the Eagles scored the first points at 9:15, neither team scored again until the 5:29 mark. Following a layup from Jaleesa Lawrence, EWU went up 23-19 with 3:35 left in the half. The teams traded scores, but the Eagles went up 29-23 with 1:10 on the clock. The Eagles led 29-25 at halftime shooting 23.5 percent.
In the third quarter, the game tightened up further with four lead changes and three ties. The Bobcats went in front 33-31 at the 5:37 point. Ellie Boni lined up a three and converted to put Eastern back in the lead. After Montana St. went up by three, EWU closed the quarter with four straight to hold a 38-37 advantage. The team shot 25.0 percent in the quarter.
The Eagles kept the lead to begin the fourth quarter, getting scores from Loera and Jaydia Martin. The Bobcats responded with a 6-0 run to go up 44-42 and 5:51 left in the game. Following an Eastern free throw, Boni again delivered with a three to put the team in front. Down the stretch, EWU was up three on a three from Loera and 2:03 on the clock. Montana St. was able to tie the game at 50 with 16 seconds left, getting inside for the layup. Out of an Eagle timeout, Loera got the ball and drove in, taking a jump shot just outside the paint. The shot fell through the hoop and Eastern escaped with a 52-50 win. The team had a 36.8 shooting percentage for the game.
Gleason reflected on her team achieving its goals from the preseason, "I'm so proud of this team, but I'm mostly happy for them and the fact that they get to experience this together. Our goal to start the season was to be number one in the nation in culture and team chemistry. This championship is so sweet because of their complete buy-in and love for each other. We look forward to celebrating our seniors on Monday night in Cheney. The recognition will be around 5:30 p.m. prior to the 6 p.m. start so be sure to come early! Go Eags!"
Eag Notes
- Eastern won a share of the Big Sky regular season title for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
- Eastern Washington won its 15th conference game of the season, the most in program history.
- The Eagles extended their winning streak to nine games, the second longest streak after the team won 10 in a row earlier this season.
- Jamie Loera scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season.
- Jaleesa Lawrence scored 11 points, her 13th game in double figures this season.
- Ellie Boni scored nine points in the game, going a perfect 3-of-3 from the three-point line.
- Eastern was out-rebounded in the game (40-36), but tied the Bobcats in the paint with 28 each.
- The Eagle bench had a 17 to 9 scoring advantage.
- EWU forced 15 turnovers, scoring 14 points off those mistakes.
Up Next
Eastern Washington plays its final regular season game on Monday night against Sacramento State, with tipoff from Reese Court at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. The game will be senior night for Gabrielle Jung, Jacinta Buckley, Milly Knowles and Jamie Loera with the senior recognition starting at 5:30.
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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