FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The road trip was not expected to be easy and Eastern Washington women's basketball learned first-hand on Thursday night. Eastern dropped the road contest against Northern Arizona, 76-63 in a rematch of the 2024 Big Sky Tournament championship game. EWU falls to 2-5 in the Big Sky and 6-13 overall. The Lumberjacks improve to 7-1 in conference and 15-5 this season.
"I'm proud of the way we fought until the end, but we just didn't have enough to beat a really good NAU team," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We prepared well and played solid defense much of the time, but we did not finish the play with a rebound on too many occasions. We haven't been out-rebounded in a while, so this will definitely be a reminder that we need to keep them off the glass at all five positions. We will bounce back and be ready to take on a good Northern Colorado team on Saturday."
The Eagles had the lead in the third quarter, but a 13-0 run from the Lumberjacks put them ahead for the reminder of the game.
Eastern had three players in double figures, led by Jaecy Eggers' 16. Peyton Howard was right behind with 15 and Kourtney Grossman had 14.
"Jaecy Eggers and Peyton Howard hit some big shots for us in the second half to keep us in the game," Gleason added. "Once again, Kourtney [Grossman] led us in rebounding and secured another double double."
Opening the game, NAU went ahead quickly with a 7-3 advantage. Ella Gallatin had her jumper working and closed the game to two. With Eastern trailing 9-7, the 'Jacks added some separation with a short, 4-0 run. They would extend the lead to as much as eight late in the quarter before another jumper from Gallatin brought the score to 17-11 at the break. EWU shot 31.3 percent in the first.
Eastern looked to reduce the 'Jacks' lead early in the second and found success with a three from Howard and a layup for Bella Hays. The lead was down to 19-17 at the 7:06 point. NAU fought back, getting out to a 25-20 advantage two minutes later. Howard responded for the Eagles with a jumper and the teams settled into exchanging scores. With 45 seconds remaining in the half, Alexis Pettis tied the score at 34 off a jump shot. The 'Jacks went 1-of-2 at the free throw line to take the slim one-point lead at halftime. Eastern recorded a 35.7 shooting percentage in the second.
The score stayed close to begin the third quarter and Eastern jumped ahead by one, before NAU responded right back. With 6:58 on the clock, Grossman gave EWU a 40-39 lead on a pair of free throws. Howard extended the Eagle lead on the next possession with a three. The 'Jacks offense then came to life, taking control with a 13-0 run. NAU led 52-43 and 2:53 left in the quarter. Another three from Howard stopped the run and the Eagles added a free throw to cut the lead down to 52-47. The Eagles finished the quarter with a 32.1 shooting percentage.
Now in front, the 'Jacks moved to take advantage of the momentum shift in the game. They built the lead to double digits (57-47) with inside and outside scoring. Eggers tried to keep Eastern close with a three, but NAU had found its rhythm on offense. The 'Jacks held a 50.0 shooting mark in the final quarter to secure the home victory. EWU fell in the game, 75-63.
The Eagles recorded a 32.3 shooting percentage for the game. Northern Arizona won with a 37.5 percentage.
Eag Notes
- Peyton Howard earned her 16th game scoring in double figures against the Lumberjacks. Kourtney Grossman posted her 11th game and Jaecy Eggers had her 8th scoring in double digits.
- Grossman notched her fourth-straight game with a double double, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.
- Eastern was just shy of winning the rebound battle, as NAU had a 46 to 44 advantage. EWU did have 13 offensive rebounds that they turned into 13 second chance points.
- Eggers registered 2 blocks in the game, giving her five games this season with 2 or more blocks.
- Both teams scored 15 points off of turnovers as the Eagles had 17 turnovers and the 'Jacks had 15.
- NAU's Taylor Feldman scored a game-high 18 points. Feldman earned her third Big Sky Player of the Week award on Tuesday (Jan. 21).
Up Next
Eastern Washington stays on the road and travels to Greeley, Colo. to play Northern Colorado on Saturday (Jan. 25) at 1 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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