GREELEY, Colo. — Eastern Washington women's basketball finished its road trip on Saturday afternoon against Northern Colorado. The game went against Eastern as the Bears won 66-57 at Bank of Colorado Arena. Eastern's record falls to 2-6 in the Big Sky and 6-14 overall.
After a close first quarter, UNC separated with an early run in the second to build an advantage. EWU could not put together enough offense the rest of the game to close the gap.
"UNC was prepared, played well and deserved to win this game today. Their bench really stepped up hitting six, three-point field goals and got them going in the first half," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We had a nice second half offensively, but couldn't stop them from scoring. Kourtney Grossman was huge for us again today, both on the glass and as an offensive contributor. We look forward to a few days off and getting back after it at Reese Court on Thursday."
Kourtney Grossman led the Eagles with 17 points and added 17 rebounds.
Starting out, the teams were trading scores to make a competitive first quarter. Eastern was spreading its scoring around with five different players scoring. Grossman led the team with four points in the quarter. EWU went up 13-12 on the Bears after a layup from Ella Gallatin and 1:25 on the clock. UNC followed with a made three to take the lead. Eastern trailed 15-13 after the first quarter and were shooting 54.5 percent.
The Bears seized the momentum to begin the third quarter, draining a pair of threes to go up 21-13. Grossman powered the offense with five points early in the quarter and cut the UNC advantage down to 23-20 at the 4:28 points. UNC then organized a 8-0 run to close the half and hold Eastern off the scoreboard. After two, the Eagles trailed 31-20, with the team managing only a 13.3 shooting percentage.
The pace picked up in the third quarter, as the team's combined for 37 points. Eastern scored 18 points on 53.8 percent shooting from the floor. The Bears edged the Eagles with 19 points on 53.3 percent shooting. UNC added one point to its lead, going into the fourth quarter up 50-38 over EWU.
In the fourth, the Bears continued to score to keep their lead, scoring 16 points on 40 percent shooting. Eastern shot 43.8 percent in the quarter and scored 19 points. They closed the game on a 6-1 run, getting five points from Peyton Howard. Despite the effort on offense from the Eagles, the deficit was too much to overcome in the quarter. UNC went on to win the game, 66-57.
Eastern shot 40.0 percent in the game and the Bears had a 46.3 stat line.
Eag Notes
- Kourtney Grossman recorded her 5th straight double double and has 7 in her last 9 games. She has 8 double doubles this season and 12 games scoring in double digits.
- Eastern had 11 steals in the game for its 9th game this season with 10-plus steals. Rachel Harvey matched her career-best with 4 steals to lead the Eagles and Grossman added 3.
- Jaecy Eggers scored 11 points for her 9th game this season scoring in double digits. She recorded 8 rebounds as well.
- EWU was out-rebounded in the game, 36 to 33. The Eagles, however, out-scored the Bears in the paint, 34 to 32.
- Eastern forced 22 turnovers from UNC, scoring 15 points. The Bears forced 19 Eagle turnovers, scoring 16 points.
Up Next
Eastern Washington is back at home next week, with two games at Reese Court. EWU hosts Idaho State on Thursday (Jan. 30) at 11 a.m. Pacific Time for Kids Day. The Eagles then host Weber State on Saturday (Feb. 1) 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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