CHENEY, Wash. — Check the first win off for Eastern Washington women's basketball as they opened the 2025-26 season with a victory. Eastern defeated Northwest University, 99-43 on Monday night at Reese Court.
EWU showed a balanced offensive approach in the game, scoring 48 points in the paint and 51 outside. The Eagles went 12-of-25(48.0%) from three-point range, while recording a 51.3 percentage overall.
"I thought that this game did exactly what we hoped it would do. We were able to get another run. We executed our action, our scout and just improved as a team," head coach Joddie Gleason described. "Our players have put in a lot of work and it was great to get on the court and play someone besides ourselves. I thought we started strong and that was one of our main focuses. We defended well and that was a key; to get as many stops as we can. We did a nice job of executing that plan."
Ella Gallatin led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 9-of-16(56.3%) from the floor and was 3-of-4(75%) from behind the arc. Kourtney Grossman finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
"I think this team has a lot of threats this year. It makes it easy and opens up the floor," Gallatin explained. "Anyone you pass it to is a good option. I think we did a good job of making the extra pass and finding the open players."
The defensive pressure was also prevalent from Eastern, holding Northwest to 29.1 shooting and 20 percent from three.
Northwest U did not shy away early in the game and stayed with the Eagles, leading 7-6 at the 5:22 point of the first quarter. EWU refocused and went on a 10-0 run, sparked by five points from Grossman. The run helped the Eagles build a 23-10 lead after the first.
After Eastern held a 27-12 lead at 8:42 in the second quarter, the team went on another run, this time an 11-0 stretch to go up 38-12 and 4:12 left in the quarter. The Eagles were getting high-percentage shots in the paint, scoring four layups from Gallatin, Emily McElmurry and Bella Hays. Grossman also added a three during the run as well. Eastern were running away with the game at half, leading 46-14 and shooting 42.9 percent from the floor.
EWU continued to expand its lead in the third quarter, shooting 72.2 percent and scoring 32 points. Northwest shot 52.9 percent and scored 22 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles cruised and closed out Northwest, shooting 50 percent and allowing only a 18.2 percentage. Eastern outscored Northwest, 21-7 in the final quarter.
Gleason looked ahead to Saturday's matchup in Tempe, Ariz., "We play ASU on Saturday and it's a great opportunity for us to get ready for some of our Big Sky opponents. Their coach puts the pressure on defensively; they press and run at you with constant pressure. I think that will help us later in conference when we play Montana State, as they play that similar style. We schedule those games on purpose to get ready for our conference schedule."
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington's 99 points is tied for the 8th most in program history for a single. It's the most points since December of 2021 when the team scored 102 against Multnomah.
- Ella Gallatin notched her 3rd career 20-point game and her 17th game scoring in double figures.
- EWU committed 11 turnovers, while forcing 22 from Northwest. Eastern converted the turnovers into 25 points.
- The Eagles recorded 20 assists in the game, led by Elyn Bowers 4. Gallatin added 3 for the game.
- Kourtney Grossman scored in double figures for her 21st game. Elyn Bowers scored 15 points in her Eagle debut, shooting 7-of-11(63.6%) from the floor.
- Emily McElmurry matched her career-best with 16 points.
- Jaecy Eggers tallied 3 blocks in the game, one shy of her career-best. Eggers had 7 rebounds and 5 points in the game.
- The Eagles had a 49-28 advantage in rebounding over Northwest. Eastern pulled down 16 offensive rebounds, with Grossman accounting for 7 of them.
- EWU grabbed 13 steals in the game, with McElmurry leading the team with 3.
Up Next
Eastern Washington begins its road schedule with a matchup against Arizona State on Saturday (Oct. 8), with a 1 p.m. Pacific Time tip off.
Women's basketball season tickets are now on sale! Claim your seats at Reese Court for the 2025-26 season by visiting goeags.com/tickets to purchase online.
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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