VERMILLION, S.D. — The fourth quarter is where the excitement is for Eastern Washington women's basketball as they complete another comeback. Eastern defeated South Dakota 67-63 on Saturday afternoon to go 2-0 in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The Eagles improve to 5-4 on the season, while USD falls to 8-2.
"I'm so proud of our players. We beat a really good South Dakota team on the road today," head coach
Joddie Gleason said. "Defense always travels. We executed the defensive scout and game plan which carried us on a cold shooting night. Holding [South Dakota] to 27 percent shooting and 13 points in the fourth quarter was impressive."
The game was close throughout, with the largest lead being seven. The game also featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes. After trailing going into the fourth quarter, Eastern outscored USD 20 to 13 to take and hold the lead. The Eagle defense held the Yotes to one field goal in the fourth.
"Jaecy [Eggers] and Kourtney [Grossman] were huge for us again tonight and propelled us into the Summit League sweep this week," Gleason said of her two sophomores. "They dominated in the paint and on the glass against quality competition. Our guards did a nice job of feeding the post early and often. They also executed our action if we didn't have anything inside."
EWU's sophomore forwards again powered the victory, with Jaecy Eggers scoring a game-high 24 points and adding 7 rebounds. Kourtney Grossman notched her second-straight double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds. The Eagles had four players score in double figures overall.
Gleason reemphasized what it meant to go 2-0 this past week. "I'm so proud of this team! They continue to compete and improve every single day and they love to be on this journey together. Go Eags!"
Eastern jumped ahead in the first quarter, going up 6-2 on layups from Jaecy Eggers and Ella Gallatin. EWU stayed in front for the majority of the first quarter, but USD used a 6-0 run with under three minutes on the clock to pull ahead. Down 14-12, Emily McElmurry got free for a three and drained the shot to retake the lead. Eastern led 15-14 after one, shooting 33.3 percent.
The teams went back-and-forth with layups and free throws to begin the second quarter. At the 6:31 point, the Yotes scored four-straight to take a 22-18 lead. USD pushed its advantage to 29-22 with 4:16 remaining in the half. The Eagles countered with a 6-0 run, getting four points from Kourtney Grossman. The teams traded points again down the stretch, with the Yotes holding a 34-30 advantage over the Eagles at halftime. Eastern stayed consistent with a 33.3 shooting percentage in the second.
EWU began the second half with a 7-0 run to take the lead back quickly, led by three points from Elyn Bowers. A 5-0 burst from the USD put them back in front. Gallatin made a jumper to tie the game at 39 with 5:00 on the clock. The score remained tight as the clock ticked down in the quarter. The Yotes found three points of separation on a turnaround jumper and led the Eagles, 50-47 at the break. In the third quarter, the Eagles shot 37.5 percent from the floor.
The Eagles tied the game quickly to begin the fourth quarter, as Bowers connected with a jumper. USD responded with a three to go back up by a possession. The Yotes led grew to 55-50 with 6:44 remaining in the game. It was rally time for the Eagles as they launched a 7-0 to erase the deficit. Grossman delivered with the go-ahead three. After the score was tied at 57, the Eagles made four-straight three throws to get a slight cushion against USD. EWU continued to make its free throws as the clock wound down and they closed out the Yotes for the 67-63 win.
Eag Notes
- Jaecy Eggers posted her second-straight 20-point game, 2 points shy of her career-best set in her last game. It's the 5th time this season Eggers has scored in double figures and 20th time in her career.
- Kourtney Grossman filled up the stat sheet again with her 4th double-double of the season. It was her 4th double-digit rebounding game of the season and 21st of her career. She also has scored in double figures in each game this season and has 29 for her career.
- Eastern was slightly out-rebounded in the game, 47 to 46, but had a 36 to 24 scoring advantage inside.
- Elyn Bowers scored 11 points for her 7th game in double figures as a freshman. Bowers also finished with 7 rebounds. Ella Gallatin recorded 10 points, her 5th game in double figures this year and 21st of her career.
- EWU forced 13 turnovers and scored 14 points on those opportunities. The Eagles committed only 9 in the game, their 2nd game this season with under 10 turnovers.
- The Eagles matched their season-best with 6 blocks in the game, led by 3 from Eggers. Bowers tallied her first 2 blocks of her collegiate career. The freshman also led the team with 3 assists.
Up Next
Eastern Washington is back on the road next week but has a short trip to play Washington State on Wednesday (Dec. 10). The game tips off at 6 p.m. in Pullman.
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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