CHENEY, Wash. — The second leg of the homestand did not go in Eastern Washington women's basketball's favor Saturday afternoon. Eastern lost to Weber State, 62-48 at Reese Court after the Wildcats led for the entire game. EWU falls to 3-7 in the Big Sky and is 7-15 overall now. The Wildcats improved to 5-4 in conference and 8-11 overall.
"I was disappointed with the lack of urgency and competition. With how hard we worked on Thursday and how much we competed; it was a disappointing result today," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We'll get back to the drawing board and try to make sure we represent Eastern Washington University."
Ella Gallatin led the Eagles with 13 points, while Kourtney Grossman recorded another double double, finishing with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
"There's a lot of different elements that went into the game result today," Grossman said. "We need to run the offense with more urgency and work through it fully. I think we just need to have more intensity as a team."
To begin the game, WSU opened with a quick 4-0 lead. EWU then tied the game on a pair of layups, but the Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run. WSU kept the Eagles at arms length for the majority of the first quarter, leading by as many as nine. A late jumper from Jaecy Eggers cut the lead down to seven at 15-8 at the break. The Eagles were limited to a 18.8 shooting percentage in the quarter.
Eastern moved to further reduce the Wildcat lead to start the second quarter. They organized a 7-0 run to bring the score to 18-15 at the 6:31 point. Bella Hays converted a layup and Peyton Howard hit a three to fuel the run. Like the first half, WSU countered with a run, 6-0 to build back their separation over the Eagles. The Wildcats continued to score well and carried a 30-19 lead into halftime. EWU had a 23.5 shooting percentage in the second.
In the third quarter, the Wildcats' scoring was consistent and they were able to hold their lead. WSU scored 20 points on 35.7 percent shooting from the floor. The Eagles offense did improve, scoring 19 points on 35.3 percent shooting. Ella Gallatin stepped up with nine points in the quarter, five coming at the free throw line. The improvement was not enough to cut down the Wildcat lead and EWU trailed 50-38 after three quarters.
WSU's defense continued to give Eastern problems in the fourth quarter, holding them to 10 points on 30.8 percent shooting. The Eagle defense did keep the Wildcats offense to 12 points and 45.5 percent shooting from the floor. WSU had built a large enough lead and cruised to the 62-48 win in the game.
Overall, Eastern shot 27.0 percent from the floor, with Weber St. recording a 39.6 percentage.
Eag Notes
- Kourtney Grossman recorded a double-double for the 7th straight game and has 10 total this season. Grossman notched her 11th double digit rebounding game as well.
- Ella Gallatin posted her 11th game this season scoring in double figures, while Grossman recorded her 14th game.
- The teams were even in rebounding, 40 to 40. Eastern had a 28-to-18 scoring advantage inside. The Eagles pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, scoring 15 second chance points.
- Both teams committed 17 turnovers and each scored 16 points off of mistakes.
- EWU struggled from the 3-point line, going 1-of-19(5.3%).
- Weber St. had four players score in double figures, led by 17 from Kendra Parra.
Up Next
Eastern Washington has two road games next week, beginning with Sacramento State on Thursday (Feb. 6) at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time followed by Portland State on Saturday (Feb. 8) 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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
