CHENEY, Wash. — Eagle fans watched the excitement at Reese Court on Saturday afternoon, as Eastern Washington won its third-straight game. Eastern defeated Idaho 63-60, holding off a fourth-quarter rally from the Vandals. EWU improves to 6-7 in the Big Sky and is 10-15 overall.
Idaho tied the game with under two minutes to play, but Alexis Pettis stole the ball on the Vandals' following possession and found Peyton Howard for the and-one score.
"We told them to call a timeout when we get a rebound, but when you get a steal like that, we want them to play with their instincts. That shot would probably be better than what we could have drawn up or let them get set. Sometimes we just have to let them loose and play," head coach Joddie Gleason explained. "We wanted to make [Idaho] more uncomfortable in their offense. It felt like they were too comfortable in their offense in the first game against them. [Olivia] Nelson is such a good point guard, and we didn't try to guard her one-on-one. We really just tried to help and dig on her."
Howard led the Eagles with 19 points on 7-of-16(43.8%) shooting. She was one of four Eastern players scoring in double figures. Pettis followed with 13 points on 5-of-14(35.7%) shooting.
Pettis described how their final possession developed, "It was just a hustle play. The only thing you have to do is go get the ball. I saw the clock and Peyton running; I knew I could get it to her. It was really all her; I tried to lead her where she wanted to go and it worked out."
Eastern set the tone early in the game, opening with a 6-2 lead, making a pair of layups and a jump shot. The Eagles pushed the lead out to 10-4, but the Vandals cut it down to 12-8 at the 5:24 point of the quarter. The teams then went through a scoring drought for nearly three minutes. Jaecy Eggers connected from the three to end the drought and put EWU up by seven. Both teams scored down the stretch and Eastern went to the quarter break up, 17-12. They shot 35.3 percent from the floor.
The Eagles began to pad their lead in the second quarter, going up by 10 at 24-14 at the 7:31 mark. Howard scored five points early to help build the lead. EWU continued to work its inside game, getting layups from Kourtney Grossman and Rachel Harvey. With under two minutes in the half, Pettis scored five-straight points for the Eagles and added separation against Idaho. At the half, Eastern led 37-24 following a 47.1 shooting performance.
Idaho looked back to fight back into the game in the third, but EWU kept up the pressure to hold its lead. The Eagles did struggle shooting in the quarter, with a 18.8 percent mark, but converted four free throws to help the offense. Grossman provided the scoring with five points in the third. The Vandals shot 30 percent in the quarter and scored 15 points to cut down the Eastern lead. After three, EWU led 48-39.
Eastern kept its lead intact to begin the fourth quarter, extending it to 11 (56-45) at 6:12. Eggers was stepping up for the Eagles with four points during the first four minutes. Idaho responded with a 5-0 burst that brought the lead down to six less than a minute later. The Vandals continued to score and the lead was shrinking for Eastern. A pair of free throws brought the lead down to a possession at 60-58 with 2:23 on the clock. Idaho then tied the game a minute later. Eastern missed the go-ahead three on its next possession, and had to lock-in defensively. After a missed layup and an offensive rebound from the Vandals, Pettis wrestled the ball away and found Howard streaking towards the basket. Howard converted the layup and was fouled, later converting the free throw for a three-point lead. The Eagle defense held firm and prevented any scoring response from Idaho and won the game 63-60. EWU shot 41.7 percent in the quarter, while the Vandals had a 52.9 percentage.
Eastern finished the game carrying a 35.5 shooting percentage. Idaho had a 38.7 percentage.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington has now won three-straight games and four-of-it-lasts-five.
- Peyton Howard led or was tied for the team lead in scoring for the 13th game this season. She has 20 games scoring in double figures and is the team's leading scorer.
- Kourtney Grossman nearly recorded a double double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
- Eastern forced 20 turnovers from Idaho and scored 19 points off of those mistakes.
- Alexis Pettis had her 10th game this season scoring in double figures. Jaecy Eggers scored 12 points for her 12th game in double digits this season.
- EWU never trailed in the game and led for 37 minutes.
- Pettis set a career-best with five steals. Eastern had 14 total for the game, with 3 from both Howard and Rachel Harvey.
- Howard and Pettis each had 3 assists in the game.
- The Vandals won the rebounding battle, 46 to 28.
Up Next
Eastern Washington stays at home next week for two games, hosting Northern Colorado on Thursday (Feb. 20) and Northern Arizona on Saturday (Feb. 22).
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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