SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The road has not been kind to Eastern Washington women's basketball this season, but that changed on Thursday night. Eastern defeated Sacramento State, 68-53, to earn the team's first road win of the season. EWU improves to 4-7 in the Big Sky and 8-15 overall.
"This was a total team effort tonight. Road wins are so tough to come by and this one was absolutely huge for us," head coach
Joddie Gleason explained. "Our bench really stepped up in the second quarter when we needed them and executed our plan very well at both ends."
After taking the lead in the third quarter, the Eagles pulled away from the Hornets in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
Peyton Howard and Kourtney Grossman each scored 17 points in the game, highlighting the team's inside-outside offensive effort.
"Peyton played a great game for us, recognizing when to be patient and when to be aggressive. She set her teammates up, as well as found ways to score herself," Gleason added. "Having four players in double figures is what it takes to win games and we did that tonight by moving the ball, making the extra pass and knocking down big shots. We worked extremely hard tonight and I'm so proud of that effort. Go Eags!"
The game opened with a defensive battle, as Sac. St. held a slim 6-2 lead after five minutes. Eastern stayed close, getting scores from Jaecy Eggers in the paint. She accounted for seven points in the opening quarter. After one, Sac. St. led 11-9 over EWU, with the Eagles shooting 28.6 in the quarter.
Eastern tied the game up at 11 quickly in the second quarter on a layup from Kourtney Grossman. The Hornets then pulled back ahead with a fast, 6-0 run. EWU made up ground at the free throw line and then Emily McElmurry connected on a jump shot and the lead was down to one. After a Sac. St. score, Rachel Harvey tied the game with a three, 19-19, and 5:36 on the clock. The Hornets again took the lead, extending it to as much as five at 25-20 and 3:03 remaining. The Eagles stayed composed and kept within striking distance. Alexis Pettis drove into the paint and tied the game at 27 as the half expired. Eastern shot 33.3 percent for the second quarter.
It was another back-and-forth battle in the third quarter, with both teams looking to take control. After the Hornets went up by four, EWU tied the game at 31 on a pair of free throws from Peyton Howard. Eggers then gave the Eagles the lead with a turnaround jumper at the 6:26 point. Eastern extended its lead to as much as seven in the quarter following a three from Howard. A late run from Sac. St. cut down the EWU advantage to one and they led 42-41. The Eagles had a 37.5 shooting percentage.
With the lead, Eastern's offense went to work using a balanced attack against the Hornets. Eastern ignited with a 71.4 shooting percentage and scored 26 points. Grossman had the hot-hand with 11 points, making 3-of-4(75%) three-point shots. Alexis Pettis added seven points in support. The EWU defense clamped down on Sac. St. holding them to 25.0 percent shooting in the quarter. The Eagles had built a double digit advantage and won the game 68-53.
Overall, Eastern shot 41.9 percent, while Sacramento St. had a 33.9 mark.
Eag Notes
- Eastern won the rebounding battle, grabbing 39 to the Hornets' 37. EWU scored 32 points in the paint against 18 from Sac. St. Jaecy Eggers pulled down a game-high 8.
- The win marked Eastern Washington's first road win of the season. They had lost the previous 10 road games this season.
- Peyton Howard recorded her 18th game scoring in double digits, while Kourtney Grossman marked her 15th game this season. Eggers scored 13 points for her 11th game and Alexis Pettis notched her 8th.
- The Eagles forced 20 turnovers and 25 points on those opportunities. The team had 7 steals, with 2 from Pettis and Paris Kirk, matching a career-best for the Robert Morris transfer.
- Ella Gallatin set a career-best with 2 blocks.
- Eastern had 17 assists on 26 made field goals. Gallatin, Howard and Rachel Harvey all finished with 4 assists.
- The game tonight was only the 4th time this season that EWU has been tied at the half.
- Eastern has now won 5-straight games against the Hornets with the last loss coming in January of 2023 (74-82)
Up Next
Eastern plays again on Saturday (Feb. 8), traveling to play Portland State at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.
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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