CHENEY, Wash. — The road schedule ended for Eastern Washington women's basketball on Saturday afternoon, dropping the game against Idaho State, 75-60. The game was close in the first half, but the Bengals pulled away in the second. EWU falls to 6-11 in the Big Sky and 10-19 overall.
Alexis Pettis led the team with 13 points, one of three Eagles in double figures.
"We have to give credit to the Bengals tonight; they really executed their plan at both ends. Their players made plays on offense, especially [Tasia] Jordan and [Kacey] Spink, and we had no answer," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "Our offense could never get a rhythm because of their solid rotations and help defense. They kept us from scoring much in the paint and we didn't hit perimeter shots, so kudos to them. Emily McElmurry had a good game for us off the bench, providing some solid minutes and contributions at both ends."
Kourtney Grossman finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the second-straight game with a double double. With the 10 rebounds, Grossman now has 291 this season, setting the EWU freshman record for a single season.
The score was tight to begin the game, as the teams tried three times in the first three-and-a-half minutes. The quarter had a stretch of two minutes with no scoring, broken by a jumper from Pettis at 3:56. Grossman converted a layup with under a minute to play and the Eagles led 13-10 after one. EWU shot 35.3 percent in the first quarter.
ISU quickly tied the game to begin the second quarter and then took a two-point lead. Eastern responded to tie and then took the lead back again, getting five-straight points from Pettis. The Eagles and Bengals exchanged baskets as the intensity level elevated. The Bengals went up 26-21 with 3:34 remaining in the half. Eastern drew closer with five points to end the quarter and trailed 28-26, shooting 41.7 percent from the floor.
In the third quarter, ISU began to separate from EWU, pushing its lead to 36-28 at the 7:20 mark. The Bengals extended its advantage to double digits at 39-28. Eastern used the free throw line to cut the lead down to single digits at 41-34. ISU then put together an 8-2 run to close the half and led 49-37. The Eagles managed only a 20.0 shooting percentage in the quarter.
The Bengals continued to score effectively in the fourth quarter, registering 26 points on 53.8 shooting. Eastern did shoot well in the quarter, scoring 23 points on 43.8 shooting. Emily McElmurry led the team with five points. EWU's deficit was too much to overcome and ISU won the game 75-60.
The Eagles shot 35.0 percent for the game and Idaho St. won behind a 49.1 percentage.
Eag Notes
- Kourtney Grossman passed Brenda Souther for the Eastern Washington freshman single-season rebounding record. Grossman also recorded her 13th double double of the season. She has 19 games scoring in double figures and 15 with double-digit rebounds.
- Alexis Pettis scored in double figures for the 12th time this season. She has 23 games in double figures in her career.
- Jaecy Eggers scored in double figures for the 14th game. Eggers nearly had the double double with 9 rebounds.
- Eastern slightly edged the Bengals in rebounding, 35 to 34. ISU had a 40-to-28 scoring advantage inside.
- Emily McElmurry scored 7 points on 2-of-5(40%) shooting.
- EWU struggled with 20 turnovers in the game. They forced 13 from the Bengals.
Up Next
Eastern Washington finishes out the regular season on Monday (March 3) against Montana, with tip off at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. The game will be senior night as the Eagles honor five student-athletes pregame. The group includes Cori Wilcox, Ellie Boni, Rachel Harvey, Peyton Howard and Alexis Pettis.
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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