MISSOULA, Mont. — The first win of the conference schedule is always important, and Eastern Washington women's basketball checked it off the list Saturday. Eastern defeated Montana, 65-58, rallying in the second half to get the road victory. EWU is now 1-2 in the Big Sky and 8-8 overall. The Grizzlies fall to 0-4 in conference and 3-12 this season.
"We are so proud of how the team bounced back to beat the Griz today after the heart-breaking OT loss on Thursday," head coach
Joddie Gleason said. "Road wins are extremely tough in the Big Sky and our execution of the game plan today was tremendous."
After trailing by two at the half, the Eagles surged in the third quarter, outscoring Montana 19 to 11. Eastern controlled the paint, scoring 48 points inside and grabbing 49 rebounds.
The scoring was led by Ella Gallatin's 20 points on 10-of-17(58.8%) shooting. Four Eagles in total scored in double-digits, with Emily McElmurry providing 13 off the bench.
"Ella's leadership this weekend was incredible as she kept our young team focused and calm in both games that came down to the wire," Gleason added. "Emily had a great game today in her hometown and provided a much needed spark off the bench."
Eastern struggled to score early as Montana raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Grizzlies extended their lead to 13-4 at the 3:42 point. EWU then found some rhythm with six-straight points on three layups. The lead was down to a possession, but Montana scored late to hold a 16-11 advantage after the first quarter. The Eagles shot only 22.7 percent in the first.
Early in the second quarter, Montana added to their lead and went up 20-11 at 7:33. Emily McElmurry stopped the run with a three and Elyn Bowers followed up with a quick layup to cut the lead down. After a Griz layup, Eastern launched a 10-0 run and went up 26-22 with 2:05 remaining in the half. Montana countered the run with a 6-0 stretch and retook the lead going into half, 28-26. EWU improved its shooting to 36.8 percent, as Bowers and Ella Gallatin each had four points in the quarter.
The Eagles started fast to begin the third quarter, organizing a 6-0 run that put them up four at 32-28. Montana tied the game at 32 before Eastern went on another 6-0 run with Gallatin providing two layups. EWU scored well as the quarter moved on as Gallatin was hot with 8 points. After three, the Eagles led 45-39 following a blistering 52.9 shooting percentage.
Eastern maintained its lead over Montana in the fourth quarter. McElmurry provided the offense early in the quarter with a pair of made threes. EWU's lead grew to as much as 14 with 6:41 remaining in the game. Kourtney Grossman also found rhythm on offense, scoring seven points in the quarter. As a team, the Eagles shot 46.7 percent and scored 20 points. The Grizzlies scored 19 points on 35.7 percent shooting. Eastern closed out the game and won 65-58.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington outscored Montana by 24 in the paint and out rebounded them by 11.
- Kourtney Grossman posted a double-double for the second consecutive game and 9th this season, finishing with 11 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. The game was her 14th game in double figures for scoring and 11th in rebounding.
- Ella Gallatin now has 4 career 20-point games and 2 this season. She was three off of her career best.
- After a season-high 28 turnovers against Montana State, EWU committed only 6 against the Grizzlies, which matched a season-low.
- Elyn Bowers scored 11 points and now has 13 games in double figures as a freshman.
- Jaecy Eggers grabbed 14 rebounds, her second-straight game with double-digit rebounds.
- Emily McElmurry notched her third career double-digit scoring game against Montana. She was 3 points off her career-best, recorded earlier this season against Northwest U.
- Eggers finished with 2 blocks, her 8th game this season with 2-or-more blocks.
Up Next
The Eagles will be back at Reese Court next week to host two games. Eastern starts with Weber State on Thursday (Jan. 15), followed by a matchup against Idaho State on Saturday (Jan. 17).
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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
