PORTLAND, Ore. — The focus for Eastern Washington women's basketball this season was rebounding and it paid dividends on the road tonight. Eastern defeated Portland State, 81-63 behind a strong team rebounding effort. EWU improves its record to 3-3 in the Big Sky and 10-9 overall, while Portland St. falls to 1-5 in conference and 5-13 this season.
"Today was a complete team win. We had three starters in foul trouble and our bench provided a lift for us with quality minutes. I'm so proud with the way they stepped up when called upon," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We were huge on the glass tonight as a group, securing 23 points off offensive boards and outrebounding them by 31. That's just heart and toughest at its best."
The Eagles matched their season-high with 58 rebounds, while the Vikings had 27. The 23 offensive rebounds led to 23 second-chance points.
Coupled with the rebounding effort, Eastern had four players score in double figures, led by Elyn Bowers 21 points n 7-of-14(50%) shooting. Kourtney Grossman and Ella Gallatin each scored 16 points, followed closely by Jaecy Eggers with 14. As a team, EWU shot 43.8 overall on field goals.
"Elyn led our offensive attack. She ran the show and made reads to score herself or set others up," Gleason added. "Kourtney was really efficient at the offensive end and did a great job of letting the game come to her, while also dominating on the glass once again. We will enjoy this road win tonight and get ready for a tough team in Sacramento State on Saturday. Go Eags!"
The game was a close contest in the first quarter as neither team led by more than three. Kourtney Grossman provided the early scoring with four points. The two teams would tie at both 11 and 13 in the first. With 49 seconds remaining in the quarter, Grossman connected from three and gave Eastern the 16-15 lead. A layup from Ella Gallatin handed EWU a 18-15 lead at the quarter break. The team shot 40 percent from the floor in the first 10 minutes.
Eastern extended its lead to seven to open the second quarter, with Grossman and Gallatin continuing to provide the offense. The Vikings then used a 9-2 stretch to tie the game at 26 and 5:36 on the clock. The Eagles had the counter, ripping off an 11-0 run as Elyn Bowers caught fire with six points. EWU pushed its lead to 11 at halftime, with a 41-30 advantage and improving the field goal percentage to 47.6.
Out of the break, Eastern was rolling in the third quarter. Jaecy Eggers stepped up her scoring with eight points. The scoring was well distributed, as Bowers and Gallatin each added five points in the quarter. As a team, EWU shot 42.1 percent from the floor and built a 64-45 lead.
Cruise control was set for the Eagles in the fourth quarter, and they continued to score efficiently. EWU shot 46.2 percent and scored 17 points during the fourth. Eggers again was the go-to option on offense, adding six more points to her total. PSU did shoot well in the quarter at 46.2 percent and edged Eastern in scoring with 18 points. The deficit was too much for the Vikings and the Eagles secured the road victory.
Eag Notes
- Eastern's 58 rebounds are tied for the 3rd-most rebounds in a single in program history. It's the 5th time in program history and 2nd time this season. Led by Kourtney Grossman's game-high 13, EWU had 6 players with 5+ rebounds.
- Grossman posted her 12th double of the season. She scored in double-digits for the 17th game and it was her 14th double-digit rebounding game.
- Elyn Bowers tallied her 3rd 20-point game as a freshman and now has 16 games in double figures this season.
- Eastern's bench scored 14 points, while PSU's finished with 11.
- Ella Gallatin earned her 15th game scoring in double figures.
- The Eagles had 13 assists in the game, with four players registering 2 or more. Jaecy Eggers and Bowers each had 3 in the game.
- Eggers was in double figures for scoring for the 11th game this season.
- Eastern went 12-of-16(75%) from the free throw line, led by a perfect 6-for-6 line from Bowers and 4-for-4 from Eggers.
- Grossman and Eggers each had four offensive rebounds in the game.
- Emily McElmurry set a career-best with 6 rebounds in the game. She added a team-best 2 steals.
- EWU out-scored the Vikings in the paint, 42 to 36.
- The Eagles led for 30:33 of the game, with their biggest lead of 20 points coming in the 4th quarter.
Up Next
Eastern Washington stays on the road to play Sacramento State on Saturday (Jan. 24), with tipoff at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.
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.
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