BOZEMAN, Mont. — The intensity was high on Thursday night, but Eastern Washington women's basketball ended up on the short end of the road game. Eastern dropped the road matchup against Montana State, 72-70 in overtime in Bozeman. EWU is now 0-2 in conference and 7-8 overall this season. Montana St. improves to 3-0 in the Big Sky and 10-4 overall.
The Eagles led at halftime and had a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Bobcats surged with 19 points in the fourth to erase the deficit and force an extra period. In overtime, MSU came up with a critical layup late to pull ahead with seconds remaining. Eastern missed the jumper at the buzzer.
"It's a shame someone had to lose this game. What hard fought, physical game with some great plays by both teams down the stretch," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "I'm proud of our fight and toughness tonight. We knew that breaking the press, handling their ultra-physical style of play and taking care of the ball were the keys to winning."
Eastern had five players score in double figures, led by 18 from Ella Gallatin. Caitie Gingras was second on the team with 14 points, followed by 13 from Jaecy Eggers and Elyn Bowers.
"Unfortunately, we had a few too many turnovers, which gave them easy buckets," Gleason explained.
EWU had 28 turnovers in the game and MSU took advantage with 25 points scored off of those mistakes.
"We will need to let this one go after tonight and get ready for a tough Montana team in Missoula on Saturday," Gleason added.
Opening the game, the teams battled for separation. After being tied at four, Eastern put together a 7-0 stretch to take the lead. The inside-outside game was working, with three layups and two made jump shots. The teams traded scores down the stretch and EWU held a 15-11 advantage at the break. The Eagles shot 43.8 percent in the first.
Eastern kept the Bobcats at arms length in the second quarter, extending the lead out to 21-15 at 7:07. Jaecy Eggers and Caitie Gingras each connected from three for the Eagles. EWU pushed its advantage to as much as 12 in the quarter, leading 29-17 at 3:24. Gingras was the engine for the Eastern offense in the second, scoring six points on 2-of-3(67%) shooting. The Eagles outscored the Bobcats 14-9 in the quarter and led 29-20 at halftime, shooting 38.5 percent from the floor.
In the third quarter, EWU continued to score well as its inside-outside game produced. Gingras brought the lead to 10 with a three at 6:40. MSU did not let the lead grow anymore and stayed in striking distance. The Eagles had a two-minute drought of scoring near the end of the third and the Bobcats were able to reduce the lead to six with 36 seconds remaining. Gingras had one more shot in her, connecting from three and gave Eastern a 47-38 advantage going into the fourth. EWU shot 38.9 in the third quarter.
MSU opened the fourth with a 6-0 run that cut the Eagle lead down to three, 47-44 at the 7:40 mark. Eastern built the lead back to five on a three from Ella Gallatin, but the Bobcats answered on their next possession with a three. EWU led 57-54 with 1:21 remaining in the game but could not extend the lead. MSU missed three shots trying to tie the game. With 29 seconds left, Taylee Chirrick hit a long three to tie the score. The game went to overtime after the Eagles were unable to score again.
Now in the extra time, the Bobcats jumped out to a five-point lead, a minute and a half into the overtime period. Eastern clawed back with a three from Gallatin and free throws from Kourtney Grossman. The clock sat at 26 seconds remaining and MSU held a 70-67 lead. Gallatin then tied the game with a three and left eight seconds on the clock. The Bobcats got the clutch score from Jamison Philip on a layup and held on for the home win.
Eag Notes
- Jaecy Eggers posted her second career double-double and second in three games, pulling down a career and game high 17 rebounds. She scored in double digits for the 9th time this season and 24th of her career. Eggers also now has 2 double-digit rebounding games this season.
- Eastern Washington carried a 58 to 50 advantage in rebounding, a season-best for the team. The Bobcats held the edge in scoring, 42 to 28.
- Kourtney Grossman notched her 8th double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Grossman now has 13 games scoring in double figures and 10 with double-digit rebounds.
- Ella Gallatin set a career-best with 6 assists against the Bobcats.
- EWU blocked 6 shots for the 5th game this season. Eggers posted 2 blocks for the 7th time this season. Madeline Gibbs had her first 2-block game as well.
- Caitie Gingras scored double-digits for the 3rd time this season.
- Elyn Bowers scored in double figures for the 12th time this season. Bowers also led the team with 3 steals.
Up Next
Eastern Washington continues its road trip and travels to play Montana in Missoula on Saturday (Jan. 10) for a 1 p.m. Pacific Time tipoff.
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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