CHENEY, Wash. — Facing a strong shooting team, Eastern Washington women's basketball stayed resilient and earned its first win of the 2026-27 season. Eastern defeated UC Davis 76-72 on Friday afternoon at Reese Court, holding off a late rally from Aggies. EWU improves to 1-1 on the season, and Davis falls to 1-1.
"It was difficult in the fourth quarter. UC Davis is such a good team, and they are well coached; they were clicking in that final quarter. But our players rallied and stayed composed," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "Elyn [Bowes] and Jaecy [Eggers] made some huge plays down the stretch. We really executed down the stretch when we had to, at both ends of the court. That was the difference."
The Eagles led for the majority of the game, but let the lead slip away in the fourth quarter. The team stayed composed and closed the game on a 7-2 run. Davis had the ball trailing 75-72 with seconds remaining, but Jaecy Eggers delivered a critical block to stop the tying shot to secure the home victory.
Elyn Bowers turned in a career game, scoring 30 points on 8-of-20(40%) shooting and was 12-for-14(85.7%) on free throws. Eggers had 18 points, while Emily McElmurry had 14 and Kourtney Grossman had 10.
"My scoring came down to our action and my teammates helping me get open. It allowed me to get the shots I got. We had good ball movement, which is all credit to my teammates," Bowers explained. "Down the fourth-quarter stretch, I was not making as many threes. When shots are not going in, a great way to get back on is to go to the free-throw line."
Eastern survived 17 made threes from the Aggies, as they shot 40.5% from behind the arc.
The Eagles shot 32.3 percent overall and were 5-of-20(25%) from the three-point range.
"We knew they were built around [three-point shooting]," Gleason explained. "There were plenty of times we were right in their face, and they still hit the shots. In that closing minute when it was a three-point game, our players did a good job of playing heads up and not rotating on their drives to the basket. We did not care if they got two, but we wanted to stay out on them to defend the three."
Eastern's offense worked early as the team built out an 8-3 lead at 6:18. Elyn Bowers scored six points to drive the offense. The Aggies stayed close and kept the deficit to one possession. Kourtney Grossman scored three points late, and the Eagles were up 18-13 after the first quarter. The team shot 33.3 percent during the opening 10 minutes.
UC Davis quickly erased the deficit to start the second quarter, taking the lead at 19-18 less than a minute in. Jaecy Eggers reclaimed the lead with a layup on EWU's next possession. With Eastern up 22-21, the team used a 7-0 run to gain separation. Bowers accounted for five of the team's points. The Eagles stayed in front through the rest of the quarter and ended the third quarter leading 41-31. The team shot 50 percent from the floor.
Eastern's lead was out to 11 to begin the third quarter off a jumper from Bowers. With EWU leading by double digits, the Aggies began to chip away at the lead. They reduced the deficit to four with 2:39 left in the third. The teams traded scores down the stretch, and the Eagles held a 52-47 advantage going into the fourth. Eastern shot only 20 percent during the third.
The lead continued to get smaller as the clock wound down in the fourth quarter. At 4:25, the Aggies made a three-pointer to cut the score to 63-61. They followed up with three on their next possession to take the lead. A made free throw from Emily McElmurry tied the score back up. Another made three from Davis put them back in front. Two more free throws from Bowers closed the gap, and Eggers tied the score with her own free throw. Eggers then put EWU on top with a layup, but yet another three from Davis made the lead short. Bowers made two free throws, and Alyse Aby added two to give EWU a 73-70 lead and 16 seconds left. Following an Aggie score, Bowers made two more free throws to close out Davis.
Eag Notes
- Elyn Bowers scored a career-high 30 points against the Aggies. She was in double figures for the 31st time in her career and her first career-30 point game.
- Jaecy Eggers tallied her second consecutive double-double and 8th of her career. She scored double-digit points for the 35th game of her career and her 12th rebounding game in double figures. Eggers also earned her 28th career game with 2+ blocks. She finished with 4 to tie her career-best.
- Kourtney Grossman notched her 35th career double-double. She recorded her 50th career game scoring in double figures and 42 with double-digit rebounds.
- Eastern had two players with double-doubles for the second consecutive game, as Eggers and Grossman both recorded a double-double against Utah.
- EWU out-rebounded Davis, 49 to 41, getting 16 on the offensive glass.
- Emily McElmurry delivered her 5th career game scoring in double figures.
- The teams combined for only 18 turnovers, with the Eagles committing only 8.
Up Next
Eastern Washington has a quick turnaround with a road trip to Oregon State on Sunday (Nov. 8) in Corvallis. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.
Tickets for the EWU Women's Basketball 2026-27 season are on sale now! Purchase season and single-game tickets for the Eagles' 15 home games, including 10 Big Sky matchups and a non-conference showdown with Gonzaga. For more info, visit goeags.com/wbbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
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
