SPOKANE, Wash. — Eastern Washington women's basketball hosted Sacramento State and Kids Day Thursday morning at Reese Court. The Hornets defeated Eastern, 69-60, after a staunch defensive effort in the first half. EWU falls to 5-9 in the Big Sky, while being 12-15 overall. Sac. St. improves to 6-8 in conference and 12-15 this season.
"We struggled to score in the first half. Our first group with Kourtney [Grossman] and Jaecy [Eggers] did a nice job, but not much help for them. When you score 15 points in the first half, it's hard to beat anyone," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We're continuing to get our young players to play in these situations where teams get after you defensively. They're going to be physical and we have to be able to run our action while close guarded. We're continuously trying to get better at that and making the correct read."
EWU's defense kept the team in the game, holding Sac. St. to a 32.2 shooting percentage in the first half and 24 points. However, the Hornets limited the Eagles to 15 points in the first half and 34.7 shooting.
The offense picked up in the second half, but Sac. St. built a double-digit lead in the third quarter. They held the lead for the rest of the game to earn the road win.
Kourtney Grossman delivered a game-high 20 points with an efficient 7-of-11(63.6%) shooting day, including 3-of-4(75%) from three-point range. Ella Gallatin fought side-by-side with Grossman, scoring 19 points, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
"I think we're hard fighters when we choose to be," Grossman explained. "It's something we need to do for the whole game, not just when we have to because we're trailing. I think we were playing with urgency in the second half. We were getting to our action quickly and not taking a long time to set it up. I think when we play fast and move the ball, people find each other and make plays. [Sac. St.] is always a physical team and we have to be ready to be physical first and not let them make the first move."
The first quarter was a defensive chess match between the Eagles and Hornets as the teams combined for 13 points and a 24.0 field goal percentage. The two teams also combined for 12 turnovers. Kourtney Grossman led the Eagles with four points. After one, EWU trailed 7-6, shooting 25 percent from the floor.
The score remained close early in the second and sat at 9-8 Sac. St. from the 7:49 point to 4:57. The Hornets then extended its lead to seven at 17-10 and 2:46 remaining in the half. Jaecy Eggers tried to keep the Eagles close, scoring five points in the quarter. Sac St. continued to expand its lead and went up 24-15 at halftime. EWU shot 44.4 percent in the quarter.
Sac. St. pulled away in the third, out-scoring Eastern 21 to 14. The Hornets shot a blistering 66.7 percent from the floor. Comparatively, EWU shot 38.5 percent in the quarter. Grossman and Elyn Bowers each scored five points to lead the Eagles. After three, Eastern trailed 45-29.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles made a strong drive at a comeback. EWU cut the lead down to single digits at 3:30 behind a Ella Gallatin jumper. Grossman followed on the next possession with a three and the deficit was down to 53-47. The Hornets countered to build the lead back to double-digits with 1:24 remaining, leading 60-49. Eastern continued to fight and got as close as seven points with 24 seconds remaining, trailing 67-60. The deficit was too much to overcome and Sac. St. held on for the victory.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington hosted Kids Day with 2,689 Cheney and Spokane elementary school-age kids attending the game.
- Kourtney Grossman notched her 3rd 20-point game of the season. She scored in double figures for the 23rd game this season.
- Elyn Bowers posted her 23rd game with double-digit points finishing with 12 points.
- Ella Gallatin just missed on another 20-point game, but had her 23rd double-digit scoring game this season.
- Sacramento State had the edge in rebounding, holding a 32 to 26 advantage. Grossman led the team with 8, while Gallatin and Jaecy Eggers each had 6. The rebounding advantage helped the Hornets control the paint, out-scoring the Eagles 34 to 22.
- Eggers tallied 2 blocks in the game and now has 14 games this season with 2+ blocks. She has 41 total blocks after today's game.
Up Next
Eastern Washington stays at Reese Court and hosts Portland State on Saturday (Feb. 21), with tipoff at 2 p.m.
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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