CHENEY, Wash. — The game was closer than the score looked, but Eastern Washington women's basketball walked away with a home win on Thursday night. Eastern defeated Montana 76-72 to sweep the season series against the Giz. EWU improves to 5-5 in the Big Sky and 12-11 overall. Montana falls to 4-7 in conference and is 7-15 this season.
"It's huge to get a sweep on anyone because once you get to those standings in Boise, it breaks the tie," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "I think we're going to be right in the mix in the standings with Montana. It's huge to get those two wins in our favor and move up in the standings."
During the game, the Eagles led by as many as 15 points, but Montana competed for 40 minutes and rallied in the fourth quarter. The lead was down to a possession in the final minute, but Eastern held pinned their ears back and stopped the comeback effort.
"You have to tip your hat to Montana. They hit some huge shots in the fourth quarter and scored way too many points," Gleason added. "We continued to execute and scored enough to keep the lead. It's never safe when you have a team that can shoot the three like they can. We have to make sure we continue to grow and get better every day. That's what we're doing, both individually and as a team."
"I would say the score felt close and their emphasis was on their three-point shooting; you can never let your guard down," Kourtney Grossman explained. "We did a decent job keeping our composure. We had some dips in energy, with us getting hands on shooters and helping on off shooters. But those are easy fixes."
Eastern's offense ran like a machine, shooting 48.4 percent and tallying 18 assists on 30 made field goals. The defense also was key for EWU, holding Montana to 27.6 shooting from three-point range.
Grossman led all scorers with 21 points, matching her career-best, and shooting an efficient 9-of-14(64.3%) from the floor. Along with Grossman, Eastern had four players scoring in double figures, as Jaecy Eggers scored well with 17 points. Elyn Bowers added 13 points and Ella Gallatin supported with 10 points.
"All credit to my guards honestly. There were a lot of really good post-entry passes. By the time the ball went inside, I had the easy job just to finish it," Grossman added. "[Ella and Elyn] are both super smart players and very unselfish. They're looking for the right play and the right pass. They did a great job of executing their reads and getting the ball to the right spot."
The Eagles and Griz went back-and-forth to start the game. Kourtney Grossman led the way with four early points. With the score at 6-5 and 6:46 on the clock, organized a 7-0 run to separate from Montana. It was Elyn Bowers who found her offense with five of the seven points. Eastern kept its lead and led 18-10 at the end of the first quarter, shooting 47.1 percent.
EWU quickly extended its lead to double-digits to start the second quarter behind another jumper from Grossman. Jaecy Eggers joined Grossman with a productive quarter in the paint, as the inside offensive attack was working well. The Eagles led by as much as 15 in the quarter at the 4:05 mark. Despite the lead, the Griz closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to reduce the lead to six at halftime. Eastern again shot 47.1 percent from the floor.
Out of the half, the Eagles built their lead back to double figures, with Bowers providing five points for the scoring. Eastern led by 12 with 4:40 on the clock as Emily McElmurry connected with a layup. Eggers also continued to score in the paint and would help EWU go up 57-44 with 1:27 remaining in the quarter. They led 57-46 at the break, shooting a strong 52.9 percent.
The Eagles looked to close out the game in the fourth, but the Griz were not done in the game. After Eastern had a 10-point lead, Montana gradually began to grind the lead down. The lead dropped to five at the 7:34 mark, but the lead went back to 10 quickly. With under three minutes to play, the Griz cut the lead down to six at 71-65. At the 1:02 mark, the lead was down to four. Following a Bowers made jumper, Montana connected on a three and the lead was 73-70 and 28 seconds remaining in the game. Two free throws from the Griz had the lead down to one and 14 seconds left. Eastern then made three-of-four free throws to hold off the Montana rally.
Eag Notes
- Kourtney Grossman posted her 15th double-double of the season after pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds. She scored in double figures for the 20th game this season and has 40 for her career. Grossman has 18 games with double-digit rebounds.
- Eastern out-rebounded Montana, 40 to 34. They also had a 38 to 30 scoring advantage in the paint.
- Jaecy Eggers had double-digit points for the 13th game this season.
- Elyn Bowers now has 20 games scoring in double figures, in only 23 career games played.
- Ella Gallatin recorded her 19th game this season and 35th game of her career scoring in double figures.
- There was only one lead change in the game and no ties, with the Eagles leading for 38:06 minutes.
- Bowers accounted for 3 steals in the game.
- EWU went 9-of-12(75%) from the free throw line.
Up Next
Eastern Washington completes its homestand on Saturday (Feb. 7), facing Montana State 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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