BOISE, Idaho — The game script was similar for the third meeting this season between Eastern Washington women's basketball and Northern Colorado, but the result was different. No. 6 Eastern defeated 55-53 to advance the Big Sky Tournament semifinals.
The Eagles trailed by 11 at halftime, but flipped the script in the second half, outsourcing the Bears 35 to 22. EWU's defense was particularly effective in the fourth quarter, holding UNC to 27.3 percent shooting and seven points.
"We have such a great group of players that play for each other. Last year we had a couple of freshmen starting and this year we have another freshman and three sophomores starting" head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We're a pretty young group and so sometimes it takes a little more time to recognize that they need to grow and learn. They're ready after a tough preseason and conference schedule. We have to really focus on one game at a time and even down to one possession at a time. That can be the difference in the game. We really tried to instill confidence in them and we just wanted them to let it fly in the game."
Eastern's scoring was the definition of balanced, with five players scoring in double figures. Ella Gallatin, Caitie Gingras and Kourtney Grossman all scored 11 points, while Jaecy Eggers and Elyn Bowers each finished with 10.
"It helps to have the freedom to let it fly and it has helped us all season. I think that's something that helps us all season long; it's that we know what each other can do," Gingras explained. "We trust each other and that's huge because you're not thinking normally so you just have to put your head down and do what you have to do. We all know that our teammates are going to be behind us no matter what. That's what I feel like we have across our team and with our coaching staff. It's really special to have all that belief in us."
The Eagles started strong in the first quarter, building out an 8-3 lead after five minutes. Kourtney Grossman led the team with five points in the opening minutes. The lead stayed with EWU at 13-9 and 2:51 remaining in the quarter, with Grossman scoring from range as well. UNC then organized a 7-0 run to take the lead as time expired in the quarter. Eastern trailed 16-13 after shooting 35.3 percent.
The Bears expanded their lead to begin the second quarter, pulling away with an 11-0 run. The Eagles struggled shooting in the quarter, shooting 23.1 percent and scoring only seven points. UNC struggled shooting as well, as EWU held them to a 20 percent clip. The Bears did go 6-of-7(85.7%) from the free throw line to provide their offense. At halftime, Eastern trailed 31-20.
To begin the second half, the Eagles put together a 6-0 run with four points from Jaecy Eggers to immediately reduce the deficit. UNC countered with four-straight points, but Eastern had found a rhythm on offense. At the 4:01 point, the lead was down to 37-34 on a layup from Ella Gallatin. EWU managed to bring the lead down to one at 40-39 and 2:17 left after a driving layup from Elyn Bowers. The Bears then used a 6-0 run to establish a cushion between them and Eastern. After three quarters, the Eagles trailed 46-39, shooting a strong 50 percent and scoring 19 points.
Early on in the fourth, EWU moved closer to UNC, trailing by three at the 6:47 point. With 3:34 remaining in the game, Bowers drove into the paint for the difficult layup and gave Eastern its first lead since the first quarter at 51-50. A layup from Eggers and two free throws from Gallatin gave Eastern a 55-50 lead with under a minute to play. The Bears connected with a late free to bring the score to within a possession. The Eagles missed a shot on its next possession to give UNC one more look to tie the game. Eastern's defense locked down and prevented a score, securing the win.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington held Northern Colorado to a 28.8 shooting percentage and improved to 4-0 this season when holding opponents under 30 percent from the floor.
- Jaecy Eggers posted her 6th double-double of the season. It was her 17th game scoring in double figures and 9th with double-digit rebounds. Eggers also tallied 3 blocks against UNC, her 17th game with 2-or-more blocks this season.
- Kourtney Grossman scored in double figures for the 28th game this season. She finished with 8 rebounds to just miss her 21st double-double.
- Despite being out-rebounded (41 to 38), the Eagles out-scored UNC 30 to 20 in the paint.
- Ella Gallatin earned her 27th game this season scoring in double-digits. She also led the team with 4 assists.
- Eastern snapped a four-game losing streak against Northern Colorado and is now 15-22 all-time against the Bears.
- Caitie Gingras scored in double figures for the 4th time this season. She also recorded her 3rd game with 3-plus made three-point field goals, going 3-of-5(60.0%) from behind the arc.
- Elyn Bowers scored in double-digits for 28th game, while adding six rebounds.
- Despite the close score, there were only 2 lead changes and 1 tie.
Up Next
Eastern Washington advances to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals against No. 2 Montana State, tomorrow (March 10) with tipoff at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time, 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time.
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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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