by Eastern Washington women’s basketball was determined to end the regular season on a high note, and they accomplished the goal Friday night. The Eagles defeated Portland State, 68-50, after a strong second-half performance. Eastern would outscore the Vikings 37-19 in the final two quarters to deliver the victory in the regular season finale.
“I am extremely proud of this team and the way they have grown this season,” head coach Joddie Gleason said. “We’ve gone 5-5 in the second half of conference while playing on the road three-out-of-four weekends. We are playing with confidence and executing the game plan that the coaching staff puts forth for each game. We are staying together when there is adversity within the game and making those adjustments necessary to win games.”
The game was close early between the two teams and the Eagles picked up points from five different players to tie the game at eight. The Vikings grabbed a 13-8 advantage at the media timeout and 4:34 on the clock. A defensive battle began to develop, as the teams went three minutes with no points until a free-throw from Jacinta Buckley ended the drought. The offense then started to pick up for both teams, as Jaydia Martin powered the Eastern scoring with the final seven points for the team. The Eagles trailed 16-19 after the first quarter and shot 33.3 percent from the floor, with PSU shooting 50 percent.
Starting the second quarter, Eastern continued to score effectively as Jaleesa Lawrence drove into the paint for two, while Buckley notched two layups for the Eagles. Eastern jumped ahead 23-22 at the 6:15 minute mark. The Vikings would get the lead back on a made three-pointer, before Milly Knowles tied the game after driving around her defender for the tying layup. The Eagles used great ball movement to give Martin an open look from three and she connected for the lead at 28-25 with two minutes left in the half. PSU responded with three points to tie the game, before a made free-throw from Alexis Pettis gave the lead back to Eastern. After a made three-pointer from the Vikings, Buckley put in another layup to tie the game at 31 going to halftime. The Eagles improved their shooting to 46.2 percent, while PSU shot 44.4 percent.
Opening the second half, Lawrence knocked down a three pointer to put the Eagles on top. Lawrence would hit another three as part of a 10-2 stretch to begin the third quarter. Buckley added to the stretch with a layup for a 41-33-Eastern lead forcing and forcing a Viking timeout. After Buckley, it was Martin who attacked the rim, scoring seven points to build a double-digit advantage at 48-38. A Jordyn Boesel-three and another layup from Buckley would extend the Eagles lead to 53-41 at the end of the third. Eastern was 8-of-16(50%) from the floor in the third and held PSU to a 4-of-12(33.3%) shooting mark.
The Eagles scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter for a 10-0 run going back to the third. Boesel hit another three, while Knowles and Lawrence each added points in the paint. PSU scored its first point of the quarter at the 4:59 mark. Down the stretch, Martin hit another three and Andie Zylak got into the action with a three of her own. The Vikings managed to score to keep the game competitive, but nowhere near enough to threaten the Eastern lead. The Eagles went on to win 68-50.
Eastern improved to 7-13 in the Big Sky and 9-20 overall, while Portland St. fell to 5-23 and 0-20 in conference. The Eagles had good night from the floor, shooting 43.1 percent and 37.5 from three. The Vikings were 37.0 percent from the floor and 38.1 from three.
The momentum of the win was clear post game from Gleason, “This game was so much fun to coach because of the unselfish play. The energy on the bench and the absolute lockdown defense in the second half. We look forward to getting after it in Boise at the Big Sky Tournament on Monday!”
Top Performances.
Jacinta Buckley added 14 points on 6-of-13(46.1%) shooting and had a game-high, eight rebounds. Buckley added four assists and three steals.
