by Cheney, Wash. – Down by seven at the half, the Eastern Washington University women’s basketball team shot 57.7 percent over the final two quarters to earn a hard-fought 68-64 win over visiting Utah Valley Thursday night, Dec. 3.
Turning Point
Eastern struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, shooting just 31.3 percent from the field and scoring 24 points over the opening 20 minutes. The Eagles headed into intermission trailing by seven, 31-24, as UVU shot 41.4 percent as a team over the opening two quarters.
The third quarter was a different story, however, as EWU made its first five shots to take a 35-33 lead at the 7:08 mark. The two teams remained close as the third quarter featured four lead changes and five ties, but sophomore Violet Kapri Morrow’s three-pointer with 29 seconds left gave Eastern a 47-36 lead with one quarter left to play.
The Wolverines regained the lead on its first possession of the fourth quarter, but senior Hayley Hodgins answered with a jumper in the paint to put the Eagles on top, 49-48, with 7:42 left. Hayley Hodgins’ bucket ignited a 6-0 run for EWU as it led by five, 53-48, at the 6:08 mark.
The visitors would battle back to tie the score at 62-62 with 2:23 remaining only to see sophomore Delaney Hodgins knock down a shot on Eastern’s ensuing possession to give the Eagles the lead for good. Sophomore Mariah Cunningham had a key block on a UVU layup with 46 seconds to go before converting inside on EWU’s next trip down the court.
Junior Tisha Phillips (Nez Perce Tribe) iced the game for Eastern with two free throws with six seconds left to put EWU up six, 68-62. Utah Valley scored a layup with one second left, resulting in the final four-point margin.
Top Performers
Hayley Hodgins led three Eagles in double figures with 18 points, going 7-of-13 from the field while adding six rebounds and three assists.
Junior Ashli Payne notched her first career double-double, finishing with 16 points and 14 boards. She made three of her six attempts from long range and dished out four assists without a single turnover in 35 minutes.
Delaney Hodgins added 15 points and five rebounds.
Tishsa Phillips recorded a career-best eight assists to go along with eight points and four rebounds.
Morrow came off the bench and hit a pair of clutch three-pointers, finishing with seven points and four rebounds in 17 minutes.
Key Statistics
EWU held Utah Valley 10 points below its average on the season and limited the Wolverines to 3-of-14 shooting from three-point range.
Eastern dished out a season-high 17 assists and committed just 12 turnovers. UVU finished with 12 assists and six miscues.
The Eagles outrebounded the Wolverines, 39-32, and grabbed 10 offensive boards, good for 11 second-chance points.
Up Next
Eastern will take a break from competition during the university’s Finals Week next week before traveling to take on Cal State Fullerton on Sunday, Dec. 13. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. PST.
