by (Boise, Idaho) – It was a payback game for Eastern Washington women’s basketball Friday night (Nov. 11), as the Eagles defeated Boise State, 83-74. The win ended an eight-game losing streak against the Broncos. Eastern improves to 2-0 this season, while Boise St. falls to 1-1.
Jaydia Martin led the team and tied for the game-high with 17 points. In total, Eastern had four players score in double figures.
“I’m so proud of the way our team prepared for this game. We made adjustments at halftime and executed down the stretch to solidify the win,” head coach Joddie Gleason said. “These players are invested in our team-first mentality and truly play for their sisters beside them. Jaydia [Martin] was in foul trouble and played limited minutes in the first half. While we know she can score, what really stood out was her leadership and IQ on the court. Camille [Jentzsch] provided some qualify minutes when we needed her. She was a physical presence inside and she had some huge boards. She made defensive rotations against veteran posts. Boise State has two very good post players along with lights-out shooters. They are a quality program that is well coached. This road win is huge for the program. Go Eags!”
Boise St. had the early lead, scoring the first five points of the game. Eastern responded quickly on a made three from Aaliyah Alexander. After the media timeout at 4:42 in the quarter, Martin connected from three and put the Eagles up 9-8. She followed up on the next possession with another three and the lead grew for Eastern. The Broncos cut the lead down to one at 12-11, but the Eagles raced away with a 7-0 run. Andie Zylak carried Eastern at the end of the quarter, scoring five points. The Eagles led 21-12 after the first quarter and posted a 41.2 shooting percentage. They held the Broncos to 23.5 shooting in the quarter.
The beginning of the second quarter was an offensive struggle for both teams. Milly Knowles scored the first points at the 7:45 mark. Boise St. began to trim down the Eastern lead, cutting it to 26-23 with 4:23 minutes on the clock. The Eagles rebuilt the lead with a layup from Alexis Pettis and a hook shot from Camille Jentzsch. Eastern built out the lead to 36-28 on a layup from Jacinta Buckley. Boise St. would close the half with two three-pointers and the Eagles lead was down to 36-34. In the second quarter, Eastern shot 38.9 percent and the Broncos were improving with a 50.0 percentage.
The third quarter started with a flurry of points in the first two minutes. Both teams made a jump shot and a layup and there were two lead changes. The score remained close until the 6:34 mark when Jamie Loera hit a three-pointer to open a 45-41 lead on the Broncos. Eastern remained aggressive and drove the ball into the paint. Boise St. would then tie and take the lead with a 5-0 run at 50-47. Following a pair of free-throws from Zylak, Martin hit another three-pointer and the lead was back with the Eagles. Jaleesa Lawrence would connect from three as well to extend the advantage. The Broncos countered and would tie the game up at 58 as the quarter ended. Eastern shot 47.1 percent in the quarter, but Boise St. was on fire with a 61.5 percent stat line.
With 10 minutes left in the game, Eastern went to work in the fourth. The Eagles had their best shooting quarter of the game, with a 50 percent figure, going 8-of-16(50%) from the floor. Buckley give Eastern some breathing room with a three-pointer at 6:45 left in the game for the 67-63 lead. Loera and Zylak would continue to drive into the paint and convert their layups. Eastern began to pull away from the Broncos at 73-66. Down the stretch of the game, the Eagles made their free-throws to keep the lead intact and not allow Boise St. to get any momentum.
