by Thursday night (Nov. 17) was a contest between two undefeated teams in Corvallis, Ore. as Eastern Washington women’s basketball made the drive over to play Oregon State. Eastern played the Beavers competitive for the entire game, but came up short, 73-66. Eastern is now 3-1 on the season and Oregon St. now stands at 3-0.
“We are proud of the effort our team put forth tonight. We defended and rebounded well, but struggled to make shots,” head coach Joddie Gleason said. “The team executed our game plan and competed every quarter. Jamie [Loera] and Jacinta [Buckley] were clutch for us tonight. Both had double-doubles, while defending at a high level. This game will help us to continue to improve and prepare for the Big Sky Conference games.”
The Beavers jumped out in front with a 6-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game. Jacinta Buckley would respond with a three-pointer to bring the lead back to one. On Eastern’s next possession, Jaleesa Lawrence would find the rebound on a missed three from Buckley and score on the second-chance layup to give the Eagles the lead. In a span of one minute, the lead changed hands four times. Jamie Loera continued to create separation and hit her jump shots. After taking the lead at 11-10, Eastern scored the next four points for a five-point lead. The Beavers then flipped a switch and charged ahead with a 9-0 run to close the quarter. Eastern trailed 19-15 after shooting 33.3 percent, while Oregon St. shot 45 percent in the quarter.
Jaydia Martin ended the scoring drought to start the second with a made jumper. After a Beaver score, Martin hit her first three of the night to pull the score to 21-20 and Eastern trailed by one. Oregon St. would continue to score, but were matched each time by the Eagles. The Beavers would find some separation, leading 33-26 at the 4:11 mark in the half. Loera would again step up and provide the points for Eastern scoring four to stay in the game. Martin would follow Loera’s lead and the two Eagles carried the offense into halftime. Oregon St. held a 38-34 lead at the break. Eastern shot 39.1 percent in the quarter, as the Beavers shot 37.5 percent.
Oregon St. made adjustments at the half, opening the third quarter with a 9-0 run. Milly Knowles would connect on the jumper to stop the run and get Eastern its first points of the second half. Following Knowles basket, the Eagles scored the next four points with quick layups from Buckley and Martin. Eastern had shortened the lead to 40-47 at the media timeout. The teams traded points as the time ran out in the third. Oregon St. maintained the lead at the quarter break, 53-48.
Both offenses were stuck in the mud in the fourth quarter and struggled to put points on the board. The score stayed at 55-50 for more than four minutes of game time from the 8:56 mark in the quarter. Both teams found their rhythm following the sluggish first part of the fourth, scoring a combined 39 points in the final four-and-a-half minutes of the game. The Eagles would continue to fight, as Lawrence found some space and hit a long jump shot to cut into the Beaver lead. Despite the effort from Eastern, Oregon St. remained in front and continued to score as well, holding a 20-18 scoring advantage in the final frame. The Beavers used free-throw shooting (10-of-14) to keep their lead and close out the Eagles, 73-66.
