by Eastern Washington women’s basketball returned to the court for the first time in more than two weeks to battle Montana on Thursday night. The Grizzlies managed to top the Eagles, 68-50, despite a strong second half effort. EWU falls to 2-9 on the season and 0-2 in Big Sky play.
“We obviously struggled offensively in the first quarter to find our rhythm and finish shots after the longer layoff,” associate head coach, Skip Gleason said. “Once we settled in and got our legs under us, I think we did a better job attacking the basket, running our action and finishing shots. Milly Knowles had a nice second half and we did a good job getting the ball inside to her and letting her go to work. We are happy with the improvement shown in each quarter and look forward to returning home for a few games with this first one under our belt.”
EWU kept the game close, through the first quarter, keeping Montana’s offense in check and only trailed 4-6 at the 4:06 mark. The Grizzlies then went on a 16-0 run over to close out the quarter and held a 22-4 advantage over the Eagles. Shooting was a struggle for EWU, as they were held to a 1-of-15 shooting (6.7%), while Montana shot 8-of-16 (50%) from the floor.
Out of the gate in the second quarter, the Eagles scored four quick points on a pair of Jaydia Martin free-throws and a Jaleesa Lawrence layup. The defense for EWU was lock-down, holding the Grizzlies scoreless for the first six minutes of the second. Montana ended the half strong, going on a 9-4 run and bult a 33-12 lead over the Eagles.
EWU’s offense turned it around in the third quarte, scoring 16 points on 6-of-17 (35.3) shooting. Martin found her shot in the third, scoring nine points, including her first three of the game. The Grizzlies had a strong quarter as well, putting up 20 points in the quarter on 5-of-14 (35.7) shooting and extended their lead to 53-28.
The Eagles saved their best quarter for last, as the offense hummed to 9-of-18 shooting (50%) and 2-of-6 (75%) from three-point range. Martin poured in another 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting (44%) and was helped by Jacinta Buckley (Spokane Tribe) and Milly Knowles, who both scored six points in the quarter. EWU cut the lead down to 16 points with 4:42 left to play in the game, by way of a 13-6 run. The deficit was too much for the Eagles and Montana held on to win the game, 68-50.
