by Greeley, Colo. – The Eastern Washington women’s basketball team finished off its road trip on a high note, beating Big Sky Conference opponent Northern Colorado for the second time this season, 66-57, on Saturday, Feb. 13.
EWU came out firing on all cylinders, dropping 24 points in the first quarter, on 9-of-14 shooting. Sophomore Bethany Montgomery provided a great spark off the bench when she took over the game, scoring eight points in just 90 seconds of action. On three shots, without missing, she drove the lane for a layup, then on the next possession she crashed the offensive glass and converted the and-one putback. Finally, she drained a three pointer to close out the quarter, giving the Eagles a 24-19 lead.
Northern Colorado rallied behind a strong second-quarter performance to take a 40-39 edge at the half. However’ the Eagles locked up the Bears’ offense in the third quarter, forcing 10 turnovers and holding Northern Colorado to just five points on two made field goals. Freshman Amira Chandler nailed a baseline jumper to give EWU a 51-46 lead heading into the final quarter, and despite UNC’s best attempts at a comeback, the Eagles’ defense held the hosts scoreless over the final 4:28 to secure the big road win.
Top Performers
Sophomore Delaney Hodgins led the team in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while tallying six rebounds and three assists.
Junior Tisha Phillips (Nez Perce Tribe) scored 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting, while recording three rebounds and three assists.
Key Statistics
The Eagles shot 52.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three, while the Bears shot 39.3 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three.
On 15 fouls, Eastern shot 13-of-14 from the free throw line, compared to only 3-of-6 for Northern Colorado on 11 fouls.
EWU controlled the glass grabbing 35 total rebounds, while UNC recorded 25 total rebounds.
The Eagles turned the ball over 23 times, allowing the Bears to score 12 points off the mistakes, while Northern Colorado turned the ball over 18 times, allowing Eastern to score 18 points off the turnovers.
Up Next
The Eagles return home for a contest against Sacramento State, on Thursday, Feb. 18, starting at 6 p.m. PST.
