by NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The Eastern Washington University women’s basketball team had four players score in double-figures on Saturday (Dec. 3) night to help the Eagles post a 71-57 road win against former Big Sky Conference foe, Cal State Northridge.
Junior Delaney Hodgins poured in a game-high 23 points to lead the quartet of double-digit scorers. The forward went 8-of-14 from the field and hit all three of her 3-point attempts to post her fourth-straight game with 20-plus points. The Pasco, Washington native was just one rebound shy of her third double-double of the season, as she finished with a game-high nine.
Sophomore Violet Kapri Morrow and senior Ashli Payne each tallied 12 points on the night, while redshirt senior Tisha Phillips (Nez Perce Tribe) tallied 10 points.
“I’m proud of the fight we had in us straight from tip tonight,” said head coach Wendy Schuller. “This team has grown a lot in the last month and I thought tonight we showed that. Defensively we played extremely hard and did a good job of making in-game adjustments. Offensively, we attacked in a variety of ways and I thought that was really effective.”
Eastern once again put on another strong performance from the field, as they shot a 55.8 percent against the Matadors. Tonight marks the third time in the past four games that EWU has shot 50-percent-or-better from the field.
The Eagles really hit their stride offensively after the first quarter, as they shot better than 50 percent in each of the final three quarters of play. Eastern shot a game-best 58.3 percent in the second quarter and hit five 3-pointers in the frame to turn a 19-19 tie into a four-point lead at half.
Win-Loss Records: The Eagles improve to 4-3 on the year, while Cal State Northridge falls to an even 4-4.
What It Means: Eastern moves a game back above the .500 mark with tonight’s victory. The win also gives EWU a split on this two-game road trip.
Key Stats: Turnovers were the name of the game on Saturday, as both teams committed a combined 47 miscues. However, despite committing one less turnover than CSUN (24-23), the Eagles were able to take advantage of the Matador’s miscues as they outscored them 23-10 in points off turnovers.
Turning Point: Eastern Washington went on an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter that turned a three-point Eagle lead into an 11-point advantage. EWU would maintain its double-digit lead for nearly the remainder of the game. They took a game-best 18-point lead in the closing seconds of the contest.
Top Performers: Junior Delaney Hodgins picked up a game-best 23 points and nine rebounds in the win over Cal State Northridge. The forward also picked up three steals and handed out five assists on the night.
Senior Ashli Payne scored double-digit points for the first time since a 20-point outing at Utah Valley back on Nov. 22 with a 12-point performance. The forward also collected a team-best five assists against CSUN.
Redshirt senior Tisha Phillips tallies double-digits in the scoring column for the fifth-straight game with 10 points.
Sophomore Violet Kapri Morrow picked up a her second-straight double-digit scoring outing with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
Freshman Symone Starks collected four steals in 22 minutes of action tonight off the bench. She also added six points.
Notables: With the win, Eastern goes an even 1-1 on its current two-game road trip.
Tonight’s win is the first victory for the Eagles in a true road contest this season. Two of the team’s three road victories in 2016-17 have come in neutral site games.
With 23 points tonight, junior Delaney Hodgins has extended her double-digit scoring streak to 23 games. The 23-point outing also extends her 20-plus point streak to four games.
Eastern hit five three pointers in the second half after missing its lone attempt during the first 20 minutes of play. The five trifectas made marks the 309-straight game with at least one made 3-point field goal made.
What’s Next: The Eagles open a two-game home stand this Wednesday (Dec. 8) against Cal State Fullerton. Wednesday’s contest against the Titans will be the annual Kids Day Game, with tip-off set for 11 a.m. PT. Several elementary school kids from around the Cheney-Spokane area will be in attendance as a part of the promotion.
