Eastern Washington maintained its status atop the Big Sky Conference in women’s basketball with a gritty win over Northern Colorado. And EWU set a program record for wins in a single season in the process.
The Eagles posted a 68-63 win over UNC in Cheney on Saturday afternoon to move to 13-2 in league play. The victory is the 22nd this season under third-year head coach Jodie Gleason, marking the most wins in a single season in the 42 seasons of women’s basketball at EWU.
Prior to this season, Eastern had only ever won 20 games in a season four times. In 20 seasons at the helm, Wendy Schuller won 20 games twice, including the former record of 21 during the 2014-15 season.
EWU is in search of its second ever regular-season Big Sky title, including its first since 2010.
That victory highlighted a full Saturday slate of Big Sky action in the women’s league as the postseason tournament grows ever closer.
EASTERN WASHINGTON 68, NORTHERN COLORADO 63
EWU, who had a program-record 10 –game winning streak earlier this season, has now won seven in a row and 17 of its last 19 overall. The stretch has included a 61-56 win over surging Montana (the Lady Griz have won four in a row and sit alone in third place) and a 67-42 win over Northern Arizona on Thursday to take a one-game lead over the Lumberjacks atop the standings and avenge an overtime loss to NAU in Flagstaff that snapped the 10-game winning streak.
Eastern led by as many as 18 points late in the first half but Hannah Simental and the Bears came storming back. Simental’s 3-poitner with 21 seconds left cut the deficit to 66-61. But Jaleesa Lawrence hit a pair of free throws to ice the game.
“They are a tough team and they are playing really well right now and they are playing for a lot right now,” Gleason, EWU’s third-year head coach, said on ESPN+ following the game. “They are playing for fourth and they are trying to move up the standings so we know we would have to bring it.
“We really executed down the stretch once they came back and made it into the game. We did a really nice job of running the end of the game situations and we did a good job of closing the game.”
Lawrence led the Eagles with 19 point and nine rebounds. Aaliyah Alexander added 16 points and seven rebounds, surpassing 1,000 career points in the process. Shes’ the 19th Eagle to surpass the milestone.
“It’s a pretty cool accomplishment,” Alexander said. “I’m just glad I’m playing with the coaches and my teammates that are in this system to be successful.”
EWU overcame shooting just 32 percent from the floor by cashing in on 21 of 22 from the free throw line. Jamie Loera, one of the leading candidates for Big Sky MVP this season, had 10 points and five assists.
Aniah Hall had 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench to pace Northern Colorado. Simental had 16 points and played all 40 minutes.
NORTHERN ARIZONA 60, IDAHO 55
BOX SCORE
NAU locked down the Vandals after halftime to keep pace in the Big Sky race. The Lumberjacks trailed by as many as nine points in the first half and 37-30 at halftime before giving up 18 points after intermission to move to 12-3 in league play, earning their 20th win in the process.
The 20-win season is the second in a row under seventh-year head coach Loree Payne and the fifth in school history. The ‘Jacks shared the Big Sky title last season, marking the second time in school history NAU hung a regular-season banner in women’s basketball.
Three NAU players scored in double figures, led by Nyah Moran with 14 points. Sophie Glancey got back on track with 11 points and eight rebounds after scoring just three points in NAU’s 67-42 loss at Eastern Washington on Thursday.
Grace Beasley, a former Montana State transfer, rounded things out with 12 points and a team-high three assists. Beasley made 4-of-9 from the field and was instrumental in the fourth quarter with 10 points.
NAU has now defeated Idaho six consecutive times. The Vandals are 6-9 in conference play, 13-14 overall.
MONTANA 76, PORTLAND STATE 65
Coming off a one-point, nail-biting win at Sacramento State on Thursday night, Montana blitzed Portland State with a 33-point first quarter on Saturday on the way to earning its fourth straight win to move to 11-4 in league overall.
The Lady Griz, who now need one more win for a 20-win season, could do no wrong offensively in the first quarter, hitting 13 of 17 shots and building a 17-point lead before the game was 10 minutes old.
Montana led 33-18 after the first quarter, 44-36 at the half and did just enough to keep it a comfortable margin through the entire second half.
“We started really well offensively and that carried us through,” said associate head coach Nate Harris. “We never really had that continuity again after that first quarter but we did enough to win.
“We definitely didn’t have our fastball this trip. We had to win with some off-speed stuff. We got the sweep on the road and that’s what you have to do when you’re trying to keep pace in the league.”
Montana entered the game leading the country with 11.1 made 3-pointers per game. UM hit 12 triples against Portland State’s sporadic zone.
Dani Bartsch had 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, Senior Carmen Gfeller had 17 points and 12 rebounds, her 11th career double-double, Senior Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw had 15 points and five assists, and Senior Gina Marxen hit four 3-pointers on her way to 13 points. She added eight assists.
Portland State is now 2-14 in league play this season but were coming off a 60-55 win over Montana State on Thursday night. Esmeralda Morales, the league’s leading scorer and preseason MVP, poured in 31 points for the Vikings, her career-high.
MONTANA STATE 55, SACRAMENTO STATE 51
BOX SCORE
After allowing Sacramento State to hit 6-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc in the opening half, including four triples by sharpshooter Solape Amusan, the Montana State defense clamped down to lift MSU to a crucial win.
The Bobcats lost 72-50 at rival Montana last Saturday and then stumbled in a 60-55 loss at Portland State on Thursday, giving the Vikings just their second Big Sky victory.
“Amusan got away from us in the first 15-minutes of the game and that’s on me,” said MSU head coach Tricia Binford. “We changed up looks midway through the second quarter and she didn’t score again, and that was the difference.”
Amusan hit her final 3-pointer at the 6:21 mark of the second period, and over the next 12-minutes including intermission and extending into the third quarter Montana State.
Sac State had won four of six entering the weekend but got swept by Montana and Montana State by a total of five total points. MSU is now 9-6 in league play, 15-13 overall. Sac State is now 4-12 in league, 5-21 overall.
The Hornets held its biggest lead at 28-19 in the second quarter, but the Bobcats whittled the margin to 36-35 at halftime
MSU opened the third frame on a 7-0 run capped by Natalie Picton’s 3-pointer. Leading 41-38 with eight minutes left in the quarter, the Bobcats used another 7-0 stretch taking its biggest advantage at 48-38 following Malea Egan’s layup at the 4:26 mark.
The Hornets closed the gap to 52-51 with 2:36 left but the Bobcats secured the win connecting of 3-of-4 free throw attempts in the last few minutes.
“Our kids played with a lot of heart,” Binford said. “It was a physical game and they really had to battle. I thought we did a great job under the boards and got contributions from everyone.”
Marah Dykstra led three Bobcats in double figures with 13 points, while hauling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists. Picton and Madison Hall had 11 points apiece.
Summah Hanson led the Hornets with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
