A 22-0 run that spanned two quarters allowed the Eastern Washington women’s basketball team to hold off an Idaho rally and hand the Eagles a 67-57 victory in their Big Sky Conference opener at Reese Court, Dec. 31.
With senior Ashli Payne pouring in a game-high 21 points, and getting support from fellow senior Tisha Phillips’ 14 points, plus junior Delaney Hodgins’ 12, the Eagles earned the victory over the defending conference champions.
Eastern, which evened its overall record at 6-6, and ended a three-game losing streak, hits the road for games at Montana State tonight (Thursday, Jan. 5) and Montana on Saturday.
Payne, who had a lights-out shooting day going 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and 7 of 10 in field goals, also collected 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the season versus the Vandals.
“Ashli really stepped up and played with a lot of confidence,” head coach Wendy Schuller said. ”She shot the ball well, which is something we see her do a lot of in practice.”
But Eastern’s defense was also a major factor in stopping the preseason conference favorites. They forced 21 Vandal turnovers and limited them to a paltry 31.6 shooting from the field. It was that effort which propelled Eastern from a 16-11 deficit to a 30-16 halftime lead.
“It helps when teams miss shots, and I’d like to thank that our defensive presence attributed to that,” Schuller said.
But Idaho (5-7) did not fold, cutting the margin to just six at 62-56 with 2 minutes, 30 seconds to play. Eastern hit free throws to clinch it.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
See a photo gallery from the event here.
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