Eastern Washington women's basketball team celebrates after earning their first Big Sky Conference victory with a win over Portland State, the first of two triumphs over the Vikings.
PORTLAND - Two wins may not seem like much, but the Eastern Washington women's basketball team's pair of victories at Portland Stat Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 to open Big Sky Conference road play will surely be a confidence booster for a young team with just one senior that only managed three conference wins all last season.
EWU won 73-71 in the first game and 73-67 in the second game.
Eastern improved to 2-2 in conference and 3-6 overall with the two victories, and in both games were led by a recognizable freshman from Spangle: Maisie Burnham.
In the New Year's Eve contest, Burnham scored 16 points, and on Jan. 2 she scored a career-high 21 points. She has now paced EWU in scoring in three straight games.
"Maisie Burnham gave us great energy today and I think everyone really fed off of that effort," EWU head coach Wendy Schuller said after the second game.
EWU only led for 10 minutes and 48 seconds in the first game and missed several free throws down the stretch, but managed to eek out a two-point victory thanks to four players scoring in double-figures. Aiding Burnham's effort, Jenna Dick, Kennedy Dickie and Aaliyah Alexander contributed 11 points apiece, while Alexander added seven assists.
The Eagles trailed for much of the contest, but Dickie's three-pointer with 2:21 remaining gave EWU a 71-68 lead it wouldn't relinquish.
"I thought it was a great team win," Schuller said. "A lot of players stepped up and made big plays in crucial situations and it's good for us to know we can win a close game. Now, it's important for us to get some rest and make some adjustments to get ready for Saturday."
Any adjustments that needed to be made certainly were heading into the Jan. 2 matinee, at least in the first half. EWU blitzed the Vikings 39-23 in the first half, holding a comfortable lead at intermission.
Portland State's Jada Lewis, who made her first career start, shot four-for-four from three-point range in the third quarter. Her 12 points helped the Vikings cut EWU's lead to 52-50 by the end of the period.
EWU then went on a 12-0 run to put the Vikings away.
The Eagles feasted at the foul line in the second game, shooting a striking 40 shots from the charity stripe while sinking 31 of the attempts.
In addition to Burnham's effort, Dickie had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Grace Kirscher added 13 points, while Alexander scored 12 points.
The two victories were EWU's first in the Rose City since 2017, and the series sweep over the Vikings was Eastern's first since 2015.
"I'm really proud of this team and the effort we put forward this weekend. Playing the same team twice is never easy and I thought our young team did a really good job of buying into the adjustments that we made on our off day," Schuller said. "It's really fun to see everyone coming together and locking in on the things that we're trying to do."
Next on the docket for the Eagles is a two-game homestand against Weber State, with games occurring Jan. 7 and Jan 9 at Reese Court. No fans will be admitted to either game, due to local and state health protocols.
Drew Lawson can be reached at [email protected].
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