Eggers, Grossman lead Eagles to Big Sky-Summit League sweep

VERMILLION, S. Dakota — The fourth quarter is where the excitement is for Eastern Washington women's basketball as they complete another comeback. Eastern defeated South Dakota 67-63 on Saturday afternoon to go 2-0 in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The Eagles improve to 5-4 on the season, while USD falls to 8-2. 

“I'm so proud of our players. We beat a really good South Dakota team on the road today,” head coach Joddie Gleason said. “Defense always travels. We executed the defensive scout and game plan, which carried us on a cold shooting night. Holding (South Dakota) to 27 percent shooting and 13 points in the fourth quarter was impressive.” 

The game was close throughout, with the largest lead being seven. The game also featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes. After trailing going into the fourth quarter, Eastern outscored USD 20 to 13 to take and hold the lead. The Eagle defense held the Yotes to one field goal in the fourth.  

“Jaecy (Eggers) and Kourtney (Grossman) were huge for us again tonight and propelled us into the Summit League sweep this week,” Gleason said of her two sophomores. “They dominated in the paint and on the glass against quality competition. Our guards did a nice job of feeding the post early and often. They also executed our action if we didn't have anything inside.” 

EWU's sophomore forwards again powered the victory, with Jaecy Eggers scoring a game-high 24 points and adding 7 rebounds. Kourtney Grossman notched her second-straight double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds. The Eagles had four players score in double figures overall. 

Gleason reemphasized what it meant to go 2-0 this past week. “I'm so proud of this team! They continue to compete and improve every single day and they love to be on this journey together,” she said. 

Eastern jumped ahead in the first quarter, going up 6-2 on layups from Jaecy Eggers and Ella Gallatin. EWU stayed in front for the majority of the first quarter, but USD used a 6-0 run with under three minutes on the clock to pull ahead.  

Down 14-12, Emily McElmurry got free for a three and drained the shot to retake the lead. Eastern led 15-14 after one, shooting 33.3 percent. 

The teams went back and forth with layups and free throws to begin the second quarter. At the 6:31 point, the Yotes scored four-straight to take a 22-18 lead. USD pushed its advantage to 29-22 with 4:16 remaining in the half. The Eagles countered with a 6-0 run, getting four points from Kourtney Grossman.  

The teams traded points again down the stretch, with the Yotes holding a 34-30 advantage over the Eagles at halftime. Eastern stayed consistent with a 33.3 shooting percentage in the second.  

EWU began the second half with a 7-0 run to take the lead back quickly, led by three points from Elyn Bowers. A 5-0 burst from the USD put them back in front. Gallatin made a jumper to tie the game at 39 with 5:00 on the clock.  

The score remained tight as the clock ticked down in the quarter. The Yotes found three points of separation on a turnaround jumper and led the Eagles, 50-47 at the break. In the third quarter, the Eagles shot 37.5 percent from the floor. 

The Eagles tied the game quickly to begin the fourth quarter, as Bowers connected with a jumper. USD responded with a three to go back up by a possession. The Yotes' lead grew to 55-50 with 6:44 remaining in the game. It was rally time for the Eagles as they launched a 7-0 to erase the deficit.  

Grossman delivered with the go-ahead three. After the score was tied at 57, the Eagles made four-straight three throws to get a slight cushion against USD. EWU continued to make its free throws as the clock wound down and they closed out the Yotes for the 67-63 win. 

Eastern Washington is back on the road next week but has a short trip to play Washington State on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The game tips off at 6 p.m. in Pullman.