Three-point shooting carries Eagles to first Big Sky win

CHENEY — Home court was just what Eastern Washington needed to get back on track in the Big Sky. Eastern defeated Portland State, 78-49, on Thursday night at Reese Court, behind an effective night behind the arc. EWU is now 1-2 in conference and 5-10 overall.

Eastern took the lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back, leading for 32 minutes in the game.

"We have quarter goals and we held (Portland State) to 10 in that first quarter. I think that our other goal was to initiate offense from our defense; we managed to accomplish that all game and especially in the first quarter," head coach Joddie Gleason said. "We work hard at emphasizing setting teammates up and we recognize that inside-outside threes are a high percentage for us. I felt our guards in transition really accomplished that goal. Rachel (Harvey), Ella (Gallatin) and Peyton (Howard) found whoever was open. Those threes are easier and we saw that happen often tonight."

The Eagles went 11-of-20 (55.0%) from three-point range, matching their season-best for made threes. Five different players made two threes in the game, with four players scoring in double figures.

Jaecy Eggers scored a game-high 13 points, on 4-of-10 (40.0%) shooting. Her total matched a career-high for the true freshman.

"We worked together and our assists went up, with everyone sharing the ball. No one was selfish as we tried to get as many baskets as we could. If shots were not falling, we attacked [Portland State] inside," Eggers described. "We set up our teammates well. When we went inside, we drew another player and left someone open outside. In our full-court press, our energy helped force turnovers. When the person in front of you rotated up, then you had to rotate up as well. We were all on a string together. "

Beginning the game, the teams were exchanging points and the score remained close. The Vikings were up 8-5 with 5:33, but Eastern went on a 7-0 run to jump ahead. Peyton Howard led the effort with five points during the run. EWU closed the quarter strong, getting threes from Alexis Pettis and Kourtney Grossman. After the first 10 minutes, the Eagles led 18-10, shooting 53.8% from the floor.

Into the second quarter, PSU looked to even up the score, tying the game at 23 at the 4:34 mark. With 3:04 left in the half, Kourtney Grossman drained a three, then stole the ensuing inbound pass to give Eastern another possession. She found Rachel Harvey for the open three and EWU went up 32-26. The lead grew to as much as 13, with Jacey Eggers pouring in 10 points in the quarter. At the half, Eastern led 39-28, recording a 46.7 shooting percentage.

The Eagles separated from the Vikings in the third quarter, outscoring the Vikings, 17-8. EWU scoring was spread out with six different players recording points. Howard led the offense with five points and Grossman had four in support. Eastern shot 35.3 in the quarter, including 3-of-6 (50%) from three-point range. After three, the Eagles led 56 to 36.

EWU had its best scoring quarter of the game in the fourth, putting up 22 points on 50% shooting. PSU scored 13 points on 36.4% shooting. Ella Gallatin tallied six points in the fourth, with Emily McElmurry and Bella Hays each adding five. Eastern was able to close out the Vikings 78-49 for the home win.

In the game, EWU shot 45.8%, while PSU had a 37.7 percentage.

"We keep preaching to the team that our tough schedule will pay off and just stay the course," Gleason added. "I love that they got the reward of a win because we have been getting better every day. It's huge to get the first win in the Big Sky, getting to come home and earn it in front of our fans."