LA GRANDE, Ore.- EOU couldn't create a big enough lead against Northwest University, but managed to pull off a win on a special night, 74-65.
Eastern knocked down a couple shots to get momentum on their side, however the Eagles didn't back down and got right back into the game. EOU was allowing Northwest second chance points. Northwest had 8 offensive boards to EOU's 3 offensive boards in the first half. The Mountaineers led at half by a small margin, due to shooting 6-13 from behind the three point line (46%), 39-32.
"Our freshmen, Kyle [Miller] and Brianna [Smith] shot the ball extremely well and gave us a great effort on defense," said head coach Anji Weissenfluh. "It was a great atmosphere to play in tonight. We really appreciate all the hard work that went into making tonight so special."
The Mountaineers continued to keep the lead throughout the entire game, and got the lead to as much as 16 points. Northwest kept fighting back and got within 8 points with about 2 minutes to go in the contest. Northwest was forced to foul and EOU knocked down 17-22 free throws and shot 52% from the field for the game. "It was nice that our team could top off the evening with a win," said Weissenfluh.
Eastern Oregon will now take on the Geoducks of the Evergreen State College on Saturday, February 14th. The game will also be a tribute to the lone senior on the team, Orem, Utah's own Jenny Fiso. The game is scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m. PST and Fiso will be honored at halftime of the men's basketball game.