BOX SCORE
LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University women’s basketball team held off The Evergreen State College, 69-68, in the opening game of the Cascade Conference season Friday.
The Mountaineers (8-1) won their fifth game in a row, and did it wearing throwback uniforms on ‘70s Night in Quinn Coliseum. The large crowd in La Grande was held on the edge of their seat all the way until the buzzer sounded. With Eastern leading 69-68, EOU’s Shaylee Nielsen missed a three-pointer at the end of the shot clock. Evergreen’s Latrina Woods grabbed a rebound with four seconds left and raced down the floor, but missed a jumper right outside the paint as time expired.
Eastern Oregon finished with four players scoring in double figures, three ended with 13 points. Kyle Miller had 13 points, a team-high six rebounds, and a game-high four assists. Vintea Georges and Shaylee Nielsen also each added 13 points. Georges grabbed five rebounds and Nielsen hit 3 of her 7 shots from behind the perimeter. Kelsea Hurliman chipped in 11 points.
The back-and-forth battle featured eight ties and 15 lead changes. Eastern’s largest lead in the first half was at the 18:17 mark when it led, 9-3. Seven minutes later TESC had its largest lead of the half, 22-17. The Mountaineers led 39-36 at halftime. A Nyesha Joseph jumper with 9:22 left in regulation gave EOU its largest lead of the game, 62-49.
Over the next eight minutes the Geoducks crawled back into the game tying the game at 67 with a Danielle Swain jumper. Cambria Smith gave Evergreen a 68-67 lead with a free throw with 1:13 left in the game. A pair of Hurliman free throws with 1:02 left was the winning baskets.
Evergreen State (1-5) shot a phenomenal 61 percent from the field in the first half, but was held to 38 percent in the second half. The Geoducks made 4 of their 11 three-pointers in the loss. EOU shot 41 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arc. The Mountaineers made 8 of their 10 free throws. TESC was 8 of 17 from the free throw line.
Woods, Smith, and Shekia Hill all had 14 points to lead Evergreen. Swain added 10 points off of the bench. Smith finished with a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Geoducks turned the ball over 19 times, while Eastern committed 15 turnovers. Evergreen State outrebounded EOU, 35-32. The Mountaineers had 22 bench points compared to Evergreen’s 12.
Evergreen State is now 0-14 all-time in Quinn Coliseum. Eastern owns the all-time series overall, 24-2. The Mountaineers have won five straight over the Geoducks.
Eastern Oregon hosts Northwest University Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ‘80s Night in Quinn Coliseum. The Eagles (6-3) won their third straight game Friday, 50-49, at The College of Idaho. Fans are encouraged to wear ‘80s attire or wear royal blue to support the Mountaineers. A live video stream and live stats will be available on EOUSports.com.