LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 23 Eastern Oregon University women’s basketball team used a big second half to pull away from Warner University (Fla.) Tuesday, 80-59.
The Mountaineers (5-1) won the unique matchup with Warner. The Royals made their first trip to La Grande, returning a trip to Florida made by EOU last season. Eastern picked up an 85-50 win last year in the Turkey Shootout over the Royals.
Korrie Bourn led Eastern Oregon with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The junior finished 5 for 10 from the field. Nicole Redd, Dominique Johnson and Vintea Georges each had 10 points. Redd added five assists.
The game featured seven lead changes and eight ties, all in the first half. The Royals led by as many as five points twice, the latest an 11-6 advantage with 15:12 remaining in the first half after a pair of free throws by Kiara Reeves. Eastern responded with and 11-2 run to take its largest lead of the half, 17-13.
The teams exchanged leads until the half ended. Tina Miller tied the game at 30 with a free throw at the 1:45 mark of the first half. Neither side would score again in the half. The Royals shot 28 percent from the field in the first half, while EOU was 34 percent from the field.
Eastern Oregon opened the second half on a 7-0 run, and stretched it to 14-2 run capped by a Jorie Freeman lay-in. Bourn gave the Mountaineers a 57-37 lead with 8:27 remaining in regulation with a jump-shot. Johnson’s three-pointer with 1:12 left in the second half gave EOU its largest lead of the game, 80-57.
The Mountaineers had a 46-20 points in the paint advantage, 20-9 second-chance point advantage, and led 32-13 in bench points. EOU finished 45 percent from the field, 6 of 22 from behind the arc, and 12 for 18 from the free-throw line. Eastern committed 22 turnovers and Warner had 17. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Royals, 54-32, behind 17 offensive rebounds.
The Royals’ (3-2) Alexandra Melonson had a game-high 15 points, on 5 of 15 shooting from the field. She added seven rebounds. Shawnelle Campbell came into the game averaging 26.7 points per game; she finished with 13 points Tuesday. Warner was 29 percent from the field and 5 for 20 from behind the perimeter.
Eastern travels to Caldwell, Idaho, for a pair of games in the Lady Yote Classic Friday and Saturday. The Mountaineers play Walla Walla University at 2 p.m. Mountain Time Friday, and Fresno Pacific at 3:30 p.m. Mountain Time Saturday. Both games will have a live video stream and live stats on EOUSports.com.