NU's Jordan Asher (right) led the Eagles with 16 points
Strong Second Half Helps Lift Geoducks Over Eagles
KIRKLAND, Wash. - The Evergreen State College broke open a close game with a solid second half as they defeated Northwest U. 69-61 in Cascade Conference play.
The teams battled back and forth in a tightly contested first half with 3 ties and 4 lead changes with Northwest taking a slim, 33-30 lead at halftime.
The Geoducks (9-7, 2-3 CCC) outscored Northwest 39-28 in the second period for the victory shooting 43% from the field. Evergreen started the half with a 17-3 run finished off by a Randi Boseman jumper and a big 3-pointer by Sammi Clark as ESC would take a 47-36 lead with 14:30 showing on the clock. NU would whittle away at the Geoduck lead and Paige Burson’s free throw at the 11:17 mark would pull the Eagles to within two, 47-45. NU’s Jenna Lewis would get in the lane for a lay in to knit the score at 47-all with 10:23 left in the game and a Lewis trey with 9:47 remaining would give Northwest a 50-48 lead. Sammi Clark would sink two free throws to tie the score at 50-50 and two more free throws by ESC’s Justine Laney would put the Geoducks ahead for good, 52-50 with 7:41 showing on the clock. Free throws would be the key as Sadee Jones would sink two more from the charity stripe with 1:22 to go to give Evergreen an 8 point, 64-56 lead. Five more free throws would clinch the win for Evergreen in the final seconds as they would post their 9th win of the season.
Northwest U. (10-7, 2-3 CCC) was led by Jordan Asher's 16 points while Sanda Milovic contributed 15 for the Eagles who shot 36% for the game. Jenna Lewis came off the bench to score 7 points. NU out rebounded Evergreen 39-35.
Evergreen had four players in double figures with Sammi Clark and Sadee Jones leading the way with 17 points apiece. Brittany Gray added 12 points and 9 rebounds with Jessica Denmon scoring 10 for the Geoducks. Evergreen forced 27 NU turnovers and hit 23 of 34 free throws for 67%.
"It was a tough loss for us tonight," said NU head coach, Ken Crawford. "We continue to learn about the high level of consistency and performance necessary to be successful in this league. I'm proud of our team for their effort and determintation."
Both teams will be at home next weekend as they host Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon in more Cascade Conference play on Friday and Saturday.