LA GRANDE, Ore. – The third meeting between the (RV) Eastern Oregon University women’s basketball team and Northwest proved to be no different than the regular season series, as the Mountaineers shot lights out from beyond the arc en route to burying the Eagles, 74-59, on Tuesday night at Quinn Coliseum.
With the win, the third-seeded Mountaineers (21-9) advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Championship, while sixth-seeded Northwest closed out its season with a 15-16 record.
KEY PERFORMANCES
Senior guard Jordan Klebaum posted a game-high 22 points, including six three’s, while senior forward Madeline Laan added 21 points and six assists on 10-for-16 shooting. In addition, sophomore guard Payton Parrish chipped in 14 points off the bench.
Brianna Fiso paced Northwest with 19 points and six rebounds in the losing effort.
THE STORYLINE
After the opening four minutes saw three lead changes, Klebaum netted five-straight points to put EOU on top by four (12-8) with 4:25 left in the first quarter. Laan scored twice down low to extend the Mountaineers’ advantage to eight (16-8), but Charmaine Bradford responded with back-to-back pull-up jumpers to keep the Eagles close.
Klebaum opened the second quarter with a pair of buckets and later followed with another triple to give EOU a 24-17 lead with 7:38 remaining in the frame. After junior guard Ashley Knight nailed a close jumper to match EOU’s largest lead of the game (28-20), Northwest tallied eight of the next 10 points to pull within two.
In the winding moments of the quarter, Klebaum swooshed a three on the left wing to give the Mountaineers a 35-28 halftime lead and bring the crowd to its feet.
EOU knocked down 50 percent (14-for-28) of its shots in the opening two quarters and outrebounded Northwest, 25-17.
Klebaum and Laan carried EOU early in the third stanza, as the Mountaineers stormed out of the locker room with a 7-0 run to take a 42-28 advantage with 6:49 left in the quarter.
Leading by 14 (44-30), the Mountaineers knocked down three-straight triples thanks to Parrish and senior forward Nikki Osborne to snatch their largest lead (53-30) of the game with 2:58 remaining in the third.
In the fourth quarter, Northwest assembled a 6-0 burst to get within 14 (67-53) after a jumper by Miranda Langenhorst, but Klebaum responded with one more dagger, as the Oregon City, Ore., native buried a deep three to extend the lead back to 17.
STATS OF THE GAME
13 – EOU improved to 13-0 when hitting 10 or more three’s in a game.
17 – The Mountaineers recorded 17 second-chance points compared to just five by the Eagles.
7 – EOU will make its seventh-straight appearance in the semifinals of the CCC Championship.
15 – EOU extended its winning streak vs. Northwest to 15 games.
UP NEXT
EOU will head back to Klamath Falls, Ore., on Friday to square off against (RV) Oregon Tech in the semifinals of the 2016 CCC Championship. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.