LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 19 EOU women’s basketball team used dominant second and third quarters and dished out 20 assists on the way to steamrolling Northwest, 75-46, on Saturday night at Quinn Coliseum.
In those two quarters, the Mountaineers outscored the Eagles by 24 (39-15) and used runs of 14-0 and 12-0 to put the game out of reach.
Junior sharpshooter Payton Parrish was key for EOU, netting 12 of her 15 points in the first half to help the Blue and Gold overcome a sluggish start.
Wreaking havoc in the paint all night, senior post Ashley Knight recorded 11 points and seven boards, while junior guard Maya Ah You (Dias) added nine points and three assists.
After EOU started the contest 1-for-9 from the field and fell behind by nine (12-3), Parrish and senior guard Donniesha Webber teamed up to score the Mountaineers’ next 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc, to spark a 20-9 run.
Another trey by Parrish put EOU in front by six (26-23), and then junior forward Mariah Swanson muscled her way inside for a layup to launch a 14-0 burst to end the second frame and give the Blue and Gold a 14-point (37-23) halftime lead. During EOU’s explosive second quarter, the Mountaineers held the Eagles to a 15.4 percent (2-for-13) clip.
Paige Burson opened the third quarter with two quick jumpers for Northwest (10-15, 5-10 CCC) to make it a 10-point game (37-27), but that’s as close as the Eagles would get. Junior forward Stormee Van Belle and Dias scored buckets to launch a 12-0 run, and EOU never looked back.
BY THE NUMBERS
20 – EOU eclipsed the 20-assist mark for the eighth time this season.
5 –Parrish matched a season-high three’s for the fourth time during the 2016-17 campaign.
UP NEXT
EOU (19-4, 12-2 CCC) hits to road to face Multnomah on Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m.