No. 6 Mounties Clinch 10th CCC Title with 20th-Straight Victory 2/17/2018 12:07:24 AM LA GRANDE, Ore. – For the 10th time in program history, the No. 6 Eastern Oregon women’s basketball team won the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season championship as they throttled Oregon Tech 85-57 for their 20th-straight victory, Friday night at Quinn Coliseum. After tying atop the standings with Southern Oregon a year ago, the Mountaineers (26-2, 19-0 CCC) won the conference title outright with the win on Friday night. The Mounties will meet up with second-place SOU on Saturday night, but EOU’s two-game lead already clinches them the title. The title is the 10th in program history, all under head coach Anji Weissenfluh, and the most of any CCC team. Southern Oregon has the second most with five. The title is the second in a row for EOU and the third in the past four seasons. The Blue and Gold clinch home court advantage throughout the CCC Tournament, which begins on Tuesday. Senior guard Payton Parrish came into the night needing just one three-pointer to set the program record for career three’s. Taking just three shots from behind the arc, Parrish knocked down the only shot she needed to pass Christie Weaver (2003-07) for No. 1 in the all-time record books. Parrish now holds the record with 301 career three’s. Senior forward Mariah Swanson led the Mounties with a career-high 22 points with six rebounds as the senior knocked down three three-pointers. Senior forward Stormee Van Belle scored 17 while junior guard May Ah You-Dias dropped 13 points with six rebounds, five assists and five steals. Senior guard Jessica Sexson also reached double-digit points with 10. Nohea Waiwaiole was the top-scorer for the Lady Owls with 13 points while Mikaela Shumaker added 12. The Mounties gained the lead 18 seconds into the game and never lost it with another wire-to-wire victory. The Mounties led by eight at the end of the first quarter and extended their advantage to 17 by the end of the first half. The second half was no different, as the Mountaineers increased the lead, shooting an unbelievable 71% in the third quarter, and keeping the Lady Owls to a miniscule 25%. The Blue and Gold rolled on in the final stanza, solidifying their 18th double-digit conference victory in 19 games. The Blue and Gold will be back in action on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Quinn Coliseum against rival Southern Oregon for White Out and Senior Night. With the conference title already locked up, the Mounties will look to end the conference regular season with a perfect 20-0 record. With nirst place clinched, the playoff schedule is getting clearer for the Mounties. The Mountaineers will play their first playoff game in Quinn Coliseum on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. against the eighth-seed of the tournament. For more information on Eastern Oregon women’s basketball, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com. FOLLOW EOU ATHLETICS Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu