Mounties Advance to 2nd Round behind Dominant Second Half 3/8/2018 1:53:21 PM SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 6 Eastern Oregon women’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship with a convincing win over No. 25 and seventh-seeded Reinhardt (Ga.) on Thursday morning at the Tyson Events Center. After a close first half, the Mountaineers (31-2) picked up their defensive effort and ended the game on a 49-14 run over the final 24 minutes against the Eagles (26-10). The win for the Mounties is the eighth all-time on the national stage. The Blue and Gold spread the ball around effectively with six players in double-digit scoring. The Mounties also found their scoring touch once again, making 10-of-19 three pointers and shooting over 52 percent from the field. A 41-25 advantage in rebounding was also key in EOU’s second half surge. Senior forward Mariah Swanson finished the early morning game with 19 points and six rebounds, shooting 7-for-11 from the floor. Her partner in the frontcourt, senior forward Stormee Van Belle, recorded 15 points with six boards, senior guard Payton Parrish added 12 points, junior guard Maya Ah You-Dias had 11 points and senior guard Jessica Sexson had 10 points. Senior guard Reece Bauer also had a strong all-around game with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Mountaineers used a 19-6 advantage in the third quarter to run away with what was a close game in the first half. The defense limited the Eagles to 5-for-28 shooting in the second half after starting the game 8-for-16. The Blue and Gold also used a dominant effort in the paint on both sides of the ball, outscoring Reinhardt 40-16. The first quarter was fast paced as both offenses flexed their muscles to start the game. Each teams shot over 50 percent in the opening 10 minutes while the Mountaineers made six three pointers and the Eagles connected on five. Ah You Dias had all 11 of her points while Swanson had an early 10. The Mounties fell behind by five points in the second quarter, but used a 12-3 run to end the half up 46-40. Parrish had a four-point play, knocking down a three pointer with eight seconds left in the half and drawing a foul on top of it. Parrish made three long-range shots in the quarter to end the half as the team’s leading scorer with 12 points. Reinhardt’s Rebecca Cheeks had an impressive game against the Mounties, posting 19 points and eight rebounds early in the third quarter before leaving with an injury. She played just 21 minutes, finishing tied for the game-high in points. The win extended EOU’s winning streak to 25 games as they advance to the second round. They will face No. 11-ranked and three-seeded Northwestern (Iowa) on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Central time/1:30 p.m. Pacific time. Northwestern defeated Friends 81-74 in their opening round matchup. Friday afternoon’s game will be streamed live on the NAIA’s Stretch Internet Portal via pay-per view. Those wishing to view the game free can watch it in the gym at Quinn Coliseum or head over to Benchwarmers Pub & Grill in La Grande. 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