Historic Run Ends in 2nd Round of NAIA Championships for EOU 3/9/2018 6:22:27 PM DES MOINES, Iowa – Running into a hot-shooting Northwestern College team, the No. 6 Eastern Oregon women’s basketball team’s historic season came to an end in a 83-60 loss in the second round of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship on Friday afternoon at the Tyson Events Center. After a close first half, the Red Raiders pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Mountaineers (31-3) 24-8 on their way to advancing to the tournament’s quarterfinals. The Blue and Gold’s season comes to an end after winning 25-straight games that spanned from November to March and setting various impressive records over the season. The Mountaineers won the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season title with a perfect 20-0 record and swept the conference tournament to earn both CCC championships. On Friday, it was a tougher afternoon for EOU who shot 37 percent from the field while Northwestern shot over 50 percent in each quarter and 57 percent for the game. The Red Raiders used a sizeable advantage of 48-24 in points in the paint as they were difficult to stop in the post all game. Senior guard Stormee Van Belle led the team with 21 points. Senior guard Payton Parrish played 39 minutes, scoring 15 points with a 5-for-7 game from behind the arc. Senior forward Mariah Swanson added 11 points and a team-high five rebounds. The Mountaineers began the game quickly on a 14-6 run, knocking down their first four three-pointers over the first three minutes of the afternoon. Northwestern settled in and claimed its first lead 17-16 with 3:13 to play in the first. The Mounties ended the first quarter with a 24-23 lead after shooting 5-for-7 from behind the arc and 56 percent from the field. The Red Raiders shot 60 percent from the floor in the first to keep pace with EOU. Both teams battled back-and-forth in a close second quarter, but with the scored tied 35-35, the Red Raiders went on a 9-0 run to end the quarter over the final three and a half minutes to take a 44-35 lead into the halftime locker room. In a rough third quarter, Northwestern outscored EOU 24-8 as they dominated in the paint on both sides of the floor. With a 25-point lead, they held off any chance for a Mountaineer comeback in the fourth quarter. Foul trouble became an issue for EOU as both Van Belle and junior guard Maya Ah You-Dias played limited minutes in the first half due to picking up two fouls each. The Red Raiders also used fouls to their advantage to go to the line 17 times, making 14 of their free throws. Anna Kiel led Northwestern College with 23 points and 10 rebounds, making 9-of-11 shots. Renee Maneman distributed the ball well with 15 points and 10 assists while Kassidy De Jong had the team’s third double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Blue and Gold will say goodbye to seniors Van Belle, Parrish, Swanson and guards Reece Bauer and Jessica Sexson who led the team to one of its greatest seasons in program history. 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