LA GRANDE, Ore. – At least a share of the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season championship is staying in La Grande.
The No. 9 Eastern Oregon women's basketball team improved to 17-0 in the CCC on Friday night with an 83-61 win over Warner Pacific and own a 3.5 game lead over second place Corban, clinching at least a share of the regular season title. The championship is the third in a row for the Mountaineers, who tied with Southern Oregon in 2016-17 and went 20-0 a year ago to take it outright.
The Blue and Gold also added to their impressive winning streak on Friday, making it 23 wins in a row. The team also extended its home winning streak to 42 games and its conference regular season streak to 46 games in a row.
The Mountaineers (23-2, 17-0 CCC) had yet another incredible night shooting behind the arc. The Mountaineers made 12-of-25 three's, as well as shooting a consistent 44 percent from the field. Senior Maya Ah You Dias led the way scoring with 31 points, shooting 5-for-6 from three, 10-for-17 from the field, as well as securing seven boards.
EOU had 12 different players contribute on offense during the 22-point blow out victory. Senior Maren Herrud was the second leading scorer for EOU with 12 points, followed by junior Jane Nelson with nine of her own.
The Mounties started the game off fast, attacking the basket that led to wide-open three's. The Mountaineers in the first half shot 60 percent, at 6-for-10 from three. The key to the victory was the Mountaineers' swarming defense. EOU had 14 steals, forcing Warner Pacific to shoot 28 percent from three.
The start of the second half looked the same as the first. Nelson came out shooting with confidence, hitting back-to-back three pointers. Ah You Dias continued her dominant night by hitting tough shots, but also finding her teammates, tallying four assists. The offense continued to stay consistent due to junior Madison Crews' seven points, four rebounds, and five assists.
Head coach Anji Weissenfluh fully utilized her bench once again with all 13 players touching the floor, nine of which played double-digit minutes.
Bailey Allen led Warner Pacific with 11 points while Payton Whitmore posted 10 points.
The Mountaineers will face-off against Multnomah Saturday at 5:30 p.m. for Senior in Quinn Coliseum. The team will honor the careers of seniors Maya Ah You Dias, Maren Herrud, Khadija Neumeyer and Julia Hanni, each playing their final regular season games in La Grande.
For more information on Eastern Oregon women's basketball, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu