SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 9 Eastern Oregon women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championship, defeating No. 24 Saint Francis 70-61 on Wednesday morning.
The Mountaineers (29-3) continued their incredible season, defeating the No. 6-seed Saint Francis of the Naismith Bracket in just the second game of the whole tournament. EOU never trailed in the victory, leading by as many as 15 in the third quarter.
"No games are easy at nationals," said head coach Anji Weissenfluh. "I thought we came out and were able to execute our game plan. We didn't have to change how we play. We run, we defend and we were able to execute offensively. I am really proud of the girls for stepping up."
The Mounties came out in the first half doing what they do best, hitting high percentage shots and playing tough defense. Junior guard Jane Nelson found her rhythm in the second quarter, posting 12 points from 5-of-8 shooting from the field to give EOU an 11-point first half advantage. Nelson continued to give EOU energy and toughness on the defensive end, allowing the Blue and Gold to secure easy baskets. Nelson would go on to finish with an team-high 21 points, adding four rebounds.
"Jane played terrific, not only offensively shooting the ball, but also stopping their go-to scorer on the perimeter," said Weissenfluh.
Saint Francis cut EOU's lead down to five points to open the fourth quarter on a three pointer. The Mounties responded, bringing the lead back to 12 points just minutes later. EOU never led the advantage fall below eight points from there, as senior Maren Herrud and junior Whitney Meier combined to make the team's final six free throws over the last 90 seconds to keep the lead out of reach.
Cascade Conference Player of the Year Maya Ah You Dias kept the Mountaineers on full throttle, posting 18 points with six rebounds and three steals, shooting an efficient 6-for-10 from the field. Junior Madison Crews hit a few tough shots from behind the arc down the stretch, keeping the pressure on Saint Francis' guards. Crews finished with six points tallying a game-high six assists.
As a team, the Mountaineers shot 47 percent from the field, including 33 percent from three. The Blue and Gold would also hit 14 out of 18 free throws, compared to Saint Francis who shot 11-for-19 from the charity stripe. The Mounties would also lead the game in bench points with 15 points, while the Cougars were only able to score three.
Kara Gerka led the Cougars with 26 points and four rebounds in 37 minutes during the contest.
No. 9 Eastern Oregon advances to the second round of the NAIA Championships with the victory. The Mounties will face the winner of No. 7 Indiana Tech and West Virginia Tech on Friday at 8:30 a.m. CT/ 6:30 a.m. PT. Indiana Tech and West Virginia Tech play at 1:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday.
Eastern Oregon will host a second round live stream viewing party in the booster room in Quinn Coliseum at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time on Friday.
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