WALLA WALLA, Wash. – A night after hosting travel partner College of Idaho, the Mountaineers headed north to take on NCAA Division III Whitman College. The Mountaineers defeated the Blues 60-55 to close out the weekend for their fifth straight win.
Whitman struck first, giving the Mounties a run for their money through most of the first quarter. It was a 7-0 run to close out the quarter that put the Mounties ahead. A couple of Beverly Slater free throws with 28 seconds left gave the Mounties a 17-12 lead to end the first frame of play.
The second quarter started with a string of three pointers as Whitman's first four buckets came from beyond the arc. Whitman was able to even it up at 21 after a Carly Martin transition three with seven minutes to go. Eastern retook the lead on their next bucket and didn't give it up the rest of the half. A last second Megan Taylor layup brought the Blues within three making it 31-28 at the half.
Closing in on the Mounties in the second quarter, the Blues eventually caught up and surpassed Eastern in the third. A 12-5 run by Whitman gave them their first lead since the beginning of the game. With one quarter to go the Blues held a 47-44 advantage.
With the game on the line the lead exchanged hands twice in the first five minutes of the final quarter. The Mounties grabbed a lead and control of the game with just over three minutes remaining after a Shaelie Burgess layup. From there Beverly Slater, who picked up her second double double of the season, sealed the deal for the Mounties scoring eight-straight points to close it out.
Eastern Oregon returns to conference play at home this coming Friday. The Mounties will take on the Knights of Warner Pacific at 5:30 p.m. in Quinn Coliseum.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Eastern focused on the inside game only taking nine threes compared to Whitman's 20
- A strong performance on the glass helped carry the Mountaineers to victory as they outrebounded the Blues 46-28 highlighted by Brie Holecek's 16 rebound performance
- Both teams played strong defense with Whitman forcing 15 EOU turnovers, and the Mounties forcing 14 Whitman errors
STANDOUT MOUNTAINEER PERFORMANCES
- Beverly Slater: 20 PTS, 9-16 FG, 10 REB, 1 AST
- Brie Holecek: 2 PTS, 16 REB, 1 STL
- Sailor Liefke: 13 PTS, 4-11 FG, 5 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL