LA GRANDE, Ore. -- The Northwest University women's basketball team knocked off Eastern Oregon on the road Friday, 67-60.
The Eagles (16-9) (12-5) were powered by a strong start, jumping out to a 15-4 lead, five minutes into the game. NU's Erika Hornyak led all scorers with 21 points. The junior was 6 for 11 from the field.
Jessica Wilkerson added 17 points for the Eagles, going 6 for 17 from the field. Wilkerson and Alexa Breidenbach each threw four assists. Jessalyn Jackson added six blocks for Northwest.
The Eagles strong start was attributed to its 50 percent shooting from the field in the first half, compared to Eastern's 28 percent. NU forced 20 Mountaineer turnovers in the game.
Northwest's largest lead in the first half was 15 points, 26-11, with 8:13 remaining until halftime. The 
Eagles led 39-25 at the half. EOU cut the lead to 43-33, three and a half minutes into the second half. NU responded with 12-0 run to make the margin 22 points, the largest of the evening. Eastern cut the lead to single digits in the final two minutes, but could not overcome the deficit.
The Mountaineers (17-10) (11-6) had four double-digit scorers led by Shaylee Nielsen's 17 points. Samantha Flett added 15 points, Tana Stickney had 11 points, and Kyle Miller chipped in 10 points. Eastern finished 10 for 30 from behing the perimeter.
The Eagles could clinch second place in the conference tournament with a victory Saturday in Caldwell, Idaho against The College of Idaho. Friday's win sealed a sweep for NU over the Mountaineers in the regular season. The win marks the eighth time Northwest has beaten EOU in the 32 all-time meetings.
Eastern Oregon will still host a CCC tournament game for the ninth consecutive season, Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. The Mountaineers close the regular season Saturday evening against The Evergreen State College at 5:30. The Geoducks (10-17) (5-11) were eliminated from the postseason following a 76-47 loss at The College of Idaho Friday.