BOX SCORE
LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 11 Eastern Oregon University women's basketball team eased past Walla Walla University Tuesday, 97-47.
Kelsea Hurliman scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Mountaineers (14-4, 6-2 Cascade Collegiate Conference). The junior was 9-of-11 from the field, including 7-for-8 from behind the arc. She became the first Mountaineer to hit seven three-pointers in a game since Shaylee Nielsen was 7-of-11 at Oregon Tech on Dec. 18, 2010.
Nyesha Joseph added a career-high 18 points. The sophomore made eight of her 11 shots from the field. She grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Nicole Redd had 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Colby Patton matched a career-high with 10 points. Dominique Johnson threw a game-high seven assists.
Eastern Oregon shot a season-high 55 percent from the field, making 38 of its 69 attempts. The Mountaineers were 10-of-24 from three-point range and 11-for-16 from the free-throw line. EOU was 27-of-40 in the first half.
The Mountaineers controlled the game against the NAIA Div. 2 independent Wolves. Walla Walla led 2-0 and 4-2 to begin the game. The score was tied at 4-4, before Eastern went on a 14-0 run. EOU stretched the run to 33-5, leading 37-9 with 8:39 left in the first half. Eastern Oregon led by as many as 50 points in the first half, 67-17, and had a 67-20 lead at halftime.
Eastern had its largest lead of the game at the 6:44 mark of the second half, 91-36. The Mountaineers would then score six points over the final six minutes of play. EOU outscored Walla Walla, 30-27, in the second half after shooting 37 percent from the field.
The Wolves were led by Karly Joseph’s 14 points. She finished 6-of-9 from the field. Dani Carlman added 10 points. Katelynn Taggart had five rebounds, and Johanna Uribe had a team-high three assists. WWU was 30 percent from the field, 3-of-16 from behind the perimeter, and 12-for-16 from the free-throw line.
The Mountaineers forced 21 of Walla Walla’s 29 turnovers in the first half. Eastern Oregon committed 22 turnovers. EOU had a 45-25 rebound advantage. Eastern also had 30 assists to the Wolves’ eight.
It was the 17th all-time meeting between Walla Walla and Eastern, with the Mountaineers holding a 17-0 mark. EOU improved to 11-1 this season when leading at halftime, 12-1 when it shoots better than its opponent, and 10-2 when it outrebounds its opponent. Eastern has yet to have its bench outscored by an opponents’ bench this season.
The EOU women face its rival, The College of Idaho, Friday in La Grande. It’s White Out Night in Quinn Coliseum and fans are encouraged to wear white to support the Mountaineers in the battle for the I-84 Cup. The first 200 fans receive a free Wear White Get Loud shirt, and every fan wearing white will receive a giveaway. There will be giveaways all night including an iPod and a Kindle.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Live video and stats will be on EOUSports.com. Live radio will be available locally on KUBQ 98.7 FM with pregame beginning at 5:15 p.m.