LaNiecia Weatherspoon scored a game-high 25 points.
Late Run Lifts Mountaineers Over Geoducks
OLYMPIA – Eastern Oregon used a decisive 8-2 scoring run down the stretch to beat The Evergreen State College, 63-59, in a Cascade Collegiate Conference women’s basketball game played Saturday night at CRC Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Mountaineers wrap up the conference championship with a 16-2 record, one game better than second place Southern Oregon. Eastern Oregon, tied for No. 17 in the NAIA Division II Top 25, will enter the conference tournament with a 24-5 overall record and will host Concordia University at 7 p.m. next Tuesday in La Grande, Ore.
For the Geoducks, the regular season ends with a 16-9 overall record and a 10-8 conference mark, good for fourth place. By virtue of finishing fourth, they earned a home game in the opening round of the conference tournament for the first time in program history. Oregon Tech, which finished in fifth place with a 9-9 record, will come to CRC Gymnasium next Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Evergreen and Oregon Tech split their conference games this season, both triumphing at home. The Owls won, 67-58, on Jan. 10 in Klamath Falls, Ore., while the Geoducks took a 74-63 decision on their home court on Feb. 6.
Eastern Oregon’s aggressive, half-court trapping defense created problems for the Geoducks in the first half as the visitors built a 29-18 lead. Through the first 20 minutes of the game the hosts shot just 27 percent from the field on 6-for-22 shooting and they also committed 13 turnovers. On the other end of the floor the Mountaineers shot 44 percent, 12-for-27, led by Morgan Freeman’s nine points off of the bench.
Evergreen head coach Jennifer Schooler made adjustments in the locker room and her team took those words to heart, outscoring the visitors 41-34 in the second half, but the 11-point halftime deficit was just too much to overcome.
The Mountaineers opened up their largest lead of the game at 44-30 on a pair of free throws by Larissa Quintana at the 11:23 mark. Facing that 14-point deficit, the Geoducks scored 20 of the next 26 points to tie the game at 50-50 on a three-pointer by Sadee Jones with 4:54 to play.
That’s when Eastern Oregon went on what proved to be their game-deciding 8-2 run, highlighted by five points from Airashay Rogers. Karina Gee hit a three-pointer to get Evergreen within three at 58-55 with 1:42 left, but the visitors were able to keep the home team at bay down the stretch.
Rogers hit a pair of free throws with five seconds to play to give her team a 63-56 lead, and LaNiecia Weatherspoon hit a three to bring about the final score.
Weatherspoon, one of five seniors honored following the game, had another impressive showing for the home team. She led all players with 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Jones added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Geoducks.
Other seniors honored after the game were Randi Boseman, Brittany Gray, Natasha Trinidad and Jones.
Evergreen shot 60 percent in the second half on 15-for-25 shooting, and it kept the turnovers to just six over the final 20 minutes of the game. Overall, the Geoducks were 21-for-47 from the floor, or 45 percent.
Rogers led her team with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting and she added a team-best five rebounds. Madeline Laan added 10 points for the winners.
Eastern Oregon ended the game shooting 23-for-51 from the field, or 45 percent, and they were 13-for-16 at the charity stripe for 81 percent.
The rebounds were nearly even, the Mountaineers finishing with a slim 31-30 advantage.