Eastern undefeated at seven games

History did not repeat itself Friday night as the Idaho State Bengals came into Reese Court looking for their 11th straight win against the Eagles. The Bengals won the previous 10 meetings against EWU, but were denied satisfaction of another triumph as the Eagles improved to 6-0 in the BSC with a 70-60 victory.

The 6-0 start has tied a 25-year-old record while EWU was competing in the Mountain West Athletic Conference before moving to the Big Sky Conference during the 1988-89 season.

“Tying the record was something I was unaware of until they announced it over the PA system,” said Head Coach Wendy Schuller. “I think it is something our team has earned, and we are really happy to be off to a 6-0 start.”

Both teams were a little slow to start out the game as neither scored until three minutes in. Jessica Huntington started the Eagle offense with a three ball and the Eagles built a 10-2 run to get the game going.

The Bengals offense kicked into gear as they worked their way back into the game, tying it up at 22.

Kyla Evans, hit a two pointer and dropped in a three ball to go back up five points before the Bengals hit a three pointer to bring the score to 29-27. Brianne Ryan ended the first half with a jumper to send the Eagles into the locker room at halftime with a 31-27 lead.

Evans ended the first half with eight points shooting 2-of-4 beyond the arc.

The Eagles had a shooting performance of 46 percent in the first half, going 13-of-28 from the field.

“I was really happy with how we shot the ball tonight,” Schuller said.
She wasn’t disappointed in the second half either as the Eagles’ shooting caught fire.

EWU came out of halftime to build their lead to eight points and didn’t stop there.

Seniors Nicole Scott and Huntington turned it on in the second half. Scott added 11 points while Huntington cashed in eight more to help build an 18-point lead, 67-49.

“Our two seniors [Scott and Huntington] played the way seniors are supposed to play at this point in their career,” said Schuller. “I thought they were both huge in getting us momentum, helping us build the lead and making big plays. They both hit some huge shots for us as well.”

The Bengals could only get the lead down to 10 points before time ran out and the Eagles sealed the deal, 70-60.

“We understand that there are a lot of games left,” said Schuller. “We know our league is full of good basketball teams who on any given night can beat any other team. We are just trying to take care of business one at a time.”

The Eagles, as a team, had 15 assists, six steals and out-rebounded the Bengals 44-32. EWU shot an outstanding 48 percent on the game and went 8-of-16 from the three-point line.

Four Eagles scored in double digits Friday night. Scott had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Evans cashed in 11 points, shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Huntington added 14 points with six assists and Ryan dropped in 12 points. 

The Eags made history Saturday night (Jan. 23) when they beat Weber State, 77-65, to improve to a record setting 7-0 start in the Big Sky Conference. The 7-0 start in conference is now the best in school history.

“I congratulated them on making history tonight,” said Schuller. “There are a lot of things you talk about before the season starts, and it’s not something anyone thinks about.”

Weber State came out ready to play hanging with the Eagles for the majority of the first half, determined to upset their first place. They were denied such a feat as the Eagles’ offense started rolling late in the first half. 

Tied at 22, the Eagles slowly began their quest to a 7-0 record.  Kyla Evans, Nicole Scott and Jessica Huntington turned it on for the Eagles as the trio helped EWU to a 39-26 halftime lead.

Evans dropped in eight points, while Scott and Huntington both added six for the Eagles in the first half.  EWU kept their shooting performance on fire as they shot 45 percent from the field and went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line heading into the break.

“I thought that our team did a nice job of making some big plays at critical times when Weber State had made little comebacks and kept fighting,” Schuller said.

The Eagles came out of halftime and built on their 13-point lead as Evans caught fire to spark the offense. With the help of teammate Julie Piper, the Eagles were soon out to a 20-point lead, 59-39 with 10 minutes left to play.

Weber State chipped away at the Eagles’ lead, but the Eagles’ defense held off the Wildcats’ attempt to upset. The Wildcats came as close as 10 points, 75-65, before they fouled the Eagles and sent them to the line. Chene Cooper dropped in 2-of-2 at the free-throw line to end the game, 77-65.

Evans had an outstanding game, having shot 6-of-11 from the field, 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 8-of-8 at the free-throw line to give her 24 points total for the night.

“I am very happy for Evans after her career performance,” said Schuller. “She shot well from the free-throw line, and that helped us overall in the game.”

Brianne Ryan and Huntington both finished the game with 11 points each.  Scott came up huge for the Eagles in the second half, ending her night with nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks.  EWU shot 41 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free throw line, going 22-of-26.

EWU (7-0, 13-6) has another tough matchup coming up, when they compete against Portland State at Portland, Jan. 30. Game time is set for 2:05 p.m. 

The Eagles will be back in action at Reese Court the following week to take on Seattle University in a non-conference affair Feb. 3 and return to Big Sky play Feb. 6 to battle Sacramento State. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7:05 p.m.