Eagle Women pick up huge road win over UNC

GREELY, Colo. — Road wins are crucial in the Big Sky Conference, and the Eastern Washington University women’s basketball team will be heading back to Cheney with one after topping Northern Colorado by a score of 76-72 in Greeley on Thursday evening (Feb. 14).

Eastern shot 50 percent from the field (27-54) in the victory to go with nine three-pointers and had three in double figures. Violet Kapri Morrow led all scorers with 29 points, while Alissa Sealby added 14 and Grace Kirscher had 13.

The Eagles led for over 26 minutes of action and the win snaps a three-game losing streak to the Bears.

“I am really proud of our team. They showed a lot of grit and determination tonight. We had a very specific game plan and I thought they did a phenomenal job of sticking to it,” said head coach Wendy Schuller . “Savannah Smith is an unbelievable player and she had a huge game, but I thought our players did a really nice job at making her make tougher shots. Violet Kapri Morrow was awesome, especially in the fourth quarter when we really needed baskets. Overall, I’m just really pleased with our effort and our determination to find a way to get it done.”

Eastern trailed 13-9 when the offense caught a spark, scoring six-straight points and took its first lead of the day, 15-13. After one quarter of play, Eastern only trailed by two points, 17-15.

Both teams exchanged leads during the second quarter, Eastern’s first lead came from a Morrow layup and later the Eagles used a 5-0 spurt to lead 25-22. EWU went on an 11-2 run to build its largest advantage of the night of 10 points, 34-24. The run was highlighted by two Jessica McDowell-White three-pointers.

Northern Colorado responded with a 7-0 scoring run of its own to cut the deficit to three points, but Eastern’s steady 57.1 percent shooting from the field in the second quarter (8-14) helped them take a 39-31 lead into the locker room. The Eagles outscored the Bears 24 to 14 in the second quarter.

In the first half alone, Eastern shot 50 percent from the field (15-3) with five three-pointers. At the end of two quarters, Grace Kirscher (11 points) and Violet Kapri Morrow (10 points) were in double figures.

The Eagles fell into a scoring drought that allowed the Bears to score five unanswered points until Alissa Sealby snapped the run. Eastern then built a 53-44 lead until the Bears cut the deficit to four points following a 7-2 scoring spurt. Morrow came up with a layup with seconds remaining to lead 57-54, but Northern Colorado’s Savannah Smith hit a three-pointer as time expired, sending the game into a 57-57 tie with one quarter remaining.

The Bears took their first lead since the second quarter, 59-58 in the early moments of the fourth. Eastern led by just one point when Morrow went on a 10-0 scoring run of her own to help the Eagles lead 70-61. UNC would not go away quietly, firing off six unanswered points to cut the deficit to two, 70-68.

Eastern was solid at the free throw line down the stretch, as Morrow, Sealby and McDowell-White went 2-for-2 at the stripe. With nine seconds left, McDowell-White’s free throws gave Eastern a 76-70 lead. UNC would get a shot off as time ran out, but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles held on for the 76-72 victory.