Women’s basketball started conference play this weekend with wins against the University of Northern Colorado and the University of North Dakota. After the pair of wins, EWU improved to 8-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

Dec. 31: Northern Colorado 55, EWU 59

After a tough first half, EWU held a 32-30 lead going into the third quarter. In the third quarter the Eagles outscored Northern Colorado, 21-10, and had a 66.7 shooting percentage while holding UNC to a 25.8 shooting percentage.

In the fourth quarter, UNC pushed back with a 9-0 run and outscored the Eagles, 15-6. But that was not enough as EWU held on to win, 59-55.

Forward Delaney Hodgins led the team with 22 points and had nine rebounds. Forward Ashli Payne put up a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 points. Forward Hayley Hodgins scored 16 points and Aqeelah Williams scored eight, going 2-3 from the 3-point line.

Turning point:

The third quarter was big in this one for the Eagles. They scored 21 points and took the lead for good after a close first half.

Stat of the game:

The Eagles outplayed UNC all across the board. EWU shot at 48.9 percent to UNC’s 34.5 percent. The Eagles led in rebounds, 35-27, and in turnovers, 18-12. This was a well-played game all around for EWU.

Jan. 2: North Dakota 57, EWU 60

EWU had a dismal first half shooting at only 33.3 percent along with nine turnovers to go into halftime down, 30-22. But the Eagles came out soaring in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Eagles outscored UND, 18-14, to cut their deficit to only four going into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter EWU was down, 52-42, before going on a 12-0 run to take the lead, 54-52. A few back-and-forth shots kept it close before a final jumper by Delaney Hodgins and a steal by Hayley Hodgins with five seconds left to seal the win, 60-57.

Delaney Hodgins recorded a double-double scoring 21 points along with a career high 14 rebounds. Hayley Hodgins scored 11 points and Payne scored eight with six rebounds.

Turning Point:

The fourth quarter was the turning point in this one as the Eagles scored 12 unanswered points. In the second half, they had 11 offensive rebounds and collected 15 turnovers while only surrendering five.

Stat of the game:

Although the Eagles surrendered more turnovers than UND, giving up 25 to their 13, EWU took advantage of the turnovers they did accumulate. The Eagles scored a whopping 21 points off of turnovers compared to UND’s six, making their late comeback possible.

What’s Next:

The Eagles will take on the University of Idaho on Jan. 9 at 2 p.m.