The 4-2 Eastern Washington Eagles took on the 5-1 Boise State Broncos on Sunday and walked out of Reese Court with a 64-43 victory behind Aaliyah Alexander’s 14 points.
Alexander is averaging 16.7 points per game this year, which leads the team and is third in the Big Sky, behind Portland State’s Esmeralda Morales and Northern Colorado’s Delaynie Byrne.
The Broncos jumped out to an early 7-2 lead as sophomore guard Natalie Pasco scored two of Boise State’s first three baskets. Pasco, who averages 14.3 points per game, lead the Broncos with 12 points.
The Eagles brought the game within two points, but an 8-2 run to close the quarter gave Boise State a 15-7 lead heading into the second.
However, EWU held the Broncos to just four points in the second quarter, scoring 21 of their own. During this stretch, Alexander scored six points, and junior forward Jaydia Martin scored five of her ten points.
Boise State had five turnovers in the second quarter, and finished the game with 22, as the Eagles were able to disrupt the passing lanes. Senior guard Jamie Loera led the team with four steals, and her 2.4 steals per game ranks second in the Big Sky.
The third quarter was much closer, with the Broncos winning the period 20-14. After freshman forward Bella Hays made a layup to extend the Eagles’ lead to 42-31, Boise State scored eight straight points in the final two and a half minutes of the quarter.
The Broncos’ momentum did not carry over into the fourth quarter. In front of the home crowd, Eastern Washington scored eight unanswered points before Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell took a timeout to halt the run.
After play resumed, the Eagles scored another eight unanswered points, causing Presnell to take a second timeout.
Out of the timeout, senior forward Elodie Lalotte made a layup for the Broncos, but EWU still had a 17-point lead, and they extended it to 20 by the end of the game.
Jaleesa Lawrence led the Eagles with six points in the fourth quarter, while Loera had three assists. Lawrence finished second on the team with 11 points.
Another key contributor to EWU’s strong fourth quarter was senior guard Jacinta Buckley, who had five points and three rebounds. Buckley ended the game with ten points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds.
In addition to forcing turnovers, the Eagles also shot well from beyond the arc, going 7-18 (38.3%). Alexander and Buckley each had two three-pointers.
Eastern Washington is now 5-2, giving them the best out-of-conference record in the Big Sky thus far. On Saturday, Dec. 9, they will look to continue their strong start at home against Walla Walla University.
