CHENEY — The Eastern Washington Eagles (11-11) fell 71-62 to the Northern Colorado Bears Saturday, despite a late rally in the fourth quarter, according to a statement by EWU Athletics. Head coach Joddie Gleason said her players showed toughness in the second half, despite the loss.  

“I felt like we didn't do that in the first half,” Gleason said. “We let [Northern Colorado]'s physicality and defensive pressure force us out of our offense. In the second half, we did a better job of handling their physicality. You can talk about it and watch film, but you have to see it in the game and adjust. We know all the top-tier teams in conference have really solid, physical defense. We've been knocking on the door, but have not been able to get a win against them. I think we're getting better and moving in the right direction.” 

Elyn Bowers was again the offensive engine for Eastern, scoring 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, going 3-of-5 from three-point range. The Eagles finished with a 39.6 shooting percentage, while the Bears shot at a 42.6% clip.  

“I've been getting extra reps and extra work at game speed in practice. I've been watching film to help me read other defenses and see gaps in them,” Bowers explained. “We let Northern Colorado dictate the pace in the first half. They were faster than us, and it sped up our offense. That's why I think we had so many turnovers. In the second half, we were tougher and slowed down, realizing that we didn't have to go 100 miles per hour. I think it was a good lesson to grow from.” 

The intensity was up in the first quarter as UNC made its first four shots and led 11-5 at the 4:38 mark of the quarter. After the Bears built the lead to seven, Eastern responded with four straight points to cut the lead down to a possession. Ella Gallatin accounted for all four points. At the end of the first, EWU trailed 15-12, shooting 36.4% for the quarter. 

The Eagles stayed close early in the second quarter, with Elyn Bowers providing the offense. At the midway point of the quarter, the Bears began to add to their lead. They went up 27-21 at 4:20. They extended their lead with 1:33 remaining in the half. The score held until halftime, with Eastern trailing 29-21. 

In the third quarter, Eastern put together a 7-0 run at the eight-minute mark and tied the game at 31. UNC reestablished its lead with four straight points. The Bear lead swelled back to 40-33 and 3:28 remaining in the half.  

EWU earned trips to the free-throw line to stay in the game. After three, the Eagles trailed 48-43, shooting a blistering 70% from the floor.  

Bowers was focused on leading the comeback in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead down to three with a jumper. The Bears responded with points, but Eastern kept close. Down two at 4:47, Gallatin delivered a clutch three to put EWU up by one.  

The Eagles lead grew to three at 57-54 behind two free throws from Kourtney Grossman. UNC surged back with a 9-0 run to go up 63-57 and 57 seconds remaining in the game. Eastern could not draw any closer and the Bears escaped Reese with the win.  

According to UNC Athletics, the Bears were paced by Tatum West, who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Heather Baymon added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Neenah George and Gabi Fields each scored 12 points, and Julia Riley knocked down three triples for nine points. 

BOX SCORE:  

UNC: 15-14-19-23: 71 

EWU: 12-9-22-19: 62