Eagles rally to overcome Grizz
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 3 weeks AGO
The Eagles’ Emily McElmurry (23) dribbles the ball up the court as a Montana player chases after her. The Eagles defeated the Grizz 65-58 Saturday.
COURTESY PHOTO/RYAN BRENNECKE/EWU ATHLETICS
MISSOULA — Eastern Washington (8-8, 1-2) defeated the University of Montana, 65-58, rallying in the second half to get the road victory, according to a statement by EWU Athletics.
“We are so proud of how the team bounced back to beat the Griz today after the heartbreaking OT loss on Thursday,” head coach Joddie Gleason said. “Road wins are extremely tough in the Big Sky (Conference) and our execution of the game plan today was tremendous.”
After trailing by two at the half, the Eagles surged in the third quarter, outscoring Montana 19-11. Eastern controlled the paint, scoring 48 points inside and grabbing 49 rebounds.
The scoring was led by Ella Gallatin's 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Four Eagles in total scored in double-digits, with Emily McElmurry providing 13 off the bench.
“Ella's leadership this weekend was incredible as she kept our young team focused and calm in both games that came down to the wire,” Gleason added. “Emily had a great game today in her hometown and provided a much-needed spark off the bench.”
Eastern struggled to score early as Montana raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Grizzlies extended their lead to 13-4 at the 3:42 point. EWU then found some rhythm with six-straight points on three layups. The lead was down to a possession, but Montana scored late to hold a 16-11 advantage after the first quarter. The Eagles shot only 22.7 percent in the first.
Early in the second quarter, Montana added to their lead and went up 20-11. Emily McElmurry stopped the run with a three and Elyn Bowers followed up with a quick layup to cut the lead. After a Griz layup, Eastern launched a 10-0 run and went up 26-22 with 2:05 remaining in the half. Montana countered the run with a 6-0 stretch and retook the lead going into half, 28-26. EWU improved its shooting to 36.8 percent, as Bowers and Ella Gallatin each had four points in the quarter.
The Eagles started fast in the third quarter, organizing a 6-0 run that put them up 32-28. Montana tied the game at 32 before Eastern went on another 6-0 run with Gallatin providing two layups. EWU scored well as the quarter moved on, as Gallatin was hot with 8 points. After three, the Eagles led 45-39 following a blistering 52.9 shooting percentage.
Eastern maintained its lead over Montana in the fourth quarter. McElmurry provided the offense early in the quarter with a pair of made threes. EWU's lead grew to as much as 14 with 6:41 remaining in the game. Kourtney Grossman also found rhythm on offense, scoring seven points in the quarter. As a team, the Eagles shot 46.7 percent and scored 20 points. The Grizzlies scored 19 points on 35.7 percent shooting. Eastern closed out the game and won 65-58.
The loss keeps the Lady Griz 3-12 in the season, and 0-4 in conference play, according to a statement by UM Athletics.
“Not the outcome we wanted, but I thought we fought in chunks,” said Grizz Head Coach Nate Harris. “We just have to continue to be more consistently right on some things. There are 14 games left, 14 more chances to keep battling with whoever we have for that game. We will not quit, we will not stop trying to find out how good this group can be.”
The Eagles return home Jan. 15 to host Weber State at 6 p.m.
BOX SCORE:
EWU: 11-15-19-20: 65
UM: 16-12-11-19: 58
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