Box Score Cheney, Washington - The Thunderbird women's basketball team wrapped up their Pacific Time road trip on Saturday afternoon with a 64-53 loss to the Eastern Washington Eagles.
Eastern Washington came out hot, jumping to an early 11-2 lead and was able to hold on to the momentum for the majority of the quarter, with a 20-8 lead after the first 10 minutes.
The Thunderbirds shifted momentum in the second quarter, using a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three and only trail by four going into halftime.
“In the first period they hit a couple of shots about three minutes into it that put us in a position where I think it felt like the Idaho game all over,” SUU head coach Chris Boettcher said. “I called a timeout and we came out and executed really well defensively at the end of the first quarter and all of the second quarter, and slowly our offense was able to make enough shots.”
SUU was able to carry over the momentum into the third quarter, building up their lead to 10. Before the third period concluded, however, the Eagles had started to chip away at the lead and only trailed by two going into the fourth.
Early in the fourth quarter there was a long lull in scoring, but Eastern Washington was eventually able to use a 12-0 run to create separation, and eventually, cruise to a win.
Forward Jessica Richardson was huge for the T-Birds, with 22 points and completing the double-double with 13 rebounds. Ashleigh Munns was also able to step up for the T-Birds with 12 points.
“It was great for her, I'm excited for her,” Boettcher said. “It was good to see her do that, but I think she felt like she hadn't been playing as well recently because her shots hadn't been as consistent as they were early in the year.”
The Thunderbirds were able to outrebound the Eagles, pulling in 45 rebounds compared to EWU's 37.
The Hodgins sister were big for the Eagles, as they have been all year, with both Hayley and Delaney putting 19 points on the board, combining for 38.
“They're just such good, versatile players,” Boettcher said about the duo. “You can't take any possessions or any second off when you're guarding them because they can hurt you in so many different ways. They're smart, they're good shooters, they can come off screens, they push the ball and drive to the basket.”
The loss moves the Thunderbirds to 2-19 overall with an 0-11 mark in the Big Sky Conference.
Next up for the Thunderbirds will be a homestand against the schools from Montana, with the Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State Bobcats both making trips to Cedar City.
