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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eastern, Idaho women face off after thrilling wins in quarterfinals

RENO, Nevada – Eastern Washington coach Wendy Schuller and Jon Newlee of Idaho aren’t sure they can take much more excitement.

But they’ll try on Friday – against each other. And frankly they’re looking forward to it.

“What a game – it was crazy,” Newlee said Wednesday night after the Vandals pulled out an overtime win over Weber State to cap a remarkable day in the Big Sky Conference women’s basketball tournament at the Reno Events Center.

Four games were decided by a total of 10 points, including the Vandals’ 86-83 overtime win over the Wildcats. That sets up a momentous semifinal game on Friday afternoon against the Eagles, who showed some grit of their own in a 100-97 win over Sacramento State.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen a more exciting day in my life,” said Schuller, whose second-seeded Eagles (20-11) are the highest seed left and carry the favorite’s mantle after two regular-season wins over No. 3 Idaho (22-9).

The winner will move into Saturday’s title game against North Dakota or Idaho State.

“I think we have a pretty good understanding of Idaho’s capabilities – they’re a team that doesn’t quit, has a great inside-out game and has some freshmen who are shooting the lights out.”

On Wednesday, that was Idaho’s Mikayla Ferenz, who scored a game-high 29 points on Wednesday. Ferenz also had 26 against Eastern in their last matchup, an 84-70 Eagle win on Feb. 27 in Cheney.

“Coach gives us the green light because he believes in us – that confidence really translates and I’m able to knock them down,” Ferenz said.

“She’s turned into their go-to scorer, gets her feet set and they get her some good looks,” Schuller said.

In that game, the Eagles had a dominating performance shooting (going 36-for-60 overall and 8-for-14 from long range) and on the boards (outrebounding Idaho 32 to 24). They also got a remarkable game from point guard Tisha Phillips, who scored 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting and also had six assists.

In the earlier matchup, a 74-66 EWU win in Moscow, on Jan. 9, the Eagles got 15 points and 16 rebounds from forward Ashli Payne. They also owned the boards in that contest, 43 to 36.

Moments after the win over Weber, Newlee tried to look ahead.

“We’re going to have to go back and watch those games, come up with a game plan and hope to get a different result,” Newlee said. “We’re going to have them in the best position to get a W.”