Youthful Eastern Washington Women Bounce Gu
Their best lies ahead - the stars were two sophomores and a freshman - but Eastern Washington’s 83-69 women’s basketball win over Gonzaga Tuesday night was an impressive reminder that in spite of the youth, the future is now.
With sophomores Shana Ray and Tanya Kirk combining for 50 points, with a well-rounded assist from St. John-Endicott freshman Andee Schmick down the stretch, the Eagles broke open a tight game in the final 5:47 and rolled to their second consecutive victory.
A 5-foot-9 do-everything guard from Lynnwood, Wash., Ray shook off the effects of a bothersome Achilles’ tendon and tough defense by Gonzaga’s Staci Andrews to score 26 points.
It wasn’t as if Ray had the run of EWU’s Reese Court. Three inches shorter, Andrews made Ray earn her points, which have come in bundles. She had 29 in Sunday’s 70-67 comeback win over Colorado State.
“I was gettin’ punched a little bit and held,” Ray said. “It was frustrating, but that’s what they’re supposed to do. They did a good job.”
The 6-1 Kirk, who was more effective on the perimeter than inside, created match-up problems for the Zags. Kirk exploited them for 24 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
“She brings emotion to our team and we need that,” Eastern coach Heidi VanDerveer said.
Talent and size were the prime factors when the Eags went on a 14-5 run to end the game, keyed by Schmick’s 8 points.
“I think we’re better than they are, but they played harder,” VanDerveer said. “When we felt the sense of urgency, we stepped it up a little bit.”
The Eagles, who finish the week on the road, at Cal State Fullerton on Friday and at San Diego Sunday, benefited from a solid game at the point by senior Jennifer Sutter (11 points, eight assists, two blocks, two steals).
A rejection by Sutter sent the Eagles on a break that ended with a Schmick layup that put the Eagles up by nine points with 3:23 left.
Gonzaga coach Kellee Barney was satisfied with the effort of her young team that slipped to 1-2 heading into a Saturday game with Washington State at the Arena. The Zags outrebounded the taller Eagles 40-38. Freshman Sydney Perno came down with a game-high nine rebounds.
Chelsea Herman came off the bench to lead GU with 16 points. Andrews wound up with 15.
Eastern Washington 89, Gonzaga 69
GONZAGA (1-2) - McCullough 3-7 0-0 6, Ledgerwood 2-9 3-4 7, Perno 2-4 1-2 5, Andrews 5-10 2-2 15, Gere 1-5 0-0 3, Osberg 0-3 0-0 0, Herman 5-12 4-5 16, Jeffries 4-8 0-0 8, Waltz 1-1 0-0 2, Clark 0-0 1-2 1, Deal 3-7 0-0 6. Totals 26-66 11-15 69.
EASTERN WASHINGTON (2-0) - Kirk 9-20 3-5 24, Sloan 1-4 0-0 2, Ferguson 1-3 0-0 2, Sutter 3-4 4-4 11, Ray 9-14 8-10 26, Schmick 4-8 5-5 13, Ford 1-3 0-0 3, Olson 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 28-58 22-26 83.
Halftime score - EWU 40, GU 35. 3-point goals - GU 6-15 (Andrews 3-5, Gere 1-2, Osberg 0-2, Herman 2-4, Jeffries 0-1, Deal 0-1), EWU 5-9 (Kirk 3-6, Sutter 1-1, Ford 1-2). Totals fouls - GU 23, EWU 16. Fouled out - None. Technical fouls - None. Rebounds - GU 40 (Perno 9), EWU 38 (Kirk 7). Assists - GU 13 (Andrews 4), EWU 22 (Sutter 8).
, DataTimes