Streaky EWU fades late, falls at Northern Colorado

It was a remarkably up-and-down performance for the Eastern Washington women’s basketball team, which erased a couple of sizable deficits but faded down the stretch and fell 70-65 to Northern Colorado at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley.

The Eagles (13-16, 6-10 Big Sky) trailed 24-6 at the end of the first quarter, but cut the Bears’ lead to 36-28 at the half. Northern Colorado (21-8, 12-4) built its lead to 13 points at the end of the third period, but the Eagles surged ahead with a 16-0 run, taking a 63-59 lead with under three minutes remaining.

The Bears answered, closing the game on an 11-2 run to overcome the streaky Eagles.

EWU forward Kourtney Grossman posted 15 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Elyn Bowers tallied 16 points, and forward Jaecy Eggers had nine points and 10 boards.

The Eagles shot 39.7% from the field against 46.7% for the Bears, who were led by a spotless shooting night from forward Tatum West (20 points on 10 of 10).