Eagles’ second-half rally falls short in loss at Sacramento State

SACRAMENTO – Eastern Washington had a shaky first half and couldn’t complete a second-half rally, falling 61-54 against Big Sky foe Sacramento State on Saturday at Hornet Pavilion.

The Eagles (10-10, 3-4 Big Sky) managed one point over the final 3:40 of the second quarter and stumbled to a 31-22 halftime deficit, but stayed within striking distance despite the Hornets (10-10, 4-3) leading by as many as 13 points in the third.

EWU closed the gap to one point with under three minutes left in the game, but Sacramento State answered with a 3 and hit all 10 of its free throw attempts down the stretch to ice it.

EWU post Kourtney Grossman, the nation’s leading rebounder (13.1 per game), recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season. Eagles guards Ella Gallatin and Elyn Bowers had 17 and 14 points, respectively, but combined to shoot 11 of 31 from the field. EWU shot 40.4% overall, 3 of 15 on 3s and committed 19 turnovers.