Eastern women get gut-check wins to close season

A pair of hold-your-breath victories moved the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team into the Big Sky Conference tournament with both momentum and lessons to possibly carry them.

The Eagles got a game winning pull-up jumper from junior Hayley Hodgins with three seconds remaining in overtime to beat Weber State 64-62 last Saturday on Senior Day at Reese Court.

That win, coupled with Eastern's 62-58 victory Thursday evening, also won in dramatic fashion when senior Melissa Williams hit a turnaround jumper with 27 seconds to play, gave the Eagles insurance points.

The Eagles concluded their regular season with a 12-6 Big Sky record, 19-10 overall, tying the team for the most wins in the 14-year tenure of head coach Wendy Schuller. The sweep earned the Eagles the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament versus No. 5 Northern Arizona (9-9, 13-16) this past Wednesday in Missoula.

Eastern defeated Northern Arizona 73-52 in the team's lone meeting in Cheney, Feb. 21.

"It was exciting for the fans, that's for sure," Schuller said. "I guess more than anything, I am glad to get through 'em, glad that we got into a position to be better in late game situations."

Weber, long eliminated from postseason, never played like it and led the game for 32 minutes. Freshman Marly Anderson capped a rally that saw Eastern tie after trailing by seven with her lay up with 9 minutes, 15 seconds to play. Another freshman, Delaney Hodgins, evened the contest and helped send it into overtime with her basket with 20 seconds to play in regulation.

Weber State falls to 11-18 overall and 6-12 overall. Jalen Carpenter led the Wildcats with 14 points.

Hayley Hodgins scored a game-high 18 points while sister, Delaney Hodgins added 15. Williams had another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, her 12th this season.

Just as the game officially slipped away from the Wildcats in the hands of the Hodgins' sisters, Weber was its own worst enemy, committing 28 turnovers that led to 31 Eastern points.

"Weber State certainly made us earn this win," Schuller said.

Eastern had the better of ISU for the first 34 minutes of the game, including trailing 10-2 in a raggedly-played opening seven minutes for both teams. But Idaho State staged their own 10-5 rally to take their first lead, 49-48, with 4:59 to play.

A 3-point play by Jade Redmon, followed by a 3-point basket from Hayley Hodgins put Eastern back in the lead 54-49 with 3:12 to play but ISU (8-10, 13-16) kept chipping away. With EWU leading 60-56 with 1:02 to play, the Bengals' Anna Lee Policicchio converted a jumper on Idaho State's next possession and a 60-58 score with 51 seconds left. Williams' clinching shot followed.

Hayley Hodgins scored 19 points, Lexie Nelson 14 while Williams had 13, plus 10 rebounds - her 11th double-double of the season - and Delaney Hodgins' 10 points rounded out Eastern's double-figure scorers. Apiphany Woods' 20 points were tops for both the Bengals and the game.

Schuller found even more teachable moments in the weekend of tight finishes. Making plays down the stretch is something, "You can't simulate in practice."

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.