Eagle women dropped two in opener with Northern Arizona

CHENEY – Aaliyah Alexander may just be the real deal.

The freshman from basketball powerhouse Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way scored 18 points for Eastern Washington University in her first collegiate game Saturday, Dec. 5, against visiting Northern Arizona, then turned around 24 hours later to score 16 more on Sunday against the Lumberjacks. But it proved to be for naught as the Eagle women lost both contests, 89-60 on Saturday and 69-55 Sunday to open the 2020-2021 Big Sky Conference season.

Saturday saw six players make their Eagle debut. Alexander scored seven of her 18 in the first quarter to keep Eastern close, trailing 18-15 after the first 10 minutes. Kallie Schaplow's 3-pointer sparked and 7-0 EWU run late in the second to pull within 40-37, but eventually trailed the Lumberjacks 46-41 at the break.

But it was all NAU in the final 20 minutes, putting together a 17-2 run over 6 minutes, 6 seconds in the third quarter to open a 65-47 lead that EWU could overcome. The Eagles shot just 4-of-12 in the final 10 minutes, getting out scored 24-13 in the fourth quarter.

Alexander went 7-for-10 from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line. She also led the team with five assists, four steals and added a block.

Jenna Dick and Alexyss Newman each scored nine points, with Dick chipping in three assists. Kennedy Dickie and Milly Knowles each had nine rebounds, with Dickie adding eight points and two assists.

The Eagles out-rebounded the Lumberjacks, 36 – 31, but the key statistic proved to be turnovers. NAU committed just eight but forced 25 EWU miscues and turned those into 29 points.

Northern Arizona shot 51.4 percent from the field, making 36 of their 70 field goal attempts. They were also 5-for-14 from three-point range, and only missed one free throw, going 12-for-13. 

Eastern Washington shot 43.6 percent from the field, 24-of-55. They made three 3-pointers and were 9-for-12 from the charity stripe.

Sunday saw a lot of improvement for head coach Wendy Schuller's squad. Despite being down early, the Eagles clawed their way into a closer game.

Trailing 41-28 at the half, Eastern used its defense in the third quarter to pull within nine at 50-41 going into the fourth. NAU didn't get a field goal until the 5:49 mark in the third, going 2-for-15 from the field.

Eastern pulled within seven points on Dickie's 3-pointer, and held NAU without a field goal the final 4:11, but couldn't capitalize as they dropped their Big Sky record to 0-2.

Alexander led Eastern with 16 points while grabbing eight rebounds, with Newman adding 13 points and nine boards – one board shy of a double-double. The sophomore also added two steals and a block.

Grace Kirscher had nine points, three steals and five rebounds, with Dickie adding eight points, a team-leading three assists and five boards.

Eastern again outrebounded NAU 44 – 38 but also again was plagued by turnovers, committing 22 to NAU's 13. Both teams shot under 40 percent for the game.

"As coaches, it's hard because you want to lament over all of the things that weren't good," Schuller said of Sunday's loss. "We tried to show them the things to get better at while being encouraging at the same time. I know we are going to be just fine at the end of the day just because of the character of these individuals."

The Eagle women hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to face Boise State on Dec. 10. Tip-off is 1 p.m. Pacific Time for the non-conference matchup.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.