PRICE – Utah State Eastern women’s basketball opened their 2018-2019 season with a 65-54 win over Western Wyoming on Friday in Ephraim.

It was a slow start for the Eagles but were able to take care of the basketball and finish the first quarter with a 15-14 lead.

“It took us the first quarter to settle in but I was happy with the teams performance,” said USU Eastern Head Coach Chelsey Warburton.

The second quarter was a different story for the Eagles as they would not allow the Mustangs to score until 1:16 left in the period.

USU Eastern’s defensive would also force several turnovers to help build their 31-16 halftime lead

“Defense is key in games. Getting our hands on the ball and making the other team turn it over will make all the difference,” said USU Eastern’s Amiperia Tia.

The Eagles would go on to finish the game with 12 steals. Last season they had only six games where they had at least 12 steals.

Western Wyoming’s offense would bounce back in the third quarter and not let the Eagles build a bigger lead.

The Mustangs would cut the Eagles lead to single-digits with less than three minutes left in the third after USU Eastern once led by as much as 18.

In the fourth quarter the Eagles would open the period with a 7-0 run to put the Eagles up by 18 again.

They defense again step up and help maintain the lead and the momentum throughout the fourth quarter to help the Eagles get their first win of the season.

“We had to shutdown the shooters on the other team and not let them shoot threes to help them get back in the game,” said Tia.

Leading the way for the Eagles in scoring was sophomore Alyssa Crumley who finished with 22 points along with four rebounds, and four steals.

“Alyssa did a great job for us tonight and will be key for us this year,” said Warburton.

Freshman guard Lamija Coric was second on the team in scoring with 11 points in her first career game.

Up next for the Eagles is another game in Ephraim tomorrow against the Northwest Trappers at 11 a.m.

Saturday’s game will be broadcasted on the Scenic West Digital Network or the SnowTV YouTube channel.

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