Kacelyn Toomer delivered a game-high 17 points to lead the USU Eastern Lady Eagles past the Snow College Badgers 60-51 Thursday night at the BDAC in Price.
Playing for the second time in three days, the Lady Eagles showed no signs of fatigue as they outscored the Badgers 15-6 in the opening quarter. The lead would expand to 30-17 by the end of the first half, setting the stage for an entertaining final two quarters.
Snow College used a 24-15 run in the third period to get within three points. Faced with pressure for the first time in the game, USU Eastern responded by finishing on a run that secured a second conference victory.
“It’s a great start and energy boost to be 2-0,” said head coach Chelsey Warburton. “It puts us in a great spot heading to Twin Falls this Saturday.”
Toomer recovered from a slow start to finish 7-of-14 from the field, including one make from deep, to set the tone for USU Eastern. Ella Bradley logged 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulled down a team high nine rebounds. Kinlee Toomer also crossed the double-digit plateau as she finished with 13 points and eight boards.
USU Eastern struggled to score with efficiency in the first half as the team shot a pedestrian 34-percent from the field. The inconsistency continued in the third quarter, before converting 54-percent in the fourth to close out the game.
“I always tell them you’re not going to make a shot unless you take a shot,” said Warburton. “We try to get a lot of reps up on where we are going to get those shots. The third quarter wasn’t the best for us, they outscored us and that’s when they got back into the game.”
Ashlee Edwards and Japrix Weaver both scored 11 points to pace the Badgers, who dipped to 1-1 in conference play with the loss. Rachel Richards helped produce a boost from the bench as she scored eight points on five shots in 21 minutes of play.
Offensively Snow College was limited from the perimeter as they connected on just two attempts from beyond the arc. Finishing 36-percent from the field, the team also converted just 7-of-14 shots from the foul line.
Thursday’s win lifts USU Eastern to 2-0 in Scenic West Athletic Conference play. Before wrapping up the first week of league action the Lady Eagles will travel to Twin Falls, Idaho on Saturday for a meeting with the College of Southern Idaho.
CSI is currently 1-1 in conference play after defeating the College of Southern Nevada Thursday night by a final score of 91-45. The win comes following a 65-60 loss at the hands of Salt Lake Community College on Tuesday.
Saturday’s game will be the first of two straight road contests for USU Eastern, with the second coming Thursday, Feb. 18 against Salt Lake Community College. The next home game will take place two days later as Southern Nevada makes their way to Price.