Photo courtesy of Jeff Barrett

The USU Eastern Lady Eagles captured the lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back as they defeated the Mesa Community College Thunderbirds 63-49 in Mesa, Arizona Thursday evening.

Japrix Weaver led all scorers with 15 points, shooting an efficient 6-10 from the field, including 3-7 of deep. Summer Christensen scored 12 points and Olivia Nielson ended with 10 off the bench in the well-balanced offensive performance.

Faced with a six-point deficit in the opening quarter, the Lady Eagles captured the lead midway through the first. Winning each individual quarter, the advantage continued to grow and reached 16 in the third stanza.

While USU Eastern soared offensively, they also set the tone defensively as the Mesa shot a pedestrian 36-percent from the field for the game.

USU Eastern’s high-tempo play forced the Thunderbirds into 13 turnovers, six of which came in the form of steals. Winning the rebound total by 13, the Lady Eagles allowed just eight offensive rebounds.

Nine different players scored at least two points for the Eagles. The depth was once again a factor as they outscored Mesa 17-11.

Thursday’s road tilt was the first of three that will come in as many days for USU Eastern. Now sitting a perfect 3-0 on the season, the team will put its unbeaten record on the line Friday against Phoenix College at 4:00 p.m.

The three-game road trip will end on Saturday against Glendale Community College.