Photo courtesy of Dallin Grant

A fast start propelled the USU Eastern Lady Eagles past Colorado Northwestern Community College 84-36 Saturday afternoon at the BDAC in Price.

Hoping to recover from Thursday’s home loss to Salt Lake Community College, the Lady Eagles showed no signs of a letdown. Outscoring CNCC 19-4 in the first quarter, the double-digit lead held throughout the game.

USU Eastern capitalized defensively, forcing 22 turnovers and holding CNCC to a pedestrian 21 percent from the field. The conference tilt marked the most significant margin of victory for the Lady Eagles since Nov. 30, when the team topped Dawson Community College 105-51.

Ellie Esplin continued to produce at a high level, pouring in 21 points and securing 12 rebounds, both team highs. Addasyn Scrivner scored 18 on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting. Marlee Pieper notched 11 points, and McKenzie Allen finished with 10.

Makenzie Castille, Alivia Hutton, and Shyann Forbes all scored nine points to pace CNCC in the setback. The Spartans converted just 13 shots from the field as a team, six of which came from beyond the perimeter.

Saturday’s conference victory was significant in the race for the conference tournament. Currently holding the fourth and final spot, the Lady Eagles remain a game ahead of Snow College in the win column.

USU Eastern will be able to create even more of a cushion in the conference on Thursday evening, as they play host to Snow College. The Lady Eagles have clinched the season series, winning the previous two meetings. With only five games remaining on the schedule, a win would put the team in the driver’s seat to clinch a spot in the season-ending conference tournament.

Thursday’s game with Snow College will complete a three-game homestand. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. The game will be available on the Scenic West Athletic Conference Sports Network or locally on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM.