The USU Eastern Lady Eagles closed out the road portion of their conference schedule with two pivotal wins, keeping their conference tournament hopes alive entering the final week of the regular season.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Lady Eagles overcame a double-digit deficit to earn a crucial 65-60 overtime win over Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville.
Trailing 34-22 at the end of the first half, USU Eastern outscored Salt Lake 18-9 in the third quarter. Down three entering the fourth quarter, the Eagles forced an extra period by producing timely stops down the stretch.
The extra quarter played out in favor of the Eagles, gaining a 12-7 edge to lock up the win.
McKenzie Allen posted a team-high 22 points on an efficient 7-14 shooting performance. Rounding out her effort, Allen also secured four steals and grabbed five rebounds.
Addasyn Scrivner scored in double-figures, ending with 17 points. Madison Anderson pitched in with seven, while Ellie Esplin and Aly Coombs ended with five.
USU Eastern carried the momentum from the win over Salt Lake into Saturday, Feb. 22 by knocking off Colorado Northwestern Community College 55-42 in Rangely, Colo.
Entering the break trailing 25-24, the Eagles took complete control with a dominating third quarter. Holding Colorado NW to only one field goal in the period, USU Eastern used a 21-4 run to open a 16-point advantage.
Allen was again dominant on both sides of the floor as she finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Esplin recorded the game’s lone double-double, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The win marked a well-rounded performance for USU Eastern, as six different players scored at least four points. The Eagles won nearly every major statistical category while holding CNCC to 26% from the field.
With only two games remaining in the regular season, the Eagles are now within striking distance of grabbing the fourth and final conference tournament spot.
The College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho have already secured their spots in the conference tournament. The final two spots are up for grabs. Snow College, Salt Lake Community College, and USU Eastern are all tied in the win column with seven victories. The Lady Eagles hold the tiebreaker over Snow but lost the season series to Salt Lake.
The final two regular-season games will determine whether the Lady Eagles advance to the conference tournament. On Thursday, Feb. 27, the team will host North Idaho College. The regular season and conference finale will follow on Saturday, March 1, against the College of Southern Idaho.