Jose Briseno – USU Eastern Assistant SID
Photo courtesy of Dallin Grant
To finish the preseason schedule, the Utah State Eastern women’s basketball team participated in the CSN Holiday Tournament, hosted by the College of Southern Nevada. The final two games of Eastern’s non-conference schedule were against Western Wyoming Community College and No. 5 Eastern Arizona College.
In a rematch from a week before, the Eagles took on the WWCC Mustangs on Monday, looking to avenge a 65-67 loss.
The Eagles started the game slowly, falling behind 13-19 after the first quarter. Looking to get back into the game, the Eagles and Mustangs each scored 14 points in the second period. The Eagles faced a 27-33 deficit going into the half. Tanner Addison led the Eagles at the break with nine points on 3-5 shooting.
Needing an answer, the Eagles outscored Western Wyoming 19-17 in the third quarter, cutting the Mustang lead to just four points before the final period. Behind 18 combined points from Skylie Barker (6), Addasyn Scrivner (6), and Aubrey Mulitalo (6), the Eagles dominated the fourth quarter, leading to a 67-60 win for the Eagles.
Marlee Pieper led the Eagles with 14 points while Barker (11) and Mulitalo (10) also finished in double figures. Barker also finished with a team-high nine rebounds.
For the last game of the preseason, the Eagles faced the No. 5 Gila Monsters for the second time this season.
The Eagles opened the game with an 8-0 run, which led to a 19-13 lead after the first quarter. The Eagles continued the dominance in the second period, with six points by Skylie Barker. The Eagles took a 34-22 lead into halftime. Barker led the Eagles with eight points at the half.
Early in the third quarter, the Eagles’ lead jumped to 20 points before Eastern Arizona cut the Eagles’ lead to just nine points at the end of the period. Eastern Arizona outscored the Eagles in the fourth quarter, but thanks to an Addasyn Scrivner layup with eight seconds left, the game went into overtime.
In overtime, the Eagles and Gila Monsters fought back and forth, but in the end, the Eagles fell, 70-71.
Marlee Pieper scored 23 to lead the Eagles; she also had a team-high seven rebounds. Skylie Barker (16) and Addasyn Scrivner (12) finished the game with double figures.
The Eagles currently sit at 9-6 after a challenging preseason schedule. Eastern will take a break for the holidays and will return to the court to open Scenic West Athletic Conference play with a visit from Salt Lake Community College on Saturday, Jan. 3.