Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Jordan Buscarini
The USU Eastern Lady Eagles completed a three-game road trip with a 14-point victory over Phoenix College on Saturday afternoon, finishing 2-1 on the lengthy Arizona trek.
After dropping the first game of the road trip against Mesa Community College on Thursday, the Lady Eagles recovered to top Scottsdale Community College on Friday. The momentum built in the second game carried over to the third to close out the busy weekend.
Despite a competitive contest throughout, the Lady Eagles were unable to overcome a first half deficit in the eventual 65-57 loss to Mesa Thursday afternoon. Trailing by five at the end of the first quarter, the deficit increased to eight at the break. The two teams played an equal second half, leading to the second setback of the young season.
Brooklyn Palmer paced the Lady Eagles with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in Thursday’s loss. Contributing a consistent effort on both sides of the floor, Palmer connected on five of eight attempts from the field while notching eight defensive rebounds.
Freshman Brinlee McRae was the only other Lady Eagle to reach double-figures as she finished with 15 points as well. Fellow freshman Annie Stinar scored eight points. Janel Blazzard and Olivia Nielson each finished with five points.
As a team, USU Eastern struggled from beyond the arc as they connected on just three of 20 attempts from deep. Turnovers also played a part in the loss as the team finished with 17 for the game, leading to a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.
USU Eastern recovered from the sluggish shooting performance on Thursday to outscore Scottsdale Community College in three of the four quarters to earn a comfortable 76-59 win Friday afternoon. Stinar posted a game-high 16 points as the Lady Eagles shot 59% from the field, including a 6-16 mark from the perimeter, to capture the second win of the season.
Holding Scottsdale to just eight first quarter points, USU Eastern captured an early 10-point lead entering the second quarter. The Lady Eagles put the game on ice with a 26-point fourth quarter, leading to a comfortable win.
Palmer once again logged a double-double by scoring 15 points and snagging 10 boards to help lead on each side of the court. Maci Wall contributed 13 points, while McRae once again reached double-figures with 12 points.
The weekend came to a close with a 62-48 win over Phoenix College in a well-balanced performance Saturday afternoon. Scoring 27 points in the opening quarter, USU Eastern raced out to 20-point lead going into the second stanza. Despite being outscored throughout the final three quarters, the early burst was enough to earn the third victory of the season.
A total of 10 players scored at least two points as Stinar again led the way, this time scoring 13 in the victory. Palmer logged her third triple-double in as many days as she posted 11 points and 10 boards.
Sophomore Kacelyn Toomer scored seven points in 15 minutes of action, converting two of three attempts from the field, including one of the team’s seven makes from the three-point line. Baylee Ueligitone scored eight points and McRae chipped in with five.
USU Eastern now sits at 3-2 overall following the Arizona trip. With Scenic West Athletic Conference play scheduled to begin the first week of December, the team will have four more non-conference games, including two at home.