Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Calvin Jensen, USU Eastern Sports Information Contributor
The holiday break didn’t slow down the USU Eastern women’s basketball team as they defeated the College of Southern Idaho on the road by a score of 55-45. Pivoting off a huge upset over #5 Central Arizona, the Lady Eagles extended their win streak to six, going 16-2 on the season and giving the Lady Eagles a significant victory in their conference opener.
Two Eagles led the team in double digit figures, including Sharne Robati with 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Morgan Toluono added 10 points, six rebounds and two assists. USU Eastern’s bench outscored that of Southern Idaho’s 17-4 and has played a crucial role in the success of the team this year.
Poor shooting plagued both ends of the court during the contests. USU Eastern shot only 32.3% from the floor, hitting 21 of 65 attempts, which gave them a slight edge over Southern Idaho, who went 28.3% from the floor on 17 of 60 attempts. The Lady Eagles dominated in the paint, outscoring Southern Idaho 22-14.
After being outscored in the first quarter of play, 11-17, the Lady Eagles took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring CSI 22-8, and maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the contest. USU Eastern’s biggest lead of the night happened with perfect timing following a layup by Amiperia Tia with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter.
“We are extremely proud of the team and their continuous effort to find ways to win,” said assistant coach Morgan Warburton-Nelson. “CSI is a great program and they are very tough to beat on their home floor. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins but we are particularly pleased with their “no quit” attitude when things are not going their way. Another great team win that will help push us forward in the first round of conference play.”
The College of Southern Idaho was led by Petra Farkas with 14 points and twelve rebounds while Finley Garnett added nine points and four rebounds in the game.
In one of their best starts in school history, USU Eastern (16-2, 1-0 SWAC) will continue conference play on the road this Thursday, Jan. 9, as they travel to Snow College (9-9, 0-0 SWAC) to take on the Badgers at 5 p.m. All conference games will be broadcast live on the Scenic West Digital Network.