Photos by Jeff Barrett
By Jordan Buscarini
The USU Eastern Lady Eagles used a dominant second quarter to pull away from the College of Southern Nevada Coyotes in a 92-59 win Thursday night at the BDAC in Price.
Looking to build off last Saturday’s road win over Southern Idaho, USU Eastern held a 23-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Eagles took complete control with a 31-7 run in the second.
“The team did a great job pushing the pace and sharing the basketball tonight,” said head coach Chelsey Warburton. “Our effort was strong on both ends of the floor.”
Hannah Wentworth poured in a season-high 24 points to lead USU Eastern in the win. Ending with a dominating 7-11 performance from the field, Wentworth shot an efficient 6-8 from the three-point line.
While the game remained close during the first quarter, USU Eastern never trailed and led for all but 2:34.
Kinlee Toomer recorded the game’s only double-double as she finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Toomer added six assists, two blocks and one steal. Kacelyn Toomer continued her consistent play as she logged 14 points. Ella Bradley also passed the double-digit plateau with 13 points.
USU Eastern’s biggest advantage came from the three-point line. The Lady Eagles knocked down 13 of the attempted 30 shots from beyond the arc. Southern Nevada’s offense was almost exclusively inside the arc as they ended 1-5 from the perimeter.
Sharmayne Finely scored 23 points, breaking her season average of 20 per game. Coraly Dupree finished with 14 and Tyra Perkins chipped in with 13.
Thursday’s win moves USU Eastern to 6-3 in conference play, placing them just one game behind Snow College and Southern Idaho.
The Lady Eagles will return to the court on Saturday as they play host to Colorado Northwestern for the third and final meeting of the season. Tipoff for Saturday’s tilt is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
