Photos by Jeff Barrett
By Jordan Buscarini
Playing for the second time in three days, the Lady Eagles showed no signs of fatigue as they outscored the Badgers 15-6 in the opening quarter on Thursday. The lead would expand to 30-17 by the end of the first half, setting the stage for an entertaining final two quarters.
Snow College used a 24-15 run in the third period to get within three points. Faced with pressure for the first time in the game, USU Eastern responded by finishing on a run that secured a second conference victory.
“It’s a great start and energy boost to be 2-0,” said head coach Chelsey Warburton. “It puts us in a great spot heading to Twin Falls this Saturday.”
Toomer recovered from a slow start to finish seven of 14 from the field, including one make from deep, to set the tone for USU Eastern. Ella Bradley logged 15 points on seven of 10 shooting and pulled down a team high nine rebounds. Kinlee Toomer also crossed the double-digit plateau as she finished with 13 points and eight boards.
USU Eastern struggled to score with efficiency in the first half as the team shot a pedestrian 34-percent from the field. The inconsistency continued in the third quarter before converting 54-percent in the fourth to close out the game.
“I always tell them you’re not going to make a shot unless you take a shot,” said Warburton. “We try to get a lot of reps up on where we are going to get those shots. The third quarter wasn’t the best for us; they outscored us and that’s when they got back into the game.”
Ashlee Edwards and Japrix Weaver both scored 11 points to pace the Badgers, who dipped to 1-1 in conference play with the loss. Rachel Richards helped produce a boost from the bench as she scored eight points on five shots in 21 minutes of play.
Offensively, Snow College was limited from the perimeter as they connected on just two attempts from beyond the arc. Finishing 36-percent from the field, the team also converted just seven of 14 shots from the foul line.
