Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Jordan Buscarini
The USU Eastern Lady Eagles extended their winning streak to six by sweeping a three-game road trip in Las Vegas last week.
Completing the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Lady Eagles earned one-sided wins over Western Wyoming Community College, Lethbridge College and Central Arizona College at the CSN Holiday Tournament on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
USU Eastern blasted through the first contest of the week with an easy 91-62 win over Western Wyoming Community College Monday afternoon at the Doolittle Recreation Center.
Racing out to a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter, USU Eastern never trailed in the first game of the road trip. Adding to the impressive win was a blistering shooting performance as the team finished 50% from the field.
Hadley Humphreys was virtually unstoppable for the Lady Eagles as she posted a team-high 19 points on a perfect 9-9 shooting display. Humphreys also recorded 16 rebounds, half of which came on the offensive glass, giving her the game’s only double-double.
Kianna Lighthall poured in 14 points and Japrix Weaver scored 11 to help lead the Lady Eagles. Weaver’s presence was also felt defensively as she posted a game-high four blocks.
USU Eastern returned to the court the following day and the outcome was similar as the team controlled the score from beginning to end with an 80-46 win over Lethbridge College.
The Lady Eagles received a boost from the second unit in Tuesday’s win as the bench posted 40 points. Brinlee McRae scored 14 points and grabbed eight boards, while Madison Anderson hit 6-7 shots on her way to 12 points.
Weaver was once again a factor for the Lady Eagles as she scored 12 points in 21 minutes of action. Summer Christensen chipped in with eight points, while Lighthall and Humphreys both added eight.
USU Eastern came on top of every statistical category as they never trailed during the game. A major advantage came in turnovers as Lethbridge committed 26, which turned into 29 points for the Lady Eagles.
The mid-week trip to Vegas ended on Wednesday as USU Eastern closed the tournament with a third dominating win, this time topping Central Arizona College 93-54.
The Lady Eagles trailed for the first time all tournament inside the first minute of the game. The two-point deficit quickly turned into a double-digit advantage and the eventual 39-point win.
Humphreys was once again a factor in the paint as she scored a game-high 17 points and brought down 13 rebounds. Fellow starters Christensen and Weaver also scored in double digits, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Wednesday’s win is the last game scheduled during the 2023 calendar year, giving the Lady Eagles a six-game winning streak heading into the lengthy Christmas break.
Ranked No. 15 in the NJCAA national rankings, the Lady Eagles currently hold a record of 13-1 overall. With conference play set to begin on Jan. 11, USU Eastern is currently the highest ranked team in the highly competitive Scenic West Athletic Conference.