Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Jordan Buscarini
The USU Eastern Lady Eagles moved to 4-1 in Scenic West Athletic Conference play with a dominating 89-51 win over Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) on Wednesday at the BDAC in Price.
Maci Wall led all scorers with a game-high 16 points as four USU Eastern players finished in double figures. The key was a balanced, methodical offensive performance as the team assisted on 28 of the 39 makes from the field.
Consistent perimeter play helped pace the USU Eastern offense as the group shot 10-26 from deep. Four of the 10 makes came in the second quarter, leading to a 25-11 run to put the game out of reach early.
“I think we really needed that boost from the outside tonight,” said head coach Chelsey Warburton. “We have a great inside game, so kick out rhythm threes are a big deal to us. The first five or six games we were taking hard looks, but lately its all been in rhythm.”
Adding to the offensive explosion was a potent bench performance. Janel Blazzard scored 11 and Maclani Michael chipped in with 10. USU Eastern’s bench outscored CNCC’s second unit 45-5.
Despite a solid effort early from CNCC, the Lady Eagles created space on the scoreboard with stellar defense. A total of six players recorded at least one steal. Working often in transition, USU Eastern finished plus-13 in assist-to-turnover ratio.
“I think the game changed when we got a couple of defensive stops,” said Warburton. “We didn’t foul a lot in the first half, so they weren’t getting to the foul line to score easier points. We pushed the pace on them, and we got easier looks.”
USU Eastern will now get two days of rest before returning to the court on Saturday against the College of Southern Nevada on the road. CSN defeated Salt Lake Community College 52-51 Wednesday night, improving to 2-3 in league play.
Wednesday’s win is a key victory in the SWAC standings. Winning four of the first five conference games, the Lady Eagles managed to keep pace with the College of Southern Idaho in the overall standings. The two teams are set to meet for the second time on Wednesday, Jan. 11 in Price.