OLYMPIA, Wash. – The fifth-ranked Eastern Oregon Mountaineers had to put together a full 40 minutes to hold off the upset-minded Evergreen Geoducks, 50-45, in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball game on Saturday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Mounties (23-2, 13-0 CCC) took the initial lead on a jumper by Korrie Bourne but the Geoducks (5-12, 4-9 CCC) came to play, earning the early lead as EOU found themselves in an unfamiliar spot.  After a see-saw battle over much of the first half, the Mountaineers finally grabbed back the lead on another Bourn jumper with 2:33 left to play in the opening period.  Eastern Oregon pushed the advantage to five-points at halftime, leading 27-22.

In the second half, EOU pushed the lead into double-digits on a pair of three-pointers but the Geoducks quickly erased the differential, getting back within four points just a few possessions later.  Eastern managed to push the lead to 10 again with 7:24 left to go and despite their best efforts, Evergreen couldn’t pull even as the Mounties remained perfect in conference play with the 50-45 win.

Evergreen was led by nine points and 14 rebounds from junior Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS).  Jessica Denmon (Oak Harbor, Wash./Skagit Valley CC) also added nine points for the Geoducks, who shot just 37.0% from the field, making 17-of-46 attempts.  Evergreen did hold the advantage on the glass, outrebounding EOU by a tally of 38-31.

Eastern Oregon was led by 15 points and nine rebounds from Chayla Jones.  Brooke Randall chalked up 11 for the Mounties, also dishing out five assists.  The Mounties shot 34.7% from the field, making 17-of-49 attempts, including five from behind the arc.

The Geoducks hit the road next weekend, traveling to the Rose City to take on Warner Pacific.  Tip with the Knights is set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday in Portland, Ore.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Junior forward Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS) put up a game-high 24 points to earn the double-double but when the buzzer sounded, it was the 17th-ranked College of Idaho Lady Yotes earning the 63-52 win over the Evergreen Geoducks in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball game on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Laura Geis gave the Lady Yotes (14-6, 10-2 CCC) the early lead on a jumper just nine seconds into the game and College of Idaho would never trail the rest of the way.  After the Yotes pushed the lead to 11 with 10:36 to go in the first half, the Geoducks (5-11, 4-8 CCC) battled back to get within one point on a three-pointer by Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC) with 59 seconds to play in the first half.

Geis managed two more baskets in the final minute of the period, giving C of I the 26-21 lead heading into the break.  College of Idaho shot 42.3% in the first half, making 11-of-26 attempts from the field, compared with 33.3% on nine-of-27 shooting for the Geoducks.

In the second half, the two teams continued to play even as the lead hovered around seven points nearly the entire period.  Evergreen cut it to four points on a jumper by Swain with 6:24 left to play but the Yotes answered back with a three-ball by Aleah Lowber as College of Idaho eventually picked up the win, 63-52.

Evergreen was led by the 24 points and 11 rebounds from Swain, who earned 15 of those points in the second half alone.  Clark finished with 13 points on the night to go with seven assists while Jessica Denmon put up 11 points with seven rebounds in the losing effort.  The Geoducks shot 51.9% in the second half to finish at 42.6% shooting for the game.

College of Idaho was led by 21 points off the bench from Lowber, who had four from behind the arc and was seven-for-eight from the charity stripe.  Katelin Shannon added 13 points in the win while Geis finished with 11 points in the win.  The Yotes were aided by 14-of-21 shooting on free throws, compared with just six attempts for the Geoducks.

Evergreen returns to action on Saturday night, playing host to fifth-ranked Eastern Oregon.  Tip with the Mountaineers is set for 5:30 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

SALEM, Ore. – The Evergreen Geoducks and Corban Warriors combined for 55 free throws on the night but it was the Warrirors earning the 73-63 victory in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball game on Saturday night in Salem, Ore.

After a brief lead exchange early, a 10-0 run gave Corban a 12-5 lead as the Geoducks were forced to play from behind.  The Warriors extended the lead to 11 points with 2:18 left to play but Evergreen battled back as the lead was back to single digits heading into the break with Corban holding the 33-24 advantage.

The second half was much of the same as the teams battled back and forth, keeping the differential about the same.  Corban pushed the lead to 13 points with 8:04 left on the clock but the Geoducks battled back to within single digits in the closing minutes.  Evergreen tried everything they could to close the gap but in the end, it was Corban earning the 73-63 win.

Evergreen was led by 22 points from junior Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC).  Junior Jessica Denmon (Oak Harbor, Wash./Skagit Valley CC)  added 17 points while sophomore Sadee Jones (Belfair, Wash./North Mason HS) earned the double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.  The Geoducks were 21 of 29 from the charity stripe.

Corban was led by 14 points from Tess Bennett.  Tara Vanweerdhuizen put up 13 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in the win.  Haley Hobocke came off the bench to add 10 points in the win.  The Warriors shot 17-of-28 on free throw attempts.

The Geoducks return to the friendly confines of CRC Gymnasium on Friday night when they play host to College of Idaho.  Tip with the Yotes is set for 5:30 p.m.  The game will also mark the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game for the Geoducks with all fans encouraged to trade in their green for pink.

Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – The Evergreen Geoducks opened up the second half of Cascade Conference play on a positive note, posting a 62-56 win over the Northwest Christian Beacons in a CCC women’s basketball game on Friday night at Morse Event Center in Eugene, Ore.

After a balanced opening to the game, Evergreen used an 11-0 run to run off to a 22-13 lead as the Beacons were forced to play from behind. NCU managed to pull back within two at 25-23 but a 9-1 run over the remaining three minutes gave the Geoducks a 34-24 lead heading into the break.

In the second half, the Geoducks pushed the lead to 14 with just over 15 minutes left to play but the Beacons weren’t ready to give up, getting within five at 47-42 with 8:30 to go in the game.  NCU continued to slowly tighten the gap.

The differential sat at just three points with 1:04 left on the clock but the Geoducks hit their free throws down the stretch as they earned the 63-56 win.

Evergreen was led by 15 points from junior Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS), who also had nine rebounds in the win.  Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC) earned the double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds on the night while Jessica Denmon (Oak Harbor, Wash./Skagit Valley CC) chipped in 11 points, including six-of-eight from the charity stripe.

The Beacons were led by 19 points from Katie Collins, who shot eight-of-ten from the field.  Lindsey Shearer added 13 points in the losing effort.  As a team, NCU turned the ball over 17 times, compared with just 11 for the Geoducks.

Evergreen will look for the weekend sweep on Saturday night when they travel to Salem, Ore. to take on Corban.  Tip with the Warriors is set for 5:30 p.m.

Box Score