RENO, Nev. (March 9, 2016) – A high-scoring matchup ended with Eastern Washington and Sacramento State combining for the highest-scoring game in the history of the Big Sky Conference Women’s Basketball Championships.
A back and forth matchup that saw five lead changes, and eight ties, ended in a 100-97 victory for Eastern Washington, ensuring the Eagles a spot in Friday’s Big Sky semifinals in Reno.
Hayley and Delaney Hodgins combined for 53 points, with the elder Hayley leading all scorers with 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Ashli Payne also contributed 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Eagles.
Eastern Washington had its best offensive performance of the season, shooting 46.8 percent (36-of-77) from the field, while making seven three-point shots. While the Eagles were consistently successful, it was Sacramento State who opened with a 26-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, Eastern Washington came back in the second quarter, outscoring the Hornets, 30-19, to take a 51-45 lead into halftime.
For the second consecutive game, Sacramento State helped break a tournament record for most points by two teams in a single game, with a total of 197. Sacramento State and Southern Utah previously set the record in the opening round, finishing with 191 points.
Maranne Johnson led the Hornets with 25 points, while Margaret Huntington finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Additionally, Gretchen Harrigan had 20 points and ten rebounds.