ASHLAND, Ore. – The (RV) Eastern Oregon University women's basketball team led for a brief moment in the opening three minutes before No. 6 Southern Oregon took the lead for good and dropped the Mountaineers, 83-63, on Saturday night at Mountain Avenue Gym.

EOU (18-9) fell to third place in the CCC with a mark of 14-4, while SOU (23-1) avenged its lone loss of the season and improved to 16-1 in league play.

KEY PERFORMANCES
Senior guard Kelsey Hill netted a season-high 15 points off the bench and snagged seven boards, while junior guard Darian Gasseling tacked on 10 points and seven assists. EOU's starters combined for just 29 points in the losing effort.

SOU saw four players post double figures, as Carly Meister worked her way inside for 22 points and 10 rebounds.

THE STORYLINE
After senior forward Madeline Laan tossed in a layup on EOU's second possession of the game, the Raiders assembled a 10-2 run capped by a three from Tiani Bradford. The Mountaineers battled back, holding the Raiders to just two field goals in the final five and a half minutes of the first quarter to cut the deficit to seven (17-10).

Hill tallied six points amidst a 9-2 run in the second frame to pull EOU to within two (23-21), but SOU hit two three's in the final 3:12 of the quarter to take a 37-30 lead into the locker room.

After falling down by as many as 13 in the third stanza, EOU clawed its way back and eventually pulled to within six (62-56) after junior forward Ashley Knight buried a triple at the 9:42 mark of the fourth quarter, but SOU punched in six points on its next two possessions to make it a double-digit affair for the remainder of the contest.

STAT OF THE GAME
41 – SOU"s starters outscored EOU's five by 41 points (70-29).

UP NEXT
EOU returns to the hardwood tomorrow against Oregon Tech. Tipoff in Klamath Falls is set for 1 p.m.