Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Champs
74
Winner Eastern Oregon EOU 28-4, #2 seed
69
Southern Oregon SOU 27-4, #1 seed
Winner
Eastern Oregon EOU
28-4, #2 seed
74
Final
69
Southern Oregon SOU
27-4, #1 seed
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Eastern Oregon EOU 4 28 18 24 74
Southern Oregon SOU 15 8 22 24 69

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Seth Dahle, Sports Information Director

CHAMPIONS: No. 13 EOU Women’s Hoops Powers Past No. 6 Southern Oregon, 74-69

ASHLAND, Ore. – A little over a week ago, a simple coin flip was the tiebreaker between the two best teams in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) and the determining factor in an automatic bid to Sioux City, Iowa.
 
But no coins were needed to decide the championship of the 2016-17 CCC Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, as the 13th-ranked EOU women's basketball team overcame a slow start to power past sixth-ranked Southern Oregon, 74-69, on Monday night in a packed house at Mountain Avenue Gym.
 
"This is an exciting night," said head coach Anji Weissenfluh. "Anytime you can win a big game against a tough opponent on the road, it is special. Southern is an outstanding team with a huge home crowd behind them."
 
Senior forward Ashley Knight was critical all night long, scoring a team-high 14 points and hauling in eight rebounds. Behind Knight's inside play and timely outside shooting in the second half, EOU ended Southern Oregon's 27-game home winning streak and clinched its first conference tournament title since the 2012-13 campaign.
 
"I am proud of how we battled back after a slow start," said Weissenfluh. "It was a hard fought championship game. So proud of my team and their resilience."
 
Junior guards Payton Parrish and Jessica Sexson netted 11 points apiece and both nailed three triples, as did senior guard Darian Gasseling, who finished with nine points and six assists. Junior forward Mariah Swanson was a big lift off the bench with nine points, while junior forward Stormee Van Belle pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
A sluggish start for both teams saw the Raiders end the first frame with a 10-2 run to go up by 11 (15-4), as the Mountaineers shot just 20 percent (2-for-10) and coughed up 10 first-quarter turnovers. 
 
The Blue and Gold, however, ultimately found its groove, as it opened the second quarter on fire with a 13-0 run to take its second lead (17-15) of the game. Knight scored on the block to spark the rally, and Van Belle converted a three-point play before Parrish and Gasseling both buried triples to keep the engine rolling.
 
EOU (28-4) later stretched its advantage to 10 (31-21) with 46 seconds remaining in the second stanza after Gasseling found Swanson on the left wing for the three, and the Mountaineers settled for a nine-point (32-23) halftime lead. Despite starting the game ice cold, EOU made 11 of its last 18 shots in the first half and at one point enjoyed a 24-4 run.
 
In the third, the Blue and Gold continued to shoot lights out, as Parrish swooshed a three to swell the lead to 14 (45-31) midway through the frame. However, EOU hit a rare dry spell and missed seven of its next nine shots, and the Raiders (27-4) clawed their way back to take a one-point lead (53-52).
 
But the senior leadership of Knight and deadly outside shooting of EOU's backcourt continued to anchor the Blue and Gold, as Knight scored four-straight points in the paint before Sexson, Parrish, and junior guard Reece Bauer each knocked down treys to give the Mountaineers a nine-point lead (65-56) at the 4:06 mark.
 
Down the stretch, Sexson and junior guard Maya Ah You (Dias) buried three's, and Southern Oregon never got closer than five points for the remainder of the game. Of EOU's 12 jumpers from downtown, five were daggers that came in the final 5:08 of the fourth quarter.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
27 – EOU snapped Southern Oregon's 27-game home winning streak, which dated back to 2015.
4 – The Mountaineers won their fourth CCC Tournament Championship in program history, all which have come under Weissenfluh.
12 – EOU buried 12 three-pointers in the win, including five that came in the fourth quarter.
 
UP NEXT
EOU will discover its postseason fate on Wednesday at 3 p.m. during the NAIA Selection Show for the 2017 NAIA Division II National Championships.
 
Print Friendly Version