LEWISTON, Idaho- The Mountaineers were handed their first CCC loss Friday evening in Lewiston. The No. 10 ranked Warriors jumped out to a lead in the first quarter and were able to hold it nearly all the way despite a late Mountaineer comeback. Lewis-Clark State took the win, 71-69 to move to 11-1 while the Mounties fall to 10-2 on the season.
 
The first half didn't go the Mounties' way as they were outscored 18-13 in the first and 21-18 in the second. A huge 10-point second quarter from Haley Robinett kept the Mounties in it heading into the half. Robinett accounted for 10 of the last 12 EOU points to end the second quarter. At the half the Warriors led 39-31.
 
Eastern responded in the second half led by Bayley Brennan who notched 19 second-half points. EOU put a dent in the Lewis-Clark lead working to with in one point after Brennan knocked down a three with 1:48 remaining in the third. Shaelie Burgess followed that up connecting on a jumper to give the Mounties their only lead in the second half with a minute remaining in the third.
 
LC State found some momentum early in the fourth as the trio of Sara Muehlhausen, Ellie Sander, and Maddie Holm carried the load offensively for the Warriors who worked out to a seven-point lead with nearly eight minutes remaining. Refusing to give up, the Mounties battled back and tied it up at 69 with just 30 seconds remaining thanks to a Brennan jumper. LC State's Muehlhausen answered with a jumper of her own with just over ten seconds remaining that ended up being the game winner. Eastern had a chance at the buzzer but a Sailor Liefke three-point attempt for the win was off the mark. The Warriors took the win remaining undefeated in conference play, 71-69.
 
The Mountaineers will wrap up 2022 with a New Year's Eve matchup on the road against Walla Walla University tomorrow evening. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Aggressive defense paid off for Lewis-Clark State as they were able to score 23 points off 18 Mountaineer turnovers
• In a strange twist, the Mountaineers fell short despite dominating the boards outrebounding the Warriors 57-39
• The free throw line ended up playing a big role as LC State knocked down 17 of 19 shots at the line compared to the Mounties eight of 12 performance

 
STANDOUT MOUNTIE PERFORMANCES

• Bayley Brennan: 19 PTS, 7-16 FG, 5-12 3PT, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 REB
• Sailor Liefke: 13 PTS, 6-17 FG, 8 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL
• Beverly Slater: 8 PTS, 18 REB, 3 AST