LA GRANDE, Ore. – It's that magical time of year yet again where the Madness of March descends upon basketball fans! Looking to play the role of spoiler this year is Mountaineer Women's Basketball as they are set to compete in the opening round of the 2021-22 NAIA National Championships this weekend. Eastern Oregon will be the No. 12 seed in the Cramer Quadrant and will look to bust some brackets against higher ranked squads

OPPONENTS
No. 12/No. 4-seeded Sterling College Warriors (31-2, 22-2 KCAC)
*No. 21/No. 5-seeded Dordt Defenders (24-8, 16-6 GPAC)
*No. 12-seeded IU East Red Wolves (25-7, 14-3 RSC)

WHERE
Park City, Kan. - Hartman Arena

WHEN
Friday, March 11 - 10 a.m. PT/12 p.m. CT (vs. Sterling)
*Saturday, March 12 - 1 p.m. PT/3 p.m. CT (vs. Dort or IU East)

* - Indicates second game opponent/time should EOU advance

Tip-Off
• The Mountaineers head into the opening round weekend with a 22-10 overall record.
• Eastern finished 18-4 in CCC play, was third in the league standings, and made the tournament semifinals.
• For the Mountaineers, this year's at-large bid, marks their return to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
• Should EOU defeat Sterling, the team will advance to the round of 32 and face the winner of Dordt vs. IU East on Saturday, March 12.

How to Watch/Follow
• Livestream coverage of this weekend's games will be handled through the KCAC Network. All games will be Pay-Per-View at $9.99 per game.
• Fans can access the livestream by clicking the respective link above or by going to the EOU Women's Basketball schedule page.
• Fans that can't make the trip are in luck as EOU Athletics will livestream Friday's opening round contest inside Quinn Coliseum lobby.
Should the Mountaineers advance, Saturday's game will also be livestreamed.
• EOU fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs as seating in the lobby area is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. 
• Live stats coverage for EOU Women's Basketball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• EOU is back in the NAIA National Tournament for the 12th time in program history, all under the direction of Head Coach Anji Weissenfluh.
• This is the Mounties first trip to the National Tournament since the NAIA merged Division I and II together.
• Friday's match-up vs. the Warriors will be the first between the two squads. 
• Coach Weissenfluh is just three wins away from 500 for her career. 

Quick Hits
Last Time Out - CCC Tournament Semifinals vs. Southern Oregon
• EOU's conference postseason run came to a close in a 65-58 loss to in-state rival Southern Oregon.
• As a team, Eastern shot 45.5% from the floor and held the Raiders to 38.3%. Haley Robinett paced the offense with 16 points.
• Scoring in double figures as well were Sailor Liefke with 13 points and Taylor Stricklin with 12.

Previously Against Sterling College
• This will be the first ever match-up between the two squads this weekend.

Mountaineers in the NAIA National Tournament 
• EOU has made the NAIA National Tournament 13 times now, with each appearance being under Anji Weissenfluh.
• All-time, the Mountaineers are 9-12 in 21 games played on the national stage. Eastern was last in the National Tournament back in the 2018-19 season.
• This is EOU's first time playing in the National Tournament since the NAIA merged Division I and II. All 12 previous trips were as a member of NAIA Division II.
• The Mountaineers have made the NAIA quarterfinals round three times in 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2016-17. That is the furthest the team has gone in the National Tournament.

Cleaning Up the Boards
• Through 29 games played this season, the Mountaineers have grabbed 40-plus rebounds in 23.
• Eastern has out-rebounded its opponents in 24 games this season.
• EOU has grabbed 10-plus offensive boards in 23 games, including each of their last 12.
• The Mountaineers had a season best of 53 rebounds against Oregon Tech at home.
• Eastern has grabbed 50-plus rebounds now in four games this season.

All-CCC Mountaineers
• The Mountaineers had a pair of players earn All-CCC honors in Sailor Liefke and Taylor Stricklin.
• For the duo it is their second straight season garnering All-CCC honors. Both were named First Team selections last spring season.
• With Liefke and Stricklin's selections, EOU has now had 29 All-Conference selections under the direction of Anji Weissenfluh.

Stat Leaders (Entering the NAIA National Tournament)
• EOU is third in the CCC in scoring at 69.9 points per game and is third in field goal percentage at 42.8%.
• The Mounties rank fourth in three-point percentage at 31.3% and are third in made triples per game at 6.9.
• Eastern has the third best rebounding offense in the CCC, averaging 39.7 per game. They ranked third in rebounding defense, holding opponents to 32.3. 
• The Mountaineers rebounding margin of +7.3 is also third highest in the CCC.
• Sailor Liefke is fifth in the CCC in scoring at 15.6 points per game. She is third in free throw percentage at 84.3%.
• Taylor Stricklin is eighth in the CCC in rebounding at 8.3 rebounds per game. She is 12th in scoring at 13.4 points per game.

Scouting the Competition
No. 12 Sterling College Warriors
• The Warriors enter the National Tournament at 31-2 overall and went 22-2 in KCAC action. They won both the KCAC regular season and tournament titles. They are ranked No. 12 in the NAIA entering the weekend.
• Offensively, Sterling is averaging 83.7 points per game. They shoot 47.3% from the floor and 36.8% from deep. They are also a 79.2% free throw shooting squad. 
• The team averages 16.2 assists per game and gives up 13.2 turnovers per game.  They made 5.5 threes per game.
• Defensively, the Warriors are holding opponents to 64.8 points per game on 37.7% shooting. They hold opponents to 31.5% from deep.
• The Warriors average 39.0 rebounds per game and have a margin of +4.8. They tally 9.1 steals per game and 1.9 blocks per game.
• Bailey Albright is the leading scorer for the Warriors at 19.1 points per game and is the assists leader at 3.8 per game. She was a First Team All-KCAC selection this year.
• Second in scoring is Emmiley Hendrixson at 16.0 points per game. She was named Second Team All-KCAC this season.
• Taya Wilson is the leading rebounder at 9.9 per game and is third in scoring at 15.2 points per game. She was a First Team All-KCAC selection and was named to the KCAC All-Defensive Team.
• Korynn Clason rounds out the double figure scorers at 13.9 points per game. She was an Honorable Mention All-KCAC selection this year.
• Bethany Stuckey is second in rebounding at 6.3 per game. She also averages 8.1 points per game and was tabbed Honorable Mention All-KCAC.

No. 21 Dordt Defenders
• The Defenders enter the weekend with a 24-8 overall record and were 16-6 in GPAC play. They are ranked No. 21 in the NAIA.
• Dordt finished second in the regular season GPAC standings and made it to the conference semifinals as the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
• Offensively, DU is averaging 74.1 points per game and shoots 43.8% from the floor. They shoot 32.% from deep and 76.5% from the free throw line.
• Defensively, the Defenders are holding opponents to 64.8 points per game on a 38.7 field goal percentage. They average 39.2 rebounds per game and 5.4 blocks per game, along with 7.2 steals per game.
• Leading the way in GPAC Player of the Year Ashtyn Veerbeek. She averages 18.2 points per game to go along with 9.3 boards, 3.1 blocks and 2.1 assists per game.
• Karly Gustafson is third in scoring at 12.0 points per game. She also ranks second in rebounding at 7.5 per game and leads the way in assists at 2.2 per game. She was named First Team All-GPAC this year. 
• Bailey Beckman is second in scoring at 13.0 points per game. She shoots 40.3% from deep and was named Second Team All-GPAC.
• Janie Schoonhoven is third in rebounding at 5.6 boards per game. She also chips in 7.9 points per game and was named Honorable Mention All-CCC.

IU East Red Wolves
• The Red Wolves are 25-7 entering the National Tournament. They went 14-3 in the RSC East Division play and made the semifinal round of the conference tournament.
• Offensively, IU East averages 83.1 points per game on 43.3% shooting. They shoot 33.3% from deep and 73.1% from the free throw line. They dish out 17.7 assists per game.
• Defensively, the Red Wolves give up 73.2 points per game on 42% shooting. They allow 30.1% from deep and grab 37.3 rebounds per game. They tally 11.5 steals per game and 2.5 blocks per game.
• Addie Brown leads the offense at 16.7 points per game. She shoots 45.45 from the floor and was named First Team All-RSC.
• Kennedy Griffin is third in scoring at 14.0 points per game. She averages 4.1 rebounds per game and was tabbed Second Team All-RSC.
• Kami McEldowney is the second leading scorer at 14.2 points per game. She is third in rebounding at 4.2 per game and is second in assists at 2.8 per game.
• Tia Tolbert leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per game. She also chips in 7.3 points per game.
• Leading the way in assists is Bethany Mackin at 3.3 per game. She averages just under 10 points per game at 9.8

Up Next
• Should the Mountaineers defeat the Warriors, they will face the winner of Dordt vs. IU East on Saturday, March 12. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PT/3 p.m. CT.

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