Eastern
Oregon Claims first-ever playoff championship
22-3 first-half run helps in Mountaineer's 83-64 championship victory
over Warner Pacific
March 1, 2004
Box
Score
LA GRANDE, Ore. – "Mommy, that
was the most awesome game I've ever seen," is what one young
Mountaineer fan said on her way out of Quinn Coliseum Monday night.
That comment captured the sediments of
most fans at the end of what was Eastern Oregon University's
first-ever post-season playoff championship, defeating No. 3-seed
Warner Pacific, 83-64 in the finals of the Cascade Collegiate
Conference tournament.
In her final home game, senior forward Cory
Nelson (5-10, Homedale, Idaho) had her third double-double of the
season as she scored a season-high 18 points and tied her season-high
of 10 rebounds, as she led all five starters to double-figures in the
victory. Nelson also had a season-high 4 three-pointers tonight.
In her last two games, Nelson has had
been bombing away, nailing six three pointers in 58 minutes of play;
just under a third of her total (19) for the year.
Also in their final home appearances,
seniors Tricia Haddock (5-4, Guard, Parma, Idaho), Christy
Smith (5-7, Guard, Idaho Falls, Idaho) and junior Jamie Jo Cant
(5-7, Guard, Imbler, Ore.) each eclipsed
the 10-point plateau. Haddock ended the night with 15 points, on
5-of-7 shooting (3-of-4 from behind the arc) and a game-high 8
assists. Smith and Cant, finished with 14 points and 10 points,
respectively. Smith also hauled in 6 rebounds.
Starting sophomore forward/post Candice
Davis (5-10, Echo, Ore.) ended up with 10 points, but was saddled
with two early fouls that cut into much of her first-half playing
time, playing in just 18 minutes.
Senior Michelle Kinley
(5-10, Forward, Chewelah, Wash.) and freshman Christie Weaver (5-10,
Forward, La Grande, Ore.) each contributed seven points to the winning
cause.
Eastern Oregon started tonight as they
have in about every game this season... slow. Warner Pacific
jumped out to a 7-2 lead early, then the Mountaineers started to reel
them in.
With 13:48 left in the first-half,
Christy Smith hit a lay-up that gave Eastern a 12-11 lead; a lead that
they would never relinquish.
In fact, that bucket started a 39-7 run
to close out the first-half, that sent the Mountaineers to the locker
room with a 51-21 halftime lead; their largest intermission margin of
the season.
Warner Pacific came out after halftime
with more offensive and defensive fire and closed the Eastern Oregon
lead to as close as 16 points on a three-pointer by Birdie Wermy with
2:20 left in the game. But EOU's 6-3 post Sarah Smith hit a
lay-up from the right side of the key to push the lead back to 18
points and put any thought of a comeback out of the heads of the Lady
Knights.
Warner Pacific was led by double-double
of Becky VanTine with her 13 points and game-high 15 rebounds.
Guard Angie Sun also had a solid performance for Warner Pacific with
20 points.
Both teams will make their way to Sioux
Falls, Iowa for the NAIA Women's Division II National Championships,
March 10-16.
Notes and Sidenotes:
Tonight was Eastern Oregon's
19th-consecutive victory and 10th straight at home... The Mountaineers
have defeated their opponents by 10 or more points in 12 of their last
13 games... No Mountaineer has scored more than 20 points in a game,
since Eastern Oregon's overtime victory at Western Baptist, when Jamie
Jo Cant score 24 points on January 13... The Mountaineers have
had 10 or more steals in a game in 13 of their 27 contests; EOU's
opponents have had 4.
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