‘What a journey its been’: Eastern Washington women’s historic season ends with 73-51 first-round loss to Oregon State

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Jamie Loera was the first Eastern Washington senior to make her way down the entire bench to embrace coaches and teammates, one by one at Gill Coliseum.

The point guard had just played in the most significant women’s college basketball game of her life, and she had done just about everything she could have to will the 14th-seeded Eagles to a victory.

But the Beavers simply had too much height and too much depth – and the Eagles didn’t have an answer for Raegan Beers.

After the Eagles’ pressure defense led them to a first-quarter lead, the Beavers stormed ahead in the second quarter and advanced to the round of 32 with a 73-51 victory Friday on their home court .

“We’ve been in that position before in games this season,” said sixth-year senior Milly Knowles, who played in a program-record 144th game. “Usually, we bounce back, but that’s a really good team out there, obviously.”

Loera scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the first half, mostly on midrange jumpers, and for a while her offense was enough, thanks to an effective defensive gameplan. In the first quarter, the Eagles forced eight turnovers, and their lead grew to 18-10.

“A lot of times Jamie defers to other people, especially to start games,” EWU head coach Joddie Gleason said. “She looks to run the offense and is a great distributor. So I was just super proud of her. She recognized that she needed to score for us as well.”

But once the Beavers began their comeback, it wasn’t just that Oregon State settled into an offensive rhythm. It was that the Eagles simply couldn’t get their shots to fall.

They finished the game 21 of 70 from the field, their lowest percentage (30%) on the season, and they had just six assists, one more than their season low. Loera made almost half of those shots (10 of 23); no other Eagles player made more than four.

“They were more aggressive coming into the second quarter, and our response wasn’t what we wanted,” Loera said. “But I’m definitely proud (of us) for just fighting the rest of the game.”

After the Beavers tied the game at 20, Dominika Paurova and Timea Gardiner hit back-to-back 3s, spurring Oregon State in the second quarter when it outscored Eastern 24-9 to take a 39-27 halftime lead.

Beers, Oregon’ State’s 6-foot-4 sophomore post, made 8 of 11 shots and scored 19 points, all right under the basket. She grabbed nine of the Beavers’ 45 rebounds – 19 more than the Eagles had – and when she wasn’t able to find room, she kicked the ball out to Oregon State’s shooters.

Paurova, on her 19th birthday, finished with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field. Gardiner had 12 points while making 4 of 6 shots from the floor. As a team, Oregon State shot 54.9% (28 of 51), well enough to compensate for its 19 turnovers.

“Eastern’s a really good team,” OSU head coach Scott Rueck said. “I think the word I want to use, because of the circumstances, (is) annoyingly good. We’re supposed to win this game. We’re at home, a No. 3 seed, and all week long I’m watching and thinking, this team causes trouble.”

A No. 14 seed has still never won in the women’s NCAA Tournament, and the Beavers (25-7) have aspirations far beyond just this one game. They have won eight consecutive first-round tournament games, advancing as far as the Final Four in 2016.

For Eastern, this season has been the program’s most memorable, considering its best 29-6 record, its Big Sky regular-season and tournament championships, and this NCAA appearance, the program’s first since 1987.

“It’s always tough right after you lose a game,” EWU junior Jaydia Martin said, “but looking back on how much we’ve accomplished this season, and honestly just what a great group of girls we have, it’s amazing to see that and see how far we’ve come and how much we’ve done together as a team.”

Loera finished with four assists and four of the Eagles’ 15 steals – their second most against a Division I opponent this year – and her 21 points matched a season high.

“What a journey it’s been,” Loera said. “Just when you pour your heart into a program and receive the love back, it’s pretty incredible. So (I am) just super proud of what this team has done.”