Northern Arizona women outlast Eastern Washington in overtime to force tie atop Big Sky

From staff reports

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Eastern Washington battled back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter and forced overtime, but the Eagles couldn’t keep up in the final period and suffered their first Big Sky Conference loss of the season.

EWU fell 89-81 to Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon at the Walkup Skydome.

The Eagles (16-4, 6-1 Big Sky) had their winning streak stopped at 10 games. NAU (14-6, 6-1) won its fourth straight and climbed into the top spot in the Big Sky standings.

The Lumberjacks led 61-46 early in the fourth quarter, but EWU closed the gap with a 17-2 scoring run, tying the game at 63-63 with 2:36 remaining.

After a back-and-forth stretch, star EWU guard Aaliyah Alexander hit a pull-up 3 with 28 seconds left to tie the score at 71-71. NAU responded with two free throws, taking the lead with 3 seconds to play. Eagles guard Jaleesa Lawrence caught an inbounds pass and quickly put a shot, drawing a foul with less than a second remaining. She knocked down both free throws to send it to overtime.

The Eagles struggled to find consistency in the extra period without Alexander, who fouled out in the closing seconds of regulation. EWU missed its final six shots in overtime.

Alexander poured in a career-high 31 points, scoring 24 in the second half. The sophomore from Federal Way shot 8 of 14 from the field and 12 of 16 from the free-throw line. Senior guard Jamie Loera added 20 points as EWU shot 36% from the field and 8 of 23 from 3-point range.

NAU forward Sophie Glancy scored 23 points, six in overtime. The Lumberjacks shot 41.3% from the field and 17 of 18 from the foul line. NAU never trailed.

Up next, EWU hosts Montana State at 6 p.m. Thursday.