11/26/07: Eastern Holds Off Whitman Rally

November 26, 2007

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – With the game tied at 51, with 4:48 to go in the game, the Eastern Oregon University women used a 14-5 run to close the game; winning 65-56.

The Mountaineers (3-0) were down as many as nine in the first half and four in the second, but managed to lead for most of the game. The loss was the first of the season for the NCAA Div. III Missionaries (3-1), who opened the season with three victories in southern California.

Eastern jumped out to an early 12-2 lead in the first three minutes of play, but the Mounties went scoreless in the next eight minutes. Whitman then went on a 15-0 run to take the lead 17-12.

A three-pointer from Michelle Krall and a pair of inside baskets from Jessica Brice gave Whitman their largest lead at 24-15 with 6:56 left in the first half. EOU then rallied behind 10 points from Tiffanie Ulmer to lead 31-26 at the half.

The Missionaries rallied in the first seven minutes of the second half to regain the lead behind eight points from Jenele Peterson. The 16-7 run produced a 42-38 Whitman lead with 13:28 remaining.

EOU responded with six straight points, but another three-pointer from Krall gave Whitman it’s final lead of the night, 45-44, at the 8:18 mark.

Elise Hawes and Breanna Olson later hit a pair of three-pointers as part of a 10-0 Mountaineer run that propelled Eastern to the victory.

EOU was led by Ulmer’s game-high 18 points and nine rebounds. The senior finished six for six from the field, while making six of her free throws. Laura Olsen added 16 points, and Olson chipped in 12 points. Sheena Henderson just missed out on a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Peterson finished with a team-high 12 points for Whitman. Kelsey Krumdieck was the only other Missionary player to score double digits with 10 points. Emily Shubin had nine points and eight rebounds, and Kristina Francis added eight points, four assists, and four rebounds for Whitman.

Eastern returns to action this weekend when they open Cascade Conference play, Friday night versus Southern Oregon (3-1) and Saturday evening versus Oregon Tech (4-0). Both games are set for 5:30 tip-offs in La Grande at Quinn Coliseum.