Record set for most consecutive wins

This archived article was written by: Abbie Bird

Over the past few weeks the women’s basketball team has played six games and come out on top in the end in all but one of those games. They even set a new record at USU Eastern for most consecutive wins, which was seven; this years team took it to eight.
On Nov. 13, they traveled to Casper, Wyo., to play in the annual Casper Tournament. For their first game, the Lady Eagles played Western Wyoming and came out with an 88-72 win. Guards Maddy Murphy and Caroline Fischer led the team in points; Murphy with 18 and Fischer with 14. Sophomore Jamie Smith had eight assists to help seal the win.
On Nov. 14, the team played Casper College and pulled out a 87-79 win. The women’s basketball program has not beaten Casper at home in over five years. Casper has a really good program and is usually an elite prospect. Bryanna Adams led the team in points with 17 and five rebounds. Fischer and Smith chipped in with 10 points each.
Nov. 15, the Eagles played a closer game against Northeastern Junior College. Smith led the team in points with 23, Adams had 13 and Fischer had 11. Sophomore center Jessica Anderson grabbed eight rebounds that helped with the win. The team also shot 35 percent from the three-point line and had a total of 11-three pointers, but the game was still tight. In the last minute of the game, Smith stole the ball, got fouled, and hit her free throws sealing the game.
They played an Alumni game at home on Nov. 20, where they cruised to a 79-58 victory. Adams led the way with 15 points. The alumni team included players of former USUE teams.
The team headed back to Wyoming on Nov. 28, to play in a tournament hosted by Western Wyoming. For the fourth time this season they beat Western Wyoming. This time they won by five points, the final score was 83 to 78. The team was tied at halftime with the score of 35 to 35, but with the help of guards Smith and Adams combining for 26 points, and sophomore Lejla Hadzialiagic’s 10 rebounds, the team was able to outscore Western in the second half.
The Lady Eagles suffered their first loss against Central Wyoming College, by one point: 80 to 79. CWC shot 36 percent from the field-goal range, while the Eagles only shot 28 percent.
The Eagles were up at half time, but lost the momentum going into the second half, and didn’t shoot as well as they did the first half. Fouls and turnovers also assisted in the loss, as CWC was able to go to the free throw line and make 25 out of 30. Anderson walked away with a double double of 13 rebounds and 10 points in the loss.
The ladies are on the road this weekend in Idaho. They return home for their opening conference games against Salt Lake Community College and Snow College in the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center on Dec. 12-13.