ST.DAVIDS, Pa.-- Eastern University Women's Basketball extended their winning streak to five with a lopsided win over Wilkes University. The Eagles used a 63-39 advantage on the boards to pull away to the 70-34 victory.
Shante Jones led all scorers with 20 points and Bekah Roland added 16. Roland pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. The junior forward collected eight on the offensive end to earn her fifth double-double of the season. Jones grabbed five caroms at each end and added six assists and five steals in 22 minutes of action. The Eagles did well to limit second shots and grabbed a season-high 42 defensive rebounds.
"We played hard," said Head Coach Nate Davis. "Our efforts on defense triggered our offense. I was proud that our girls ignored the scoreboard and played with intensity."
The Eagles jumped into the lead early, with an 8-0 run in the first four minutes. They held the visitors to 16% shooting through the first half and they led by as many as 22 before going to the intermission up 35-16.
Despite the score, the girls did not let up, tackling each play with energy and pressing on defense until the end of the game.
"Overall, I thought we played a good 40 minutes," said Roland. "Our defense was definitely the key to the victory though."
Eastern held conference-leading scorer Sam Lynam to 14 points below her average. Megan Kasmerski scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the visitors. Brittany Ray added five points and Damacia Gilbert tallied four, both coming off the bench.
"Coach was impressed with our intensity," said Roland. "But he reminded us that we have practice tomorrow and still a long season ahead of us. We need some more wins."
