GLENSIDE, Pa.- Eastern University Women's Basketball (9-2) used a 23-7 run at the close of the first half to claim a 75-56 non-league win at Arcadia. Senior All-American Shante Jones led the way for the Eagles with 24 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, and six assists.

Jones, who played sparingly and did not attempt a shot in the Eagles' most recent win at Cedar Crest, scored 12 points and added three assists in the decisive run to close out the half. The host Knights took advantage of hot shooting from the perimeter and some early foul trouble from Meghan Nowak to build a 20-14 lead.

Nowak, who recorded a career-best 34 points on Thursday, scored a pair of baskets in the opening three minutes before picking up her second foul with 16:08 to play in the half. She would not return to the floor until the second half. 

With Nowak out, Jones grabbed the reigns of the offense and scored in transition to propel the Eagles to a 37-27 halftime lead. Christine Taylor had ten points to lead the hosts at the break. The Knights (2-8) shot 23.5% in the opening period. Jones had sixteen points. Bekah Roland and Ellen Dvorak each snared six boards in the opening frame as the Eagles controlled the backboards by a 31-26 margin.

Despite being double-teamed on every possession, Nowak scored the first six points of the second half on four free throws and a strong post move. Nowak, who is averaging 20.8 points per game through 11 games, finished the afternoon with 17 points in 19 minutes. It is the first time in her career that she has scored below her average. 

The Knights, featuring a pair of mid-year transfers, closed the gap to seven and seemed poised to carve deeper into the Eastern lead when Dvorak missed a tough 16 footer with the shot clock running down, but Kaleigh Boreman grabbed a huge offensive rebound and stuck home the put-back to put the Eagles up 46-37 with twelve minutes to play. 

The second-chance hoop sparked a 22-2 run to help the Eagles reassert control over the contest. Dvorak hit a 15-footer and Boreman drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the lead into double-figures. Eastern held the Knights without a field goal for nearly seven and a half minutes as the lead swelled to 29.

Rowland and Dvorak tied for team-high rebounding honors with nine, and Jones, Nowak, and Katie Lincoln each grabbed eight as the Eagles held a 69-58 edge on the glass at the end of the game. Taylor led the Knights with 20 points. Angie Adams scored 14 for the hosts and Victoria Roukas finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The Eagles continue non-league play with a home test against Moravian on Monday and will return to Freedom Conference action when the host Misericordia in an important early-season test on Wednesday. Both games are part of Eastern's Season of Impact Coat Drive. Anyone bringing a new or gently-used coat for donation to City Team Ministries will be admitted to the game for free.