DALLAS, Pa.– Eastern University Women's Basketball saw a late rally fall short in a 69-60 season-ending loss at Misericordia. The Eagles trimmed a 14-point deficit to six and had the ball with a minute left but missed a pair of 3-pointers and two inside shots on the next possession, and though  the Eagles eventually cut the Misericordia lead to four points, the Cougars made their final free throws to pull away. Regie Robinson finished with 29 points and nine rebounds to lead the Eagles. With the loss, the Eagles were eliminated from the MAC Freedom Tournament.

How It Happened:

The third period proved to be decisive. The Cougars (19-6, 10-4 MAC Freedom) broke open a three-point game with a 22-13 burst in the frame. The Eagles ran into early foul trouble and the Cougars were able to get the ball inside. They made 8-of-19 shots in the frame. The Eagles attacked the basket, but only made 4-of-16 attempts against the bigger Cougars.

Naomi Harris made the first two Eastern shots of the period, and the Eagles (10-15, 5-9 MAC Freedom) trailed 36-34 when the sophomore guard went to the bench with her third foul three minutes into the period. The Cougars closed out the period on an 18-to-8 run. 

Both teams struggled to score early in the fourth, and the Cougars led 58-44 with four minutes to play. 

Da'Naziah Brown sparked a 7-to-0 run with a lay-up and a 3-pointer. The Cougars answered with four points in a row before Brynn Schmidt and Robinson answered back. Robinson hit a pair of free throws to pull the Eagles to within six points with 77 seconds left. The Eastern press  forced a turnover at mid-court, but the Eagles were not able to close the gap despite a trio of offensive rebounds. 

Robinson scored after a Minika Glenn steal to close the gap to 63-59 with a half a minute to play, but a Misericordia lay-up against the Eastern press at the other end effectively ended the Eastern run. 

Eastern shot 21-of-55 in the game. The Eagles were only 2-of-15 from behind the arc. The Cougars were only 22-of-62 from the floor and 0-13 from behind the arc, but they made 25-of-33 free throws for the difference in the game. Both teams had 20 offensive rebounds. The Eagles had three players foul out.

Brown, Schmidt, and Naomi Harris each finished with eight points. Glenn had six points and nine rebounds and Viki Kneis had 11 rebounds. 

The Eagles needed a win and a loss by King's to qualify as the fourth seed in the MAC Freedom Tournament. Manhattanville won at King's, but the Eagles fell a game short and King's takes the final post-season spot. 

Coach Houston Says:
"It is a tough way to end the season. We battled hard to the end, but we just didn't have enough in the tank to close it out. This season has been a battle for start to finish. I am proud of the way we competed down the stretch of the year.  Regie had a monster game. I am very proud to have the opportunity to coach her for four years and witness her development. She was my first recruit as head coach. I look forward to seeing our young core develop."

Up Next:
Robinson is the only senior on Eastern's roster. She finishes her career with 1303 points and 880 rebounds in 93 games.