SALISBURY, Md. - In its final non-conference matchup of the season on Friday afternoon, Eastern Women's Basketball dropped its fifth straight contest, falling to a strong Salisbury Seagulls squad, 71-53. With the loss, the Eagles fell to 1-8 away from home this season.
Fresh off becoming the Eagles' all-time leader in career three-pointers made, senior guard Jaelyn Harris co-led Eastern in scoring with 12 points, including a pair of triples. Ashya Gaddy recorded another strong performance off the bench, finishing with 12 points on six-of-nine shooting from the field. Taryn Woodson rounded out Eastern's double-digit scorers with 10 points, her 11th straight double-digit performance, to go along with a team-leading six rebounds.
The Eagles got off to an excellent start in the first quarter, opening the contest on a 9-0 run. Woodson began the run with a layup on the Eagles' first offensive possession, and Harris followed with a triple to make it 5-0. Kayla Jefferson and Brynn Schmidt followed with baskets of their own, giving the Eagles a nine-point advantage with 6:20 remaining in the quarter.
However, over the next 15:19 of the contest leading into the halftime break, Salisbury came roaring back, outscoring Eastern 45-16 to grab a 45-25 lead at halftime - a double-digit advantage they would not relinquish. During the scoring surge, Salisbury shot a scorching 15-of-22 from the field and six-of-nine from beyond the arc. The Eagles were unable to recover from the Seagulls' first-half run, never getting closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
As a team, Eastern shot 25-of-63 from the field (39.7 percent) and just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc (20.0 percent). Additionally, the Eagles were outscored at the foul line, 13-1, while being out rebounded by a 46-22 margin.
Eastern Women's Basketball (6-13, 3-7 MACC) will be back in action on Wednesday evening, traveling to Reading to take on Alvernia (8-8, 2-7 MACC) for the second time this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.