FREDERICK, Md. - In a back-and-forth affair that featured 15 ties and 10 leads changes, Eastern Women's Basketball (7-16, 4-10 MACC) emerged victorious, breaking its eight-game losing streak with a 78-71 double overtime victory over the Hood College Blazers (6-17, 2-12 MACC) on Saturday afternoon in Maryland. With the win, the Eagles secured the season sweep of their MAC Commonwealth foe.
Jaelyn Harris, Ashya Gaddy, and Taryn Woodson led the charge for the Eagles, combining for 53 of the team's 78 points. Harris scored a season-high 24 points on eight-of-16 shooting from the field to go along with three triples. It is the most points for Harris since a 32-point performance against Delaware Valley back in Feb. 2020. Gaddy scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half and eight in overtime to go along with five rebounds and three steals, while Woodson recorded the 12th double-double of her rookie campaign with 11 points and a team-high 16 boards in the Eagles' victory.
Eastern came out firing in the first quarter, opening the game on a 7-0 run, which included five points from Harris. The Eagles built their lead to seven points on a pair of free throws from Harris at the 4:03 mark, but the Blazers ended the quarter on a 6-2 surge to make it a 13-10 Eastern advantage at the break.
Hood scored the first two baskets of the second frame to take its first lead at 14-13, but the two teams went on to trade points throughout the remainder of the first half. Harris scored six more points in the stanza as the hosts took a slim 26-23 advantage into halftime.
The Blazers scored the first four points of the second half, making it 30-25, but the Eagles answered with a 12-7 sruge, eight points coming from Gaddy, to tie the contest at 37 points apiece. The two teams continued to battle, heading into the fourth quarter tied at 40.
The back-and-forth play continued in the final quarter of regulation, with neither team leading by more than five points at any given time. A Brynn Schmidt fast break layup put the Eagles ahead 49-44, but Hood battled back to tie the contest at 50-50 with 1:40 to play. The Eagles and Blazers traded a pair of baskets in the final 11 seconds, and Hood hit a layup at the buzzer to send the contest to overtime.
After the Eagles gave up another five-point lead to force a second overtime period, Harris helped to put the Blazers away, scoring six points in the final stanza to help the Eagles secure the victory. Eastern outscored the Blazers 13-6 and allowed just two field goals in the final five minutes.
As a team, the Eagles finished 28-of-71 from the field (39.4), while holding the Blazers to just 24 makes in their 70 attempts (34.3 percent). Both teams collected 44 rebounds, while the Eagles finished with 12 assists on their 28 made field goals. Additionally, the Eagles finished with 27 points in transition and 17 points off of turnovers.
Eastern will close its regular season home schedule on Tuesday evening, hosting Lebanon Valley at the NEST. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.
