ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - Behind historic performances from first-year guard Jeriyah Johnson and sophomore forward Taryn Woodson on Saturday, Eastern Women's Basketball (3-11, 1-6 MACC) came out on top in a thrilling 68-65 overtime victory over Stevenson to earn its first conference win of the 2022-2023 season. Furthermore, the Eagles handed Stevenson (6-10, 5-2 MACC) just its second conference loss of the campaign. 

Johnson finished the game with 30 points, the most she has scored at any level of basketball. The first-year guard from Lancaster knocked down 10 field goals and nine shots from the charity stripe, both of which were also career-highs. Her 30 points are the most for an Eastern player since Jaelyn Harris scored 32 in an 82-62 triumph over Delaware Valley on Feb. 8, 2020.

Woodson ended the contest with 14 points and a career-high 21 rebounds. The Harrisburg, Pa. native became the first Eagle to pull down 20-plus rebounds since Regie Robinson recorded 20 against Kean on Dec. 17, 2016. Additionally, her 21 rebounds are the most since Emily Lavin finished with 23 against Rosemont in Nov. 2015.

Johnson and Jakaylah Holland got the offense rolling for the Eagles, combining to score the first seven points to give the Eagles a 7-4 lead at the 7:43 mark. Stevenson answered with a 9-1 run to grab a 13-8 advantage, but four made free throws from Wynter Bess and Ebony Johnson in the final 2:07 made it a 13-12 Stevenson lead after the first quarter break.

Despite shooting just three-of-18 from the field, the Eagles made up for it at the foul line with four makes in six tries. Leading 19-17 with 7:11 to play in the first half, free throws by Holland and Ebony Johnson, along with another made jumper from Holland, put the Eagles 23-17. Eastern pushed their lead to eight on free throws by Upton and Jeriyah Johnson, before another Johnson jumper in the paint gave Eastern its first double-digit lead at 29-19 with 2:40 to play. The Mustangs were able to trim the Eastern advantage down to six at the 1:41 mark, but a basket from Johnson at the buzzer put the Eagles ahead 31-23 at halftime. The Eagles' defense was stout in the second period as they allowed just 10 Stevenson points.

After Johnson scored on Eastern's first possession of the second half, Woodson caught fire for the Eagles. Over a 4:05 span, Woodson scored nine straight points for the Eagles, putting Eastern ahead 42-31 at the 5:14 mark. However, the Mustangs showed zero quit, scoring nine points in the final 5:10 of the period make it a 46-40 Eastern lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Mustangs continued to press, eventually tying the contest at 49-49 with 6:05 to play in regulation. From that moment on, the two teams battled possession for possession. With the contest tied at 55-55, Johnson scored seven straight points, including a three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining, to give the Eagles a 60-57 advantage. However, the Mustangs were able to tie the game in the waning seconds to force overtime.

Johnson, however, put the finishing touches on her historic night in the overtime session, scoring all eight points, which included six makes at the foul line, to give the Eagles a hard-fought triumph.

"That was a big, big win," Eastern Head Coach Eric Houston said. "Jeriyah and Taryn played a major impact on the game. We competed on both ends of the floor. Trinity, Wynter, and Jakaylah did an outstanding job of doing the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet. Major win, and we are moving on to LVC. I am happy for them."

Eastern will be back on the road on Wednesday, January 18, to take on MAC Commonwealth rival LVC. The contest is set to begin at 8:00 pm.