ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - Playing with just six players on Saturday afternoon at the NEST, Eastern Women's Basketball (4-15, 2-8 MACC) battled its way to its second MAC Commonwealth win of the season — a 49-40 triumph over the Hood College Blazers. The Eagles built a double-digit lead at halftime and held off a late Hood rally to secure the season split.

First-year guard Jeriyah Johnson led the Eagles with 17 points, which included three triples. The Lancaster, Pa. native has scored double-digits in 15 of Eastern's 18 contests this season. Graduate guard Wynter Bess continued her strong offensive play, recording her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. For Bess, it was her fourth straight double-digit scoring outing and her fifth in Eastern's last six games. Taryn Woodson added nine to go along with a team-high 12 boards, Trinity Upton collected six points and seven rebounds, and Kayla Jefferson rounded out the scoring with five points and four rebounds.

The Eagles' zone defense stifled the Blazers (4-15, 2-8 MACC) all afternoon. Hood shot just 17-for-71 from the field and 1-of-18 from beyond the arc. Additionally, the 40 points allowed were the lowest that the Eagles have given up this season.

"That was a great win," Eastern Head Coach Eric Houston said. "Everyone stepped up big and we played together as a team. We showed a lot of heart and discipline today. I am very proud of them to pull this out. On to the next one."

After an early 2-2 draw, Eastern scored six straight points, four coming from Woodson, to give the Eagles an 8-2 advantage. The Blazers scored on their next possession to make it 8-4, but Eastern ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to grab a 15-6 advantage.

Eastern was even more efficient in the second period, outscoring the Blazers 11-4 to take a commanding 26-10 lead at halftime. Upton scored five of her six points in the quarter, which included a three-pointer, to put the Eagles up by double-digits.

The Eagles held their double-digit lead throughout the third quarter, but the Blazers began to push back in the fourth. Hood opened the quarter on a 9-3 run to cut the lead to 10, before a Woodson layup put Eastern back up by 11. The Blazers continued to put the pressure on, trimming the advantage all the way down to seven with a minute to play, but the Eagles hit seven free throws down the stretch to stave the Blazers' comeback attempt.

Eastern will be back at the NEST on Wednesday for another MAC Commonwealth matchup with Alvernia. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.