READING, Pa. - A slow start, combined with offensive struggles throughout the contest, proved to be the difference on Wednesday evening as Eastern Women's Basketball opened the New Year with a 74-43 loss to MAC Commonwealth foe Alvernia. Eastern (2-9, 0-4 MACC) fell behind by double-digits in the first quarter and never recovered, while shooting just 25 percent from the floor (14-of-56) in the defeat. 

The Golden Wolves (10-4, 5-0 MACC) scored eight of the first nine points of the contest to establish a lead they would not relinquish. Jakaylah Holland's first field goal made it 8-3 with 6:48 to play in the quarter, but the Eagles would not get any closer than that the rest of the way. Alvernia used an 11-5 run to go up 19-8 lead with 2:33 remaining, and after a Holland three, scored seven straight points to take a 26-11 advantage into the second frame.

Wynter Bess knocked down a triple early in the second quarter to cut the Alvernia lead to 13 points, but the Eastern offense was unable to establish any sort of rhythm. The Eagles scored just five points in the final 8:22 of the first half and were held scoreless for the final 3:46. The Golden Wolves kept the pedal down after halftime, increasing their advantage to as many as 33 points before securing the 30-point triumph. 

On a tough night, Holland was one of the bright spots for the Eagles. The sophomore forward played her best game in an Eastern uniform, scoring a career-high 13 points on five-of-10 shooting, one-of-three from beyond the arc, and two-of-three from the foul line. Jeriyah Johnson scored 10 points off the bench, while newcomer Stephanie White contributed eight points. 

Eastern will be back at the NEST on Saturday for the first time in 2023. The Eagles will host MAC Commonwealth rival Messiah beginning at 1:00 pm.