CHESTER, Pa. - Eastern Women's Basketball played its best game of the season on Wednesday night, using a trio of double-digit scorers, some big baskets down the stretch, and excellent defense to beat the Widener Pride 64-57. The Eagles improved to 2-1 in the MAC Commonwealth standings and handed Widener just its second loss of the season.

Sophomore guard Jeriyah Johnson led the Eastern offense with 17 points, her season-high, to go along with a team-leading six assists. Graduate forward Miranda Liebtag finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of blocks, while junior forward Taryn Woodson rounded out Eastern's double-digit scorers with 14 points on five-of-11 shooting to go along with a team-high 14 rebounds. It was her fifth double-double in the last six games. Wynter Bess recorded nine points, while Camila Sosa and Trinity Upton each finished with six.

Additionally, the Eagles' defense was stout throughout the evening. In all, Eastern forced 19 turnovers and scored 18 points off of Widener giveaways.

The Eagles (6-7, 2-1) got off to a strong start, taking a 14-7 lead after the first quarter of play. Liebtag got the scoring started off a Widener turnover, and after a Pride response, Woodson and Bess each found twine to put Eastern ahead 6-3 with 6:17 to play in the quarter. Widener's Jordan D'Ambrosio scored back-to-back baskets to put the Pride back ahead, but the Eagles responded with seven unanswered points to take a seven-point advantage into the second frame. Johnson scored the final six points of the quarter.

The Pride (12-2, 2-1) trimmed their deficit to three on another pair of D'Ambrosio baskets early in the second, but the Eagles responded with a 9-0 surge to increase their advantage to 23-11 with 5:03 to play in the first half. Liebtag hit a driving layup and Bess followed with a floating jumpshot to begin the run, and Sosa hit a triple off a Widener giveaway to make it a double-digit lead for Eastern. Upton closed the run with a fastbreak layup. Widener again trimmed the lead to five with 3:30 to play in the period, but another basket from Liebtag and a free throw from Upton gave Eastern a 26-20 lead at the halftime break.

The Eagles came out firing in the second half, beginning the third quarter with a 11-0 run. Johnson scored a putback basket to begin the rally, and Bess followed with five straight points off of turnovers, including a three-pointer, to push Eastern's advantage to 13. Johnson scored on a fast break layup, and Woodson ended the run with a turnaround jumper in the paint to give the Eagles a game-high 17-point lead. Woodson had a strong second half, scoring 10 of her 12 points in the final two quarters. The Pride were able to find their offensive footing, but the Eagles held between a seven and 10 point lead the rest of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles made some big shots in crucial moments to help them secure the victory. After Widener cut the lead to seven, Sosa hit a three from the left wing to put the Eagles back ahead by 10. Trailing by 11 to 6:03 to play, the Pride made their biggest push, using a nine-point surge to make it a single possession game, but again, Eastern answered. Woodson hit a critical layup on Eastern's next possession, and Liebtag, Johnson, and Upton combined for five free throws in the final 1:06 to secure their second conference victory.

"We came ready to go today, and it showed," Eastern Head Coach Sarah Fowler said. "It got a little hairy towards the end, but we gutted it out. This team is capable of big things. It's all about if you show up today or not, and they showed up today."

Eastern heads back on the road on Saturday for another conference showdown against Hood in Frederick. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.