COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - In its final game before the Thanksgiving break, Eastern Women's Basketball dropped a 62-44 decision to the Ursinus College Bears on Tuesday evening. Junior Maiah Madison recorded a career-best performance with 14 points on seven-of-10 shooting, but another slow start proved to be the difference.

Madison, who hails from Chester, Pa., paced the Eastern offense with 13 points on an effective seven-of-10 shooting. Her 14 points is a new career-high, surpassing the eight points she scored against McDaniel on Saturday. Junior Jeriyah Johnson finished with 12 points and a pair of assists, while Trinity Upton added six points and seven rebounds.

The Eagles kept pace with the Bears early as they built a 7-5 lead on buckets from Madison, Upton, and senior transfer Mojisola Shokeye. Eastern, however, scored just one point over the final 5:39 of the period as the Bears headed into the second quarter on an 11-1 run. 

Eastern (0-7) cut the lead down to five points on a good three pointer in the first 28 seconds of the second half, but the Bears outscored the Eagles 11-4 the rest of the first half. The Eagles once again struggled to shoot the ball in the opening 20 minutes, finishing just six-of-18 from the field.

Madison opened the second half with three straight baskets on three straight possession and cut the Ursinus lead down to six with 8:33 to play in the third quarter, but the Eagles never got any closer the rest of the way. The Bears built their lead to as many as 24 points before settling for the 18-point triumph.

Chinwe Irondi led Ursinus with 20 points on nine-of-17 shooting, while Madison Smith recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Coleen Blackman added 12 points on four three-pointers to go along with five rebounds and a pair of assists. 

Eastern will be back in action at The NEST on Saturday, Dec. 14 against Saint Elizabeth University. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.