ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - In a hard-fought, back-and-forth clash at the NEST on Saturday afternoon, Eastern Women's Basketball grinded out a 50-47 win over the Hood College Blazers for its second win and first conference victory of the season. With the Eagles trailing by one with 2:13 to play in the fourth quarter, junior guard hit a crucial three-pointer, before hitting two critical free throws in the final nine seconds to lift the Eagles to victory.

At the end, the game came down to free throws. Moment earlier, Hood forward Chanelle Lee had a chance to put the Blazers ahead by two, but hit just one free throw to put Hood ahead by one. A few seconds later, Johnson hit the go-ahead three to give the Eagles the lead for good. For the game, Hood shot just 10-of-22 from the charity stripe and just four-of-eight in the final frame.

Johnson recorded her fifth straight double-digit scoring performance with 17 points to lead the Eagles. The Lancaster native finished three-for-four from beyond the arc to go along with seven assists, four rebounds, a block, and a steal. Junior guard Damiyae Moyet added nine points on three triples, while Tyerra Jarvis and Stephanie White each added six points.

The two teams traded points early in the first quarter, playing to a 7-7 tie with 4:27 to play in the frame. Hood took the lead into the second frame on a triple from Tam Stanford, a layup from Aliyah Taylor, and a free throw Serenity Ritchie.

Eastern outscored the Blazers 19-11 in the second quarter, which included an 11-4 run over the final 3:55 of the frame. The Blazers took an early 15-9 lead on a layup from Kourtney Johnson on their first possession of the period, but the Eagles found their footing. Johnson cut into the lead with a jumper, before Maiah Madison hit a pair of free throws to make it 15-13. Johnson then gave Eastern the lead briefly with a three, but Taylor answered for Hood with a tip-in on the other end. Stanford's second three of the first half put the Blazers back up by three at 20-17, but the Eagles surged heading into halftime.

Johnson's second three of the quarter tied it up at 20-20 with 3:28 to play in the period, and Kendall Williams added a pair of free throws a minute later to put the Eagles ahead by two. Williams is now seven-of-eight from the line to begin her collegiate career. After Hood tied it again at 22-22, three straight layups by Dominique Geiger, White, and Williams, the final two on the fast break, put the Eagles ahead 28-22 with 28 seconds to play. Hood hit a jumper on their final possession of the second quarter to make it a 28-24 halftime lead for the Eagles.

Madison hit a jumper to start the third quarter and put the Eagles ahead by six, but the Blazers made their push. Hood outscored the Eagles 14-2 over the next eight minutes, turning their six-point deficit into a six-point lead. The Eagles, however, ended the third quarter on a high note as White hit a jumper and Moyet followed it up with a triple to make it a 38-37 Hood lead with 10 minutes remaining.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair as both teams made their pushes. Moyet gave the Eagles a 41-38 lead with her third three of the game at the 5:53 mark, and layups from Johnson and Jarvis pushed the advantage to four. Hood bounced back, taking a 46-45 lead with 2:13 remaining, but a critical missed free throw from Lee gave the Eagles a chance. Eastern capitalized, as first-year guard Amelia Leister found a wide-open Johnson, who found nothing but net to give the Eagles the lead. Johnson went on to her lone two free throws of the game to put the Eagles ahead by three, and the Eastern defense held on Hood's last possession to secure the win.

"It was a great team win at home today, and a much needed one," Eastern Head Coach Sarah Fowler said. "This was a confidence boost for the remainder of league play, and I commend our starters and bench for being ready to go and get the job done."

Taylor led the Blazers with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Johnson added seven points. Lee, who sat most of the first half due to foul trouble, finished with just five points and six rebounds for the Blazers.

Eastern (2-13, 1-3) will be the road in Alvernia on Wednesday to take on the Golden Wolves. Tip is set for 6:00 pm.