MORRISTOWN, N.J. - Eastern Women's Basketball dropped a 56-49 decision to Saint Elizabeth on Saturday in its final game before the Christmas break.
Jeriyah Johnson scored a season-high 21 points on 10 made field goals, but the Eagles shot just 26 percent from the floor and failed to hit a single three-pointer in the eventual seven-point loss.
Despite the shooting numbers, the Eagles were competitive throughout. Johnson scored Eastern's first four points, and first-year center
Madeline Wylie knocked down a pair of free throws as the two teams played to a 6-6 tie with 4:38 to play in the frame. Saint Elizabeth countered with a 7-2 run to go ahead 15-8, but four straight points from
Damiyae Moyet on a layup and a free throw pulled Eastern within four at the quarter break.
Eastern used an 8-1 run of its own in the second quarter to tie the game at 19-19 with 4:32 to play in the half. Johnson started the run with a pair of baskets, before a
Tychelle Gordon make in the paint and two more free throws from Wylie knotted up the score. The Eagles were unable to grab the lead, scoring just two points over the remainder of the half as Saint Elizabeth took a four-point lead into the break.
The Eagles' most efficient offense came in the third quarter and early part of the fourth. Over a span of 9:52, the Eagles shot seven-of-12 from the field and seven-of-10 from the line to take a 42-41 lead with 8:29 to play. Adrianna Summersett, Johnson, and
Ariyana Hester combined for 15 of the Eagles' 21 points in the run.
The Eastern offense went cold after that. Saint Elizabeth outscored the Eagles 15-7 in the final 7:49, and Eastern made just three baskets down the stretch. The Eagles finished with an 11-rebound advantage and were solid at the line, but made just 17 field goals. Saint Elizabeth also took advantage of the Eagles' miscues, scoring 17 points off of Eastern giveaways.
Eastern (4-6) will be back in action in 2026. The Eagles will open the spring semester home schedule on Jan. 3 with a 2:30 pm matchup against Wilkes.
