Clock strikes midnight on Eastern Washington's Cinderella run
(Photo courtesy of BROOKS NUANEZ, BIG SKY CONFERENCE) Sandpoint alumna Grace Kirscher (‘18) shoots a floater over Portland State junior Jordan Stotler during the Big Sky championship game on March 15.
(Photo courtesy of BROOKS NUANEZ, BIG SKY CONFERENCE) EWU guard Grace Kirscher shoots over a Northern Colorado defender in the Big Sky semifinals on March 13.
Sandpoint native Grace Kirscher and the Eastern Washington Eagles needed a play-in win against Weber State, a two-point overtime win against Idaho State and a heads-up inbounds play off the back of a Northern Colorado player in order to make the 2019 Big Sky women’s basketball championship game.
Yet the clock struck midnight on the Big Sky’s Cinderellas in a 61-59 loss to the 4-seed Portland State Vikings in Boise on Friday afternoon.
Of course, the Eagles had to endure one more thrilling, one-possession game to cap off their impressive run of four games in five days. For a team that defied the old “tired legs” cliches with every quick turnaround, fatigue eventually caught up to them when it mattered most.
Although Eastern Washington out-shot the Vikings 40.9 to 21.1 percent from distance, they only shot 38.6 percent from the field on the game, while giving up plenty of offensive rebounds on the other end.
But if there’s a positive takeaway from the loss, then it’s freshman trio Kirscher, Jessica McDowell-White and Bella Cravens, who led the Eagles throughout the Big Sky Tournament.
Against Portland State, a different Eagle stepped up in every quarter.
First, senior guard Violet Kapri Morrow set the tone by hitting her first two threes — set up in part due to Kirscher’s rebounding and passing. Then McDowell-White caught fire in the second quarter by hitting three threes. Senior stretch forward Alissa Sealby stepped out to carry the Eagles in the third.
The fourth quarter was a different story.
With 5:35 to go, Kirscher beat her defender off the dribble and scored, giving the Eagles a 57-50 lead — their largest lead of the afternoon. Just as it looked like the Eagles would pull ahead, Portland State finally woke up.
When all was said and done, the Eagles finished the game on a 5:15 scoring drought. McDowell-White’s layup tied the game with 20 seconds left, but freshman Desirae Hansen answered with a fade-away, elbow jumper with four seconds left.
The scoreless spell looked all the more brutal given how the Eagles dominated the game.
Eastern Washington took control of the game late in the first quarter. Kirscher forced a turnover off a botched hand-off, finished through contact and converted the three-point play to knot the score at 11. Her effort sparked a 9-0 Eastern Washington run to close out the period.
Portland State didn’t do itself any favors. The Vikings turned the ball over nine times in the first half alone, and most of those were unforced errors. Whenever they pulled within a possession, Eastern Washington hit timely threes.
Despite Portland State’s shooting woes, the 4-seed clawed back in the game with its rebounding. As a team, the Vikings out-rebounded the Eagles 38-33, thanks to grad transfer Ashley Bolston’s 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, plus Stotler’s three, fourth-quarter rebounds.
The defense showed up at the right time, too; Portland State forced three turnovers in the final four minutes.
Sandpoint alumna Kirscher finished with nine points, three assists and two rebounds.
Eastern Washington’s season ends at 13-20 with a 9-11 record in Big Sky play. The Eagles are still looking for their first NCAA Tournament berth under longtime head coach Wendy Schuller. EWU hasn’t made the big dance since the 1986-87 season.
E. Washington 15 18 18 8 — 59
Portland State 11 20 15 15 — 61
EASTERN WASHINGTON — Morrow 9, Cravens 8, Kirscher 9, Klaman 0, Sealby 15, McDowell-White 14, Chandler 4, DePriest 0.
PORTLAND STATE — Bolston 16, Rielly 10, West 11, Stotler 10, Jimenez 7, Hansen 4, Tainta 3.