ASHLAND, Ore. – Eastern Oregon sprang to life in the third quarter, shooting 65 percent and scoring 24 points, to seal a 73-64 win over Northwest Friday.
 
Lexi Biggerstaff scored 11 points in the first quarter and gave the Eagles an 11-point lead with a three-pointer at the 3:51 mark. NU then went into a scoring funk until Ellesse Fitzgerald scored in the closing seconds for a 20-13 lead.
 
Eastern Oregon rallied in the second quarter and squared things up at 27-27, but Grace Meza converted a three-point play with 1:06 left to send the Eagles to halftime with a 30-27 lead.
 
After the Mountaineers got their strong third quarter, they led NU by 10 points on two occasions in the fourth quarter. A Maya DuChesne three-pointer cut the EOU lead to 70-64 with 29 seconds left, but that was the end of the NU scoring.
 
"That was another hard-played game," said NU Head Coach Ken Crawford. "It was fun for the fans and a great environment! We just made some mistakes at the wrong time. Eastern Oregon is well-coached and took advantage of those mistakes. But we keep hanging in there, and we're looking forward to playing tomorrow night."
 
Sam Van Loo finished with a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. DuChesne also had 14 points, and Biggerstaff added 13.
 
The Eagles return to action Saturday at College of Idaho in a 4:30 p.m. (Pacific time) contest.