By Charlie McGuire, Athletics Communications Assistant

CALDWELL, Idaho – The Willamette University women's basketball team suffered a 68-59 setback to Eastern Oregon University at the College of Idaho on Saturday, November 26 in the second round of the Best Western Caldwell Inn and Suites Classic. The Mountaineers improved to 3-1 on the season, marking the 500th career win for Head Coach Anji Weissenfluh. The Bearcats fell to 3-3 overall on the season. In the other second round game, the University of Montana Western defeated College of Idaho, 70-53, to finish 2-0 in the tournament.

Eastern Oregon jumped out to an 8-2 lead to open the game and led 10-7 at the 6:07 mark after Carolyn Ho (Jr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) and Claire Bonnet (Sr., G, Boise, ID/Boise) sandwiched a pair of field-goals around a Mountaineer score . Eastern Oregon closed out the quarter with an 11-4 run to lead 25-11 at the first break.

The Mountaineers scored the first four points of the second period to extend the margin to 29-11. Willamette answered with three straight field-goals, capped by a three-pointer from first-year Kaitlin Imai (G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS). Following a 7-0 run from Eastern Oregon, Ho knocked down a three-pointer to make the score, 36-21, with just over two minutes remaining in the half.

Emma Floyd (Fy., F, Camano Island, WA/Stanwood HS) sank a three-pointer with seven seconds on the clock to cap a 9-4 stint by the Bearcats to enter halftime with the Mountaineers holding a 40-30 advantage. Ho led the way in the first half, scoring 12 points to go with four rebounds and four assists.

Willamette came out of the break and put together another strong quarter, outscoring Eastern Oregon, 16-7, to cut the deficit to 47-46. Ashlyn Ascuena-Mercil (Sr., F, Boise, ID/Timberline) hit back-to-back field-goals to open the period and Jasmine Shigeno (Jr., G, Brush Prairie, WA/Hockinson HS) drained back-to-back triples to close out the third stanza.

Ascuena-Mercil hit a layup to put Willamette in front for the first time to begin the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers countered with an 8-0 run to pull back in the lead, 55-48, with 6:58 remaining in the game. The Bearcats cut the margin to 57-54 with 2:48 on the clock behind two free throws from Ascuena-Mercil, a three-pointer from Imai, and another free throw from Ascuena-Mercil.

The Bearcats kept battling down the stretch, but Eastern Oregon would hold on. The Mountaineers went 5-for-5 from the foul line in the last two minutes and finished the game with an 11-5 run for the final of 68-59.

Ho matched a team-high with 14 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers, to go with five rebounds and five assists. Ascuena-Mercil tallied 14 points as well, going 4-for-5 from the line and controlling three rebounds. Shigeno scored nine points behind a trio of three-pointers, while Megan River (Jr., G. Turnwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) finished with six rebounds and five assists. Sami Riggs (Sr., G, La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) added five rebounds and three assists.

Willamette returns home to open Northwest Conference play on December 2. The Bearcats host Lewis & Clark at 6 p.m. (PST)