USU Eastern defeats CNCC for first conference win

    Utah State Eastern women’s basketball defeated the Colorado Northwestern Lady Spartans 90-47 on Thursday night at home.
    The win gives the Eagles their first conference win of the season after losing their conference opener to Salt Lake on Saturday.
    Thursday’s win also snaps a two-game losing streak, something Eagles Head Coach Chelsey Warburton said after the game was needed to get back on track.
    “It was a game we needed win wise, but also for establishing a rhythm and getting back on track,” Warburton said.
    The players also felt relieved to get back on the winning side of the box.
    “It was huge for us; it’s always nice to get a win, especially a win in conference. We just got to keep the momentum going and I think it was a big confidence booster. So we got to keep that confidence and we can do that in other games,” Loftus said.
    Loftus led the Eagles in scoring with 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals. She also shot 6-7 from three and 7-11 from the field in 26 minutes of action.
    The team’s second leading scorer against Colorado Northwest was freshman guard Brooklynn Barrus.
    Barrus shot 4-6 from 3-point range and finished the game with 18 points and three assists in 19 minutes of play.
    Having a Barrus on this year’s team has been a big help to Loftus and the Eagles according to Warburton.
    “She is an instant offensive spark for us and it takes pressure off Madison to allow us to open the floor more,” said Warburton.
    Barrus and Loftus weren’t the only ones with a big night against the Lady Spartans.
    In 15 minutes of action, sophomore point guard Rashel Blazzard scored 12 points and dished out a team-high six assists.
    “She gives us solid minutes and she runs our system perfectly as a point guard,” Warburton said.
    Sophomore forward Kaitlin Toluono had another double-double on Thursday; she scored 11 points and 12 rebounds.
    The Eagles have a week of practices before playing their next game against Snow on the road next Thursday.
    Two nights later on Jan. 20, USU Eastern will travel up north to play the College of Southern Idaho to cap off a challenging road trip.
    Warburton said her team will have to improve on rebounding and limiting turnovers to have a successful road trip.
    “They are going to have a hard time stopping us but we can’t give up easy points off put-backs and turnovers,” said Warburton.
    The win Thursday gives the Eagles a 14-5 overall record with a 1-1 conference record.
    Next Thursday night’s game against Snow tips off at 5:30 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center on Snow College’s main campus.