The College of Eastern Utah Lady Eagles basketball team welcomed fans to the BDAC Friday, Jan. 11. Golden Eagle fans entered the arena excited and ready to cheer on the home team. Unfortunately, there was not much to cheer about during the ladies heartbreaking loss to the Salt Lake Community College Bruins.
The Eagles began the game on a winning note with a 50 percent field goal percentage in the first half of play. The Eagles trailed the Bruins by only seven points by the half.
By the time the Eagles hit the court for the second round of play, the team fizzled, shooting only 36 percent from the field, compared to the Bruins 47 percent.
The Eagles struggled not only in shooting, but also in rebounding. The lack of rebounds cost the Eagles several points, thus leading to the Scenic West Athletic Conference loss by the score of 79-54.
Despite the loss, several Eagle players performed well. Rose Hamilton finished the game with 10 points, two assists, two rebounds, and a completion of 2-2 from the three point line.
Following Hamilton in scoring was Kasey Mills and Julianne Orgill who each finished with seven points.
Orgill also dished out five assists in the home game to lead the team in this category, while Megan Valgardson lead the team in rebounds with five.
The team left the home court weakened, but not broken. The crowd cheered as the team left the court in support for the struggling ladies team.
The heartbreaking loss encouraged the ladies to bounce back and compete strong the following night in Orem against the Utah Valley Wolverines.
The Eagles kept the game close throughout the first half of the game. The Wolverines only lead the game 30-28 at halftime.
Once the teams returned to the floor, the Eagles struggled to gain control of the game. The main factor that plagues the Eagles team seems to be rebounds.
The Eagles only pulled down 38 rebounds throughout the game, while UVSC posted 52 rebounds during the game.
The struggle for rebounds and points once again lead the Eagles to a devastating loss. The final score of 72-62, in the Wolverines favor dropped CEU to a 6-11 record for all games played, and 1-4 in conference competition.
The team looks forward to the remainder of the season, and hope to improve as the season progresses.
Eagles head coach Dave Paur reassures the team and its supporters that the team is an excellent ball club. “We had a bit of a flu bug the past few weeks that has plagued everyone. We are still rebounding from that, along with our losses, but we will win big eventually this season,” explained Paur.
The team is confident that it has the talent to be a highly competitive team. After the two heartbreaking losses this past weekend, the Eagles hope to give fans something to cheer for in the following weeks, beginning Jan. 18 and 19 when they hit the road to face Dixie and Snow College.
Lady Eagles struggle for control
