Junior point guard Amaya Afatsi had herself a game, scoring a season-high 20 points, but the Lady Geoducks faced an early uphill battle Tuesday night, falling behind by 26 points in the opening quarter before settling in and competing evenly the rest of the way in a 98-67 Cascade Collegiate Conference loss to Northwest University on Jan. 6.
Despite the lopsided final score, Evergreen was outscored by just five points over the final three quarters, an encouraging sign as the Geoducks continued to battle through conference play.
Northwest jumped out to a 35-9 lead after one quarter, but Evergreen responded by outscoring the Eagles 20-16 in the second period. Northwest held a 51-29 advantage at halftime and maintained control in the second half to improve to 6-10 overall and 2-6 in the CCC. Evergreen dropped to 0-10 on the season and 0-7 in conference action.
Afatasi shot 7-of-12 from the field, including three three-pointers. Afatasi also went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line and added two steals.
Senior guard Jenna Glenzel followed with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and knocked down 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc. Glenzel also contributed four steals on the defensive end.
Sahara Soufi and Jesselle Victo Castillo each scored seven points for Evergreen, while Bayleigh Harder added six points and blocked two shots. Afatasi, Glenzel, Soufi, and Castillo each pulled down three rebounds, and Castillo recorded two assists.
Northwest was paced by Ellie Bost, who scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting and went a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. Kaleah Medeiros added 19 points, including three three-pointers, along with five assists. Ella Whitaker and Hailey Monte each finished with 13 points, while Whitaker also collected five rebounds and four steals. Ellie DeWaard led all players with nine rebounds.
The Eagles seized early momentum with a 13-0 run midway through the first quarter and closed the period with a 22-6 surge to build the 35-9 advantage. Evergreen showed more composure in the second quarter, trimming the deficit slightly before Northwest carried a 51-29 lead into the locker room.
Medeiros scored 12 of her points in the third quarter for Northwest, while Afatasi answered with nine for Evergreen. The Eagles held a narrow edge in the final two quarters to secure the win.
Evergreen shot 38.1 percent from the field and matched that percentage from three-point range, going 8-of-21 from long distance. The Geoducks were also efficient at the free-throw line, making 11-of-14 attempts. Northwest finished the night shooting 56.7 percent overall and 50 percent from three-point range.
After a three-game road stretch, Evergreen will return home to host Warner Pacific University on Saturday, Jan. 10. Tipoff at the Costantino Recreation Center is scheduled for 3 p.m.
