ASHLAND — A valiant run and late comeback effort ultimately fell short as the Eastern Oregon University women’s basketball team bowed out in the semifinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Women’s Basketball tournament by a score of 53-44 to Southern Oregon on Friday, March 1.

Despite a slow start and trailing by upwards of 25 points, the Mountaineers managed to claw back within single digits late in the game. Eastern Oregon concludes the conference tournament with a 21-7 overall record and a 17-7 standing in CCC play — the team will await the possibility of an at-large bid in order to see if the season will continue into the NAIA Tournament.

The first quarter was a disaster for the Mountaineers. After tying the game at 2-2 off the opening jump, the Raiders closed out the quarter on a 13-0 run to build an imposing 15-2 lead after the first frame. Eastern Oregon shot 1-12 (8.3%) from the field and faced an uphill battle right from the get-go.

The Mountaineers changed their tune in the second quarter, shooting an improved 6-16 (37.5%) from the field and holding a narrow 16-13 advantage in the quarter. Even so, Eastern Oregon went into the half trailing 28-18.

Despite showing progress in the second quarter, the Mountaineers fell behind once again in the third quarter. Eastern Oregon shot 3-15 (20%) from the field and was outscored 20-10, trailing by as much as 25 points. The Raiders were on fire, shooting 8-14 (57.1%) from the field and building a 48-28 advantage heading into the final frame.

With Eastern Oregon’s conference championship hopes on the line, the team did the exact opposite of give up. The Mountaineers emptied the gas tank in an admirable comeback attempt. The team shot 6-15 (40%) from the field and outscored Southern Oregon 16-5, clawing back within single digits. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the clock hit zero too short of the time it would have taken to possibly complete the comeback, as Eastern Oregon fell by nine points.

Bayley Brennan led the way for the Mountaineers, scoring 15 points. Delaney Pink added 10, and Beverly Slater totaled eight points and eight rebounds. Brie Holecek finished with six points and 11 boards.

Following the loss, Eastern Oregon will wait for the NAIA Tournament at-large announcement at 5 p.m. PT on March 7.