Cooper scored six points in the final minute, as EWU ended the game with a 9-0 run. Northern Arizona went the final 1:58 without scoring and had four misses and a turnover in that span. Piper hit the first basket in the game-ending run, then Cooper made a three-pointer with 51.4 to play to give Eastern the lead for good.
"There is a fine line between winning and losing, and we were on the right side of that line tonight," said EWU head coach Wendy Schuller. "Coop hit some big shots for us, and we made stops when we needed to. In close games like that, it comes down to who can make those plays down the stretch."
Cooper finished with 23 points – one shy of her career high – and Piper had 17. Cooper also had six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals, while Piper finished with seven rebounds and three steals.
The Eagles solidified their hold on sixth place in the league standings, and are now 6-5 in Big Sky play and 10-14 overall. The Lumberjacks are now 4-8 in the league and 9-16 overall and are 2 ½ games behind the Eagles in the standings. The top six teams earn berths in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, held March 10-12 at the site of the regular-season champion.
While they're not having the great season they had last year, they're still very competitive. I'm looking forward to see how they do this March in the Big Sky tournament.
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