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Julie Piper leads the Eagles with averages of 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds.
Julie Piper is stoked. It's easily the biggest game of her college basketball career.
The 6-foot-1 junior forward for Eastern Washington University, a former Roseburg High standout, hopes to help her team wrap up the Division I Big Sky Conference title outright on Saturday. The Eagles (18-10, 11-4 Big Sky) have already clinched at least a share of the regular season crown for the first time in school history.
A win over Portland State at Reese Court in Cheney and the Eagles get to host the conference tournament next week as the No. 1 seed.
Eastern Washington, which has only two seniors, was predicted to finish seventh in the Big Sky in the preseason coaches' and media polls. After tying for seventh and finishing ninth the past two years in conference, this is a fun time for Piper and her teammates.
“We're sitting in a good spot and I'm just excited for Saturday's game,” Piper said in a phone interview from Cheney Thursday. “It's senior day ... it's a big game for the seniors and everyone wants to win. We're ready to get after it and I don't want to be co-champs at all.
“The season has been everything I'd hoped for. For me, it means a lot, since the first two years (here) were rough.”
Piper, one of four team captains for head coach Wendy Schuller, is an all-conference candidate. Averaging 27.1 minutes a game, she leads the Eagles in scoring (11.8 points), rebounding (7.6) and field goal percentage (.469). Her 92 offensive rebounds rank first in the Big Sky.
Piper turned in a double-double against Seattle University with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 67-50 win. She had 20 points and nine boards in a loss to Montana.
“Julie has had a tremendous year for us,” Schuller said. “Every year she has taken her game up a notch. She's such a hard worker. Somebody who's a great offensive rebounder has a motor that never stops and that's Julie. Her fitness level is amazing, her heart's amazing, and that translates on to the floor.”
Schuller added: “If she's not all-conference, I'll be disappointed.”
Piper stayed in Cheney last summer to take some classes, lift weights and work on her game. She said some one-on-one sessions on the court with a male friend made a difference.
“It helped me with my confidence and brought back my love for the game, too,” she said.
“Her feel for the game has improved a lot,” Schuller said. “She's added a perimeter game ... she shoots the ball well from 16-17 feet, and when she first got here that wasn't something that was part of her game.
“She posts really hard and has a little turnaround jumper she'll shoot. Julie has a wiry build, but does a good job of getting low, getting leverage, and it's tough for people to get around her. She's really strong. When we get in the weight room she's our strongest player.”
Piper had a team-high 15 points when the Eagles dropped their first conference meeting with Portland State on Jan. 30 in Portland, losing 67-60. It was EWU's first Big Sky loss after opening with seven straight wins.
“When we saw the (preseason) polls we were pretty pissed off and had the desire to prove everybody wrong,” Piper said. “We lost a lot of close games last year because we didn't know how to finish. This year we've finished games and won them, and it's been cool to see us do that.”
The Eagles believe they can win the conference tournament and earn the Big Sky's automatic berth for the NCAA Tournament. But first things first — beat Portland State and gain the homecourt advantage for the conference tourney.
Expect Piper — who's majoring in elementary education and carries a 3.67 GPA — to be in the middle of the action, attempting to lead the Eagles to victory and a position they've never been in on the hardwood.
• You can reach Sports Editor Tom Eggers at 957-4220 or e-mail teggers@nrtoday.com
The 6-foot-1 junior forward for Eastern Washington University, a former Roseburg High standout, hopes to help her team wrap up the Division I Big Sky Conference title outright on Saturday. The Eagles (18-10, 11-4 Big Sky) have already clinched at least a share of the regular season crown for the first time in school history.
A win over Portland State at Reese Court in Cheney and the Eagles get to host the conference tournament next week as the No. 1 seed.
Eastern Washington, which has only two seniors, was predicted to finish seventh in the Big Sky in the preseason coaches' and media polls. After tying for seventh and finishing ninth the past two years in conference, this is a fun time for Piper and her teammates.
“We're sitting in a good spot and I'm just excited for Saturday's game,” Piper said in a phone interview from Cheney Thursday. “It's senior day ... it's a big game for the seniors and everyone wants to win. We're ready to get after it and I don't want to be co-champs at all.
“The season has been everything I'd hoped for. For me, it means a lot, since the first two years (here) were rough.”
Piper, one of four team captains for head coach Wendy Schuller, is an all-conference candidate. Averaging 27.1 minutes a game, she leads the Eagles in scoring (11.8 points), rebounding (7.6) and field goal percentage (.469). Her 92 offensive rebounds rank first in the Big Sky.
Piper turned in a double-double against Seattle University with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 67-50 win. She had 20 points and nine boards in a loss to Montana.
“Julie has had a tremendous year for us,” Schuller said. “Every year she has taken her game up a notch. She's such a hard worker. Somebody who's a great offensive rebounder has a motor that never stops and that's Julie. Her fitness level is amazing, her heart's amazing, and that translates on to the floor.”
Schuller added: “If she's not all-conference, I'll be disappointed.”
Piper stayed in Cheney last summer to take some classes, lift weights and work on her game. She said some one-on-one sessions on the court with a male friend made a difference.
“It helped me with my confidence and brought back my love for the game, too,” she said.
“Her feel for the game has improved a lot,” Schuller said. “She's added a perimeter game ... she shoots the ball well from 16-17 feet, and when she first got here that wasn't something that was part of her game.
“She posts really hard and has a little turnaround jumper she'll shoot. Julie has a wiry build, but does a good job of getting low, getting leverage, and it's tough for people to get around her. She's really strong. When we get in the weight room she's our strongest player.”
Piper had a team-high 15 points when the Eagles dropped their first conference meeting with Portland State on Jan. 30 in Portland, losing 67-60. It was EWU's first Big Sky loss after opening with seven straight wins.
“When we saw the (preseason) polls we were pretty pissed off and had the desire to prove everybody wrong,” Piper said. “We lost a lot of close games last year because we didn't know how to finish. This year we've finished games and won them, and it's been cool to see us do that.”
The Eagles believe they can win the conference tournament and earn the Big Sky's automatic berth for the NCAA Tournament. But first things first — beat Portland State and gain the homecourt advantage for the conference tourney.
Expect Piper — who's majoring in elementary education and carries a 3.67 GPA — to be in the middle of the action, attempting to lead the Eagles to victory and a position they've never been in on the hardwood.
• You can reach Sports Editor Tom Eggers at 957-4220 or e-mail teggers@nrtoday.com
