CASPER, Wyo. — The Gila Monsters are marching on.
No. 10 Eastern Arizona College used a dominant first half and clutch late-game defense to beat No. 7 McLennan Community College 53–46 on Friday in the second round of the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship at the Ford Wyoming Center. With the win, EAC (27-6) advances to the national quarterfinals for the second straight year and continues its nine-game win streak.
Eastern set the tone early, racing to an 18–11 first-quarter lead behind a flurry of three-pointers. Sarah Deng knocked down two of her game-high three triples in the opening frame and finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and a block. EAC extended its lead to 36–24 by halftime, thanks to balanced scoring and crisp ball movement. Stephany Goncalves added 10 points, 5 assists, and 3 boards, while Trinity Alex-Mayer and Celestine Segretain each buried key threes in the second quarter to keep momentum firmly in Eastern’s hands.
McLennan made its push in the fourth quarter, trimming what had once been a 15-point lead down to just two, 45–43, with under four minutes remaining. But Eastern Arizona never blinked. Phalan Sigers calmly knocked down a three from the corner — her only field goal of the day — and Deng followed with a critical layup to push the lead back to six.
Eastern’s defense was relentless. The Gila Monsters held McLennan to just 24.5% shooting from the field and 2-of-16 from beyond the arc. Ashlynn Chlarson anchored the paint with 10 rebounds and 2 blocks to go with 7 points, while Segretain added 6 points and 5 rebounds off the bench.
Despite their late-game surge, McLennan (28-4) couldn’t overcome its offensive struggles or missed opportunities at the line, where they finished just 18-for-34 (52.9%). Danai Lewis lead the Highlassies, tallying 15 points and 8 rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting. Tajenae Gooden added 12 points but shot just 2-for-16 from the field, and Jalayah Ingram was held to 7 points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Eastern forced 14 turnovers, nabbed 5 steals, and outrebounded McLennan 41–35, including 9 offensive boards that led to second-chance opportunities.
The Gila Monsters will face #2 Wabash Valley on Saturday at 12:15pm Mountain time. The game will air on ESPN+.
