Senior Sailor Liefke hoists the Cascade Collegiate Conference trophy over her head in celebration of Eastern Oregon University’s victory over Lewis-Clark State College at Quinn Coliseum on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

LA GRANDE — The Cascade Collegiate Conference championship trophy is coming back to La Grande.

The Eastern Oregon University women’s basketball team claimed its seventh conference title in program history, defeating Lewis-Clark State 75-59 on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The Mountaineers relied on a well-rounded team effort, led by 20 points from senior guard Sailor Liefke.

Both teams exchanged leads early on, with Lewis-Clark State leading by just two points at the most. Eastern Oregon kept up a high-scoring tempo early, taking a 20-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The Mountaineers continued to gradually extend their lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Warriors 17-12 to hold a 37-28 lead at halftime. Liefke was active early on, scoring 11 points off 4-6 shooting in the first half — she shot 3-5 from three-point range. Eastern Oregon shot 13-29 (44.8%) from the field and held Lewis-Clark State to just 10-41 (24.4%) shooting.

With just two quarters standing in between the Mountaineers and a conference championship, the home team held its lead confidently. Eastern Oregon took a 22-15 advantage in the third quarter and played out a 16-16 tie in the fourth to walk away with a 16-point victory.

Liefke finished with 20 points off 7-15 shooting from the field. Beverly Slater was dominant on the boards, finishing with a game-high 15 rebounds. Bayley Brennan totaled 18 points and six rebounds, while Shaelie Burgess tallied 10 rebounds.

Eastern Oregon finished 28-72 (38.9%) from the field and 11-32 (34.4%) from three-point range. The team capitalized off 24 points in the paint and 13 second-chance points.

The Cascade Collegiate Conference title game extended Eastern Oregon’s winning streak to 19 games — the team went 21-1 in conference play this year. The Mountaineers came in at No. 12 in the last NAIA Coaches Poll of the year and have now earned an automatic bid into the national tournament.

Coming off the conference championship win, the NAIA will announce the national tournament bracket on March 2.