LA GRANDE – Southern Oregon had to settle for a split on its Cascade Conference-opening road trip, falling 67-54 to Eastern Oregon on Saturday afternoon at Quinn Coliseum.

The Mountaineers (5-1 overall, 2-0 CCC) fired on all cylinders offensively, and after taking a three-point lead into their locker room opened the second half on 12-2 run to leave the Raiders (5-2, 1-1) behind.

Bayley Brennan scored 15 points, Sailor Liefke scored 14, and Brie Holecek had 12. Collectively, the trio connected on 7-of-13 attempts from 3-point distance.

The Mountaineers trailed 13-10 after a first quarter in which they went 4-of-19 from the field. They shot 74 percent over the next three frames combined to end up at 55 percent for the game – the best clip for a Raider opponent since the 2019-20 season.

SOU point guard Brianna Phiakhamngon, fresh off Friday's 24-point performance in a win at College of Idaho, wrapped up an excellent weekend with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting and two steals. Emma Schmerbach kept the Raiders close off the bench with 12 points. Kalei Iwami scored 11 and Danasia Allison added nine.

EOU's size bothered the Raiders inside, holding their posts to one bucket. The Mountaineers also collected 11 offensive rebounds.

SOU is on the road again next weekend, traveling to Oregon Tech on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. matchup.