Try as one might, the Eagles could never get over the hump.
 
An off-shooting night kept the Eastern Washington University men's basketball from recording a road sweep as Big Sky Conference play continued with a 75-69 road loss at Idaho State Monday (Dec. 30) at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho.
 
The Bengals, ranked ninth in NCAA Division in 3-point field goal percentage defense, held the Eagles to 25 percent from the arc in the game (6-of-24). Overall, Eastern sank just 42 percent to 59 percent for ISU. Eastern's struggles extended to the free throw line where they were just 9-of-17 for 53 percent.
 
The Eagle trio of senior Mason Peatling, junior Jacob Davison and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. combined for 53 of Eastern's points, with junior Jack Perry chipping in 10. Aiken had his eighth double-double of the season and 11th of his career with 20 points and 10 boards, and Peatling finished with 19 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Davison had 14 points and three assists.
 
Idaho State took the lead for good with 7:43 left in the first half, and scored seven points in the final 42 seconds of the game to preserve the win. Eastern pulled within two on several occasions in the second half, but couldn't ever regain a lead and record a road sweep for the second year in a row at ISU and Weber State.
 
"I love that we went 1-1 on the road, but that's not this team," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "We have a championship-caliber ball club. We are going to play that way from here on out – we are going to do a better job coaching, playing and preparing. We are going to come out and have a great practice on Wednesday when we get back.
 
"This is what can happen," he continued. "You have to respect your opponent. Idaho State kicked us right in the teeth, and we have to be ready and prepared the next time."
 
The game was a match-up of teams which won their league openers on Saturday (Dec. 28) by the slimmest of margins, with EWU's 79-77 triumph over Weber State the only road breakthrough on the BSC's opening day of action. Eastern took the nation's No. 1 scoring offense to Pocatello to a face a Bengals team ranked in the top 10  in taking away the 3-point shot the Eagles rely on so heavily. Idaho State entered allowing opponents to hit just 26.3 percent of their shots from beyond the arc to rank ninth among all NCAA Division I schools.
 
The Eagles led 20-14 on a dunk by Davison with 11:20 to play in the first half, but EWU wouldn't score again for 6:27 and fell behind 24-20 after a 10-0 Idaho State run.
 
Eastern were within two late in the half, but the Bengals sank three baskets in the last 2:08 and took a 37-30 halftime advantage. Idaho State out-shot Eastern 50 percent to 40 percent as the Eagles made just three of its last 14 shots, and sank just 3-of-10 3-pointers in the half.
 
The Eagles continued to struggle in the second half, but eventually pulled within 41-39 on a rebound basket by Peatling. But EWU once again had a draught, going 5:48 without a field goal and just over five minutes without a point as ISU surged ahead by five, and eventually took its biggest lead of the game at 60-51 with 4:46 left.
A four-point play by Perry with 2:23 left pulled EWU within 64-61 and a basket by Davison cut the lead to 68-66 with 47 seconds remaining. But ISU followed with a 3-pointer and two free throws to thwart the comeback.
 
Idaho State snapped EWU's five-game winning streak in the series, and a four-game streak in Pocatello. The last time EWU has lost to the Bengals was on March 3, 2016, by a 75-71 score in Cheney.
 
A year ago, Eastern managed to end the season with a road sweep over the Wildcats (80-77) and Bengals (91-62), and now, oddly enough, EWU opened the 2019-20 league season on the road against those same two teams.
 
 
Records . . .
 
* Eastern is now 8-5 on the season and 1-1 in the league, including its best non-conference record (7-4) since beginning the 2015-16 season with an 8-2 mark and going 9-4 in the preseason. While the Eagles are a perfect 5-0 at home thus far, Eastern is 3-5 on the road, having registered one of its biggest victories in school history, an 87-82 home win on Nov. 26 over mid-major power Belmont in the final game for both schools in the Gotham Classic.
 
* The Eagles were a perfect 3-0 during a homestand from Dec. Dec. 8 to Dec. 17, and will finally return to Reese Court in Cheney, Wash., on Jan. 4. The Eagles averaged 113.7 points and out-scored opponents by an average of 38.0 points per game during the three-game winning streak (98-82 over North Dakota, 146-89 over Multnomah and 97-56 over Omaha).
 
* Idaho State is now 5-7 and 2-0 in the Big Sky, and was just 3-7 entering its Big Sky opener versus Idaho on Dec. 28. The Bengals rallied from an eight-point deficit with 5:26 to play to win 62-60 over the Vandals. Idaho State is in its first season under new head coach Ryan Looney. Prior to the Idaho game, the Bengals had dropped their last three and hadn't won since beating West Coast Baptist 102-43 on Nov. 27. Their only previous NCAA Division I victory was on Nov. 7 when they won on the road at Air Force 89-79. Tarik Cool leads three Idaho State players averaging in double figures at 14.8 per game, followed by Chier Maker at 11.8 and Jared Stutzman at 11.1. Cool had 41 in the victory versus Air Force and 18 against Idaho, and Austin Smellie had 21 in the win over the Vandals to up his season average to 8.0.
 
 
What's Next . . .
 
* Eastern will put its perfect 5-0 home record on the line when it hosts Portland State Saturday (Jan. 4) at 2:05 p.m. Pacific time in a Big Sky Conference game at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. It will be the first of two-straight home games for the Eagles, who host Montana on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 6:05 p.m.
 
* Portland State is 1-1 in the Big Sky and 7-7 overall after an 83-81 home loss to Southern Utah on Dec. 30. The Vikings play at Idaho on Jan. 2 prior to coming to Cheney. Portland State has won four of its last six games after a 3-5 start, including a 76-66 road victory at Loyola Marymount on Dec. 19. The Vikings followed that by opening the league season with a 69-65 triumph over Northern Colorado to open Big Sky Conference play.
 
* Holland Woods, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, paces Portland State with averages of 17.3 points, 5.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.8 rebounds per game. Senior 6-2 guard Matt Hauser averages 15.7 points and 5.1 rebounds, and 6-6 senior forward Alonzo Walker averages 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
 
 
 
Top Performers . . .
 
* True freshman Ellis Magnuson led the Eagles with six assists, but he was just 1-of-9 overall and 0-of-3 from the 3-point arc to finish with four points. Aiken hit 4-of-9 shots from the 3-point line, but was just 7-of-17 overall. Davison missed all four of his 3-point attempts and Peatling missed both of his, as well as five of 11 free throws. Peatling was 9-of-11 inside the arc and Davison was 6-of-12. Eastern was out-rebounded 37-30, and despite having a 20-9 advantage in turnovers forced, held only a 16-14 lead on points off turnovers.
 
 
More Notes . . .
 
* Eastern is now 48-30 all-time against ISU, including a 45-29 record since becoming a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season (16-20 on the road, 28-8 at home, 1-1 at neutral sites). The Eagles have still won 16 of the last 19 meetings overall and 14 of the last 15 at Reese Court, and have won five of the last six overall. The last time EWU had lost to the Bengals was on March 3, 2016, by a 75-71 score in Cheney. Last season, Eastern beat the Bengals at home (65-55) and won on the road (91-62). In 2018-19, Eastern triumphed in Pocatello 74-69 in the lone meeting between the two schools. Eastern had an overall eight-game winning streak snapped in the 2013-14 season when the Bengals prevailed 72-83 in Pocatello. Eastern won 65-57 at home in the 2014-15 season, extending EWU's home winning streak versus ISU to 13 games dating back to a 65-63 loss on March 1, 2003. Eastern also won later in the year in Pocatello by an 85-81 score, but then lost its home-court winning streak in the lone meeting in 2015-16 with a 75-71 loss at Reese Court.

* With at least 77 points in its last eight games – and at least 90 in four of those -- Eastern entered the game averaging 88.6 points per game to lead NCAA Division I in scoring and rank third in assists (18.7 per game) through games of Dec. 28. The Eagles were also averaging 10.3 made 3-point field goals per game to rank 14th nationally and second in the Big Sky (Northern Colorado averages 10.7 to rank sixth in the nation), and were 19th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.37 per game). The team's average scoring margin of +13.0 per game was 39th, and EWU was also 31st in rebounds (40.8), 37th in defensive rebounds (28.8), 38th in field goal percentage (.477), 63rd in turnover margin (+2.6) and 47th in steals (8.8). Individually, sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. was second in NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (9.1) and 14th in rebounding overall (10.8). He entered leading the Big Sky in both categories, and was also seventh in the nation with seven double-doubles. Junior Jacob Davison was 98th nationally and sixth in the Big Sky in scoring (17.2), and he and Aiken were both third in the league and 109th in the nation in steals (1.8). True freshman Ellis Magnuson was 35th in the nation in assists (5.7 to lead the Big Sky) and 36th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.52 per game to rank first in the league). Davison, Aiken and Mason Peatling all ranked in the top 12 in the Big Sky in scoring, with Aiken averaging 16.2 (seventh) and Peatling at 14.8 (12th).
 
 
More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .
 
On Loss to Bengals: "They made some tough shots, but at the same time we didn't execute and things to help the team be successful. As coaches we have to be better there. We did some things that were uncharacteristic of our team. Idaho State was ready to go and came out and played a terrific ballgame. The Big Sky is going to fun and up-and-down. We just have to bind together and make sure we are doing the things we have to do to win games. I have to do a better job as head coach to make sure the team is prepared and ready to go."
 
On Shooting at ISU: "We were taking quick and bad shots. We have to get the ball inside against a team like that. We were much more superior on the inside. I felt like I let our team down tonight and didn't push them to get the ball inside. We were getting some good shots, but we weren't getting the best shots. The team will come back better prepared for our game against Portland State."
 
On Rebounding at ISU: "They got some offensive rebounds early that changed the tide and got them some easy baskets. Once you see things like that it starts to roll downhill. When that happens you have to do a better job of blocking out, and we did in the second half. Plus, they did a good job of blocking us out and keeping us off the glass. We have to do a better job of understanding where our matchups are and getting the ball inside."