In another wild matchup between two Big Sky Conference opponents separated by just 59 miles, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team held on to top the visiting Idaho Vandals by a score of 96-93 today (Jan. 8) at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.
 
The duo of Angelo Allegri and Steele Venters combined for 46 points and 10 three-pointers, led by Venters with a 25-point performance. It marked his seventh 20-plus output of the season and the third in Big Sky play. Ethan Price finished with 17 points, while Rylan Bergersen and Linton Acliese III rounded out the scoring with 13 points each.
 
The Eagles drained a season-high 14 three-pointers, with three players making at least three. Eastern led by as many as 13 in the first half, but the Vandals wouldn't go away and made it a two-point game with 17.2 seconds left to play, 92-90, but Acliese and Allegri made four clutch free throws right before Idaho hit a triple at the buzzer.
 
"The flow of the game was great. That was something we talked about against Montana, we had an advantage a lot and we tried to score off of the first advantage. We had quick possessions with one or two passes but the ball wasn't moving and there wasn't much energy with the ball. Tonight, we did a good job of not just scoring on the good one, but moving it for a great one and that shows with 19 assists and 14 three-pointers, because the ball was moving and sticking and our players felt that. When everyone feels like they are a part of the game and the ball is moving, that's when you have the confidence to make a big shot when they (Idaho) makes a run," said head coach David Riley. "Idaho is a good three-point shooting team, they did a good job and it's never easy against the Vandals. We had a 13-point lead at one point in the second half and they brought it back, they're a resilient team and they did a good job of battling. That's the next step we have to take, how can we make these games stay at 13 instead of a two- or three-point game down the stretch where we have to make free throws and give me a heart attack."
 
In a back-and-forth first half, the Eagles shot 43.3 percent (13-30) from the field with seven triples, plus a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line to lead 39-36 at the half. It was closely contested, as Eastern's largest lead was just seven points.
 
After the Eagles opened up the contest on a 5-0 run, the Vandals immediately responded with a 6-0 run of their own. After the Vandals found another lead of 9-8, Linton Acliese III and Angelo Allegri hit back-to-back threes to help build a 14-9 lead. Idaho would get back within striking distance, 28-27, while the Eagles fell scoreless for nearly three minutes. The Eagles held a 39-32 lead, but Idaho closed the half on a mini 4-0 run to make it a three-point game after one.
 
Venters hit his third triple of the game which started a quick 5-0 run to begin the half, but Idaho wouldn't go away, cutting in to EWU's lead 46-44. That's when the Eagles found their groove, exploding on a 9-0 run that included four points from Acliese to pull ahead 55-44 for the largest lead of the game. Eastern continued to roll from there after Rylan Bergersen hit a pair of free throws to extend the advantage for 73-60.
 
The Vandals cut their deficit to five points, 80-75, after a 7-0 run with 4:33 left to play. Bergersen made another successful trip to the free throw line and Venters made his fifth triple of the game to extend the advantage back out to 85-75. Idaho made it interesting towards the end, cutting the lead to 89-85 with 1:22 left in regulation. Eastern led by five with 26 second left to play, but it was quickly diminished to a three-point lead with 17 seconds left. Bergersen and Acliese were both sent to the line and each made both attempts to help EWU pull ahead 96-90. With a second on the clock, Idaho's Rashad Smith drained a three, but it was too late as the Eagles escaped with a win.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES: Steele Venters scored 25 points and drained five three-pointers. He pulled down eight rebounds, plus added an assist and a block, while going 8-for-16 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
 
Angelo Allegri had a solid night on the floor, nearly earning a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. He was 5-of-8 from three-point range and 7-11 from the field.
 
Ethan Price had an impressive night as well, adding 17 points on 6-of-8 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range. The true freshman added three rebounds, two assists and a block.
 
Rylan Bergersen scored 13 points, thanks to a 7-for-7 performance from the charity stripe. He had four rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Linton Acliese III went 4-for-8 from the field with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
 
KEY STATISTICS: Eastern Washington shot 54.5 percent on the night, going 30-for-55 from the field with 19 assists. From behind the arc, the Eagles were 14-for-27 (51.9%) and 22-for-27 from the free throw line (81.5%).
 
The Vandals had a solid night as well, shooting 45.1 percent from the field (32-71), 48.1 percent from three-point range (13-27) and 84.2 percent from the free throw line (16-19).
 
Idaho turned 13 EWU turnovers into 27 points while only committing nine themselves. Eastern had the edge in rebounds, 35-32, but were outscored in the paint, 32-28.
 
UP NEXT: It's back on the road for the Eagles next week, taking on Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho, on Jan. 13 and at Weber State in Ogden, Utah on Jan. 15. Both games will be available on ESPN+ and Voice of the Eagles Larry Weir will have the call on 700-AM ESPN.