In a difficult road matchup, Eastern Washington men's basketball competed for 40 minutes against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders defeated Eastern, 77-70 on Tuesday night (Dec. 13).

The Eagles led the majority of the first half, but a late surge from Texas Tech left the score tied at halftime. The Red Raiders pulled ahead in the second half, but Eastern stayed in striking distance for the rest of the game. Eastern's record falls to 4-7 and Texas Tech improves to 7-2. 

"I think we know that this is one of the best teams in the nation at forcing turnovers. For our guys to come out and execute the way that they did, is really good to see. They are working to change and learn from these tough losses," head coach David Riley said. "It is one of those games it would be a paint game defensively. All of our guys did well shooting the ball. They adjusted to a defense we haven't seen this season. It's exciting to see. There are a lot of positives, and we are getting better. We knew that if we played our game and play Eastern Washington basketball, when can walk out of here with a win. It's a learning experience and we can get better from these games."

Steele Venters had another aggressive night shooting, going 10-of-19(52.6%) from the floor and 5-of-11(45.4%) from three-point range to score 26 points. Venters was one of three Eagles in double figures, with Angelo Allegri scoring 14 and Ethan Price scoring 11.

There was no shying away from the challenge for Eastern to start the game, as they jumped out to a 9-2 lead over Texas Tech. Venters connected with a pair of three-point shots and Allegri added one of his own. The Red Raiders would pull the score back to 11-10 with 13:33 on the clock. At 12:35, Tech would take the lead with a corner three, but a quick jumper from Venters tied the game up at 13. The Red Raiders answered right back with a jumper to take a two-point lead on the Eagles. Price found his stroke and put Eastern back in front after draining a three-pointer. After Tech tied the game at 17, Allegri found space on the wing and hit his second three-of the game. The senior followed up with another three to give the Eagles a 23-17 lead with 4:13 left in the half. Down six, the Red Raiders went on a 12-4 run to take a 29-27 lead with 1:22 remaining in the half. Price would find Venters cutting to the hoop and the redshirt-sophomore tied the game at 29 to go into halftime.

Eastern shot 40 percent in the half, including 40 percent from three-point range. Tech shot 32.9 percent and was held to 11.8 percent from three.

Venters started the second half with another three-pointer to give the Eagles the lead. The Red Raiders responded with a layup and the lead was down to one for Eastern. The game remained close, as both teams were able to score. Dane Erikstrup connected from three to put the team up 38-35, but it was quickly answered by a Tech layup. The layup was part of a 5-0 stretch for the Red Raiders to take a 40-38 lead. Tyreese Davis would join the three-point party and get the Eagles back in front, 41-40. The next six points went to Tech and the back-and-forth game continued. Casey Jones would deliver with a dunk to bring the score to 48-45, but the Red Raiders would counter again, this time with four-straight points. Venters was determined to pull the road upset, scoring in the paint, along with in front and behind the arc. Eastern cut the lead to 56-58 with 5:35 left in the game. Tech still had its offense working and was able to keep putting points on the board and holding the Eagles at a distance. They would make their free throws down the stretch and won the game 77-70 over Eastern.

For the game, the Eagles shot 48.1 percent from the floor, with a 39.3 percent on three-point shots. Texas Tech shot 42.2 percent in the game but was only 16.0 percent on threes.

Key Statistics
The game had 11 lead changes and seven ties.

Eastern Washington led for 17:10 minutes of the game, while Texas Tech led for 18:41.

Steele Venters now has nine career games with five or more made three-pointers. It is his 34th career game scoring in double figures.

The Red Raiders scored 23 points off 21 Eagle turnovers.

Cedric Coward recorded a career-high with 11 rebounds, topping his previous total of seven. Coward also set a career-high with two blocks.

Angelo Allegri was 3-of-9(33.3%) on three-point shots. It is his 16^th career game with three or more made three-point shots. Allegri has 29 career games scoring in double figures.

Casey Jones set a career-high with four assists. Jones scored five points in the game and matched his career-high with two steals.

Dane Erikstrup made his first career three-pointer, making his only attempt for the night.

Texas Tech scored 40 points in the paint against 18 from Eastern.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will be back at Reese Court to play UC Davis this Saturday, Dec. 17, with tipoff at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.