The comeback was for real at Reese Court, as Eastern Washington defeated UC Davis, 79-68 on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 17). Eastern tied the game midway through the second half and charged ahead with a 12-0 run. The Eagles improve to 5-7 on the season, while the Aggies fall to 7-4.

"I think we weren't forcing any shots. We have guys that their identity is be a shooter on the court. We had guys that were pressing, but today we had 63 shots with only 18 of them being from three," head coach David Riley said. "[UC Davis] is one of the more physical teams we have played on the perimeter. Just in terms physicality and the way they guard the ball, it can get to you. We started in practice the last few days and our second team did a great job of pressuring every possession to prepare us for today's matchup. We have taken huge strides. If you watched our scrimmages, we could not handle pressure and were not moving the ball. It was the same thing in the first three games and Hawaii. We have figured out how to play in the flow of the first 30 minutes of the game. Now we are starting to figure out how to play the last 10 minutes. Our guys are starting to figure out their roles. "

Cedric Coward scored 15 points off the bench to lead the Eagles, with Ethan Price scoring 14. Angelo Allegri finished with 13 points and Tyreese Davis added 10 to give the team four in double digits.

"I would say it was a pretty good performance. There were some parts where we had some turnovers, but all-in-all we had the flow going," Allegri said. "We were playing together and focused in the second half. Last year it took me a little time to adjust to how we played. This year, I know it like the back of my hand, and I try to incorporate that into my game. I try to point things out for guys and get them comfortable playing."

The game started with both teams out of sync, as the teams combined to have four turnovers in the first three minutes. Eastern had the early 4-2 lead on a Steele Venters layup. UC Davis shot back with an 8-0 run to take a 10-4 lead at 15:49. A layup from Davis and spot-up three from Allegri cut the Aggie lead down to one. UCD then countered with a 5-0 stretch to build some separation. Both teams found offense at the free throw line and the score was 18-16 Aggies at the 10:49 mark in the half. The pace of the game picked up as both teams began to run the court. UCD continued to keep its lead, but the Eagles stayed close. Allegri found his jump shot and kept the Eagles in the game. After the Aggies had a 32-28 lead, Dan Erikstrup scored four-straight points for Eastern to tie the game. Following the tie, UCD had a 5-0 stretch to retake the lead. Cedric Coward would convert one-of-two free throws and get a layup cut into the lead before halftime.

UCD led Eastern, 37-35 at the break. Eastern shot 46.3 percent in the half, while the Aggies were at 40.6 percent.

Out of the break, the teams stayed close to begin the second half. Eastern would tie the game at 39 after Price drove to the hoop and got his layup to go. UCD would jump ahead 43-39, before a layup from Davis brought the score back to one possession. The game remained competitive as Eastern maintained a close position against the Aggies. With 11:46 left in the game, Eastern trailed 48-49. After two free throws from UCD, Price would tie the game at 51 with a three. Coward followed suit with a corner three for Eastern's first lead since early in the first half at 4-2. It was Allegri's turn next, draining a three in transition for a 57-51 Eagle lead. It was a three-point clinic as Ty Harper would connect from three to make it a 12-0 Eastern run. A quick 4-0 stretch from the Aggies brought the score to 60-55 with 7:43 remaining in the game. Just as fast, the Eagles countered with a 4-0 on scores from Casey Jones and Allegri. The Eagles would push the lead to 71-60 on a made layup from Davis. Jones would then take flight for a dunk off an Aggie turnover for a 73-60 lead with 2:13 left in the game. Coward was the difference down the stretch, making a pair of free throws and slamming home a dunk to keep the Eastern lead in-tact. Eastern won the game 79-68 behind a 51.4 shooting percentage in the second half. The Eagles shot 33.3 percent in the second.

Eastern Washington had a 49.2 percent shooting overall in the game and UC Davis shot 37.3 percent. The Eagles were 10-of-18(55.6%) from three-point range.

Key Statistics
Ethan Price set a career-high with four blocks. He now has 12 total this season.

Eastern won the rebounding battle, 38 to 35 against the Aggies. The Eagles had 14 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second chance points. In the paint, Eastern scored 42 points to UC Davis' 38.

Angelo Allegri matched his career high with five assists.

Casey Jones scored eight points and tied for the game-high with eight rebounds.

Eastern scored 20 points off 19 Aggie turnovers.

Up Next
Eastern will play its last non-conference game of the season against Northwest Indian College on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time.