The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team concluded the regular season with a victory today (March 5) over Portland State at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash., winning by a score of 83-75. Prior to tip, the Eagles honored two seniors in Linton Acliese III and Rylan Bergersen.
 
Eastern sweeps the season meetings with Portland State, winning its fifth-straight over the Vikings.
 
The victory lifts Eastern Washington to 17-14 overall and 11-9 in Big Sky Conference play. After beating the Vikings, who drop to 12-16 and 10-10, the Eagles have secured the No. 6 seed at next week's Big Sky Championships in Boise, Idaho. They will play the No. 11 seed on Wednesday, March 9, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time.
 
Angelo Allegri (27 points, 13 rebounds) and Acliese (27 pts, 11 rebounds) combined for 54 points tonight and each turned in double-doubles. Allegri made six-of-nine from three-point range while Acliese was 11-for-16 from the field.
 
"I think we did a pretty good job of handling Portland State's pressure," said head coach David Riley. "Honestly, the full court press wasn't what got us in trouble, it was their on-ball pressure, fronting, and their defense at half court in the first half caught us off guard. We adjusted in the second half, so credit to our guys. Angelo Allegri came out and hit a step-back three-pointer in transition and he felt good from there. He had rhythm and guys found him. With our shooting ability and ability to pass the ball, we can survive a player having an off night offensively."  
 
The Vikings built a lead of 13-6 after a 5-0 run, but it was quickly diminished by a 7-0 run from the Eagles to tie the contest. Allegri had two three-pointers during the spurt, and after EWU fell behind 15-13, he tied the game once again with a layup. He would play hero again with his third triple of the contest, knotting things up at 18-18, scoring 12 points in the first eight minutes of action.
 
After falling behind 22-21, Eastern Washington went on a 7-0 run that included another triple from Allegri and one from Acliese to help the Eagles pull away 28-22. Portland State instantly responded with an 8-0 run to retake a 30-28 advantage that grew to 36-32. The Eagles would hold the Vikings scoreless for the final 2:33 of the contest, closing the half on a 7-0 run to take a 39-36 lead into the locker room.
 
Allegri had 20 first half points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-7 from three-point range while grabbing six rebounds.
 
Eastern Washington came out of the break and made four of its first five field goal attempts, building a 48-44 lead. After a stretch of six-straight made field goals, the Eagles went cold and didn't score for 2:40 of the contest while PSU tied the game up 53-53.
 
With 7:54 left to play, Eastern led 59-56. After keeping Portland State scoreless for 3:30, the Eagles held their largest lead of the half 62-56.
 
As the clock ticked below the four-minute mark, Allegri's sixth triple followed by a fast-break layup from Acliese put Eastern ahead 68-61. The Eagle defense cracked down, holding the Vikings without a field goal for over five minutes, missing four-straight. In the last five minutes of play, Eastern outscored the Vikings 21-16 en route to the win.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES: Linton Acliese III led the way with 27 points, making 11-of-16 from the field plus grabbed 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. He was 4-for-7 from three-point range and also grabbed four steals and two assists.
 
Angelo Allegri scored a career-high 27 points, making 9-of-16 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range. He added 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
 
Ethan Price also scored in double figures, adding 11 points after making 4-of-6 from the field, plus had five rebounds and a steal. Rylan Bergersen scored nine points and led the way with six assists, while Steele Venters scored eight points and totaled four assists and two blocks.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Eastern Washington made 12 of its 29 three-point attempts and shot 49.1 percent from the field (27-55). From the free throw line, the Eagles were 17-for-26. Portland State took 70 field goal attempts and made 29 for a percentage of 41.4 percent. The Vikings were also 8-for-26 (30.8%) from three-point range and 9-for-11 (81.8%) from the free throw line.
 
Both teams were even in the paint, scoring 28 points each, and PSU had a 39-to-37 edge in rebounding. Eighteen of Eastern's 27 field goals were assisted, which is above the season average. The game saw six ties and five lead changes, and EWU committed 15 turnovers while forcing 11. Eastern had 15 fast break points compared to three for Portland State.
 
UP NEXT: The defending Big Sky Conference Tournament Champions turn their focus to the Big Sky Championships next week. Eastern Washington is the No. 6 seed and will play the No. 11 seed – which has yet to be determined at the time of this release, on Wednesday, March 9, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time. All games take place in Boise, Idaho at the Idaho Central Arena and will be aired on ESPN+ as well as 700-AM ESPN. For all things Big Sky Championships, click HERE.