BOISE, Idaho — A 30-footer from the right wing proved both the magic and heartbreak of postseason college basketball on Sunday night in Boise, as Northern Arizona's Oakland Fort hit a spectacular buzzer beater to end the NCAA Tournament hopes of the top-seeded Eastern Washington Eagles. Recently-crowned 2022-23 Big Sky Most Valuable Player
Steele Venters was dynamic for Eastern, scoring 21 in the 81-80 defeat.
"I've never felt anything like that before, to be honest with you," said head coach David Riley after the loss. "It was a hell of a play, a hell of a shot. It's what makes this game so great. It brings the highest of highs and lowest of lows…. Our goal was to go to the dance, and for that to get taken away like that, it's a tough deal."
The last-second bucket by Fort was emblematic of the game as a whole. Both teams shot the ball tremendously well, with the Eagles hitting 57% (29-51) to NAU's 49% (33-67). The contest saw 14 lead changes and 8 ties with no lead larger than 8 points. Venters' 21 led all scorers.
EWU responded to an early push with an 18-5 run sparked by 12 points from Venters, including a highlight reel dunk through traffic. EWU held a 22-14 lead with 11:15 left in the half but turnovers were the balancing factor in the opening 20 minutes. EWU gave the ball away 10 times resulting in 12 NAU points. It was tied 35-35 at the break.
Eastern cleaned things up in the second half, turning it over just twice more, but the Jacks kept sinking shots at critical moments to earn a 6-point lead with just under 8 minutes to go.
A Venters 3 at 7:33, Casey Jones drive to the rim at 7:03 and a pair of free throws from Ethan Price at 5:50 gave EWU a short lived 63-62 edge. A corner triple from senior Angelo Allegri put the Eagles back on top at 3:51.
Guard Tyreese Davis, who missed most of the first half after limping off the court following Eastern's first possession, returned in the second to score 9 points and grab 6 rebounds. His two free throws at 3:17, another 3 by Venters and another attacking layup by Jones put them up 6 with under a minute remaining.
Tre McLaughlin hit one from beyond the arc — his only make of the game — to keep the Jacks close and ill-timed missed free throws by EWU down the stretch opened the door for Fort's dramatic finisher, sending the NAU bench down the length of the floor in celebration.
"It's been a special thing to be a part of (this team)," Riley added. "I think the greatest part of the season is the effort, leadership and buy-in, 'one through 15' of the players, of the whole coaching staff, the administration, the president… the whole university.
"I've been here since 2011, and to see how we've taken steps every year is a great thing. This is a tough way to go out but we still have lots to be proud of."
The loss moves Eastern's overall season record to 22-10. It was the seventh-ever head-to-head meeting between the two programs at the Big Sky Tournament and only the second loss for EWU. It also snapped the Eagles' 13-game series winning streak over NAU dating back to 2017.
Price and Allegri each finished with 13 points. Jones had 8 to go with a team-high 8 rebounds. Venters added 5 assists, a steal and block to his output. NAU was led by Xavier Fuller and Nik Mains with 16 apiece while Fort closed with 15.
As regular season conference champions, Eastern is automatically eligible to play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), with opponent and game location to be determined.
The #4 EWU women will play the #5 Montana Grizzlies on Monday at 12 p.m. MT / 11 a.m. PT. That game will be broadcast with streaming video on ESPN+ and radio on 700 ESPN / 103.5 FM in Spokane / Cheney.
