BOULDER, Colo. — Eastern Washington (0-1) dropped its season opener on the road, falling 76-56 to Colorado (1-0) in a game marked by contrasting halves. The Eagles led by six at the break, but Colorado erupted for a dominant second half, outscoring Eastern 51-25 to secure the win.
 
"We prepared well," said head coach Dan Monson. "We really came out with a purpose, and a sense of defensiveness and disrupted them early. They showed if we can consistently do that, we can be very good."
 
Nic McClain and Vice Zanki were bright spots for the Eagles. McClain finished with a team-high 16 points, adding three steals and five rebounds. Zanki, coming off the bench, sparked Eastern's offense in the first half with 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
 
"I think we had 24 deflections in the first half, when our goal is 40 in game, and we had 17 in the second half."
 
Eastern came out strong, with Sebastian Hartmann scoring the first basket of the game. Zanki quickly followed with back-to-back three-pointers, helping the Eagles jump to an early lead.
 
"Our guys are believing that what we do works and now we just have to get totally convicted to it."
 
The defense was stifling in the first 10 minutes, forcing 13 turnovers and turning them into 13 points off turnovers. Eastern's defensive pressure fueled a 27-10 advantage midway through the first half. Zanki was efficient, hitting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to lead the Eagles with 12 points.
 
"I love coaching these guys, you can tell how coachable they are. How they came out to start the game, we just have to get more confidence."
 
Despite a late 6-0 run by Colorado, Eastern held a 31-25 lead at halftime.
 
The Buffaloes carried the momentum from the break, scoring the first five points of the second half to tie the game at 31. McClain responded for Eastern, scoring four of the Eagles' next six points to keep the game close.
 
The teams exchanged leads, with Eastern briefly holding a seven-point advantage. But Colorado countered with two quick baskets, trimming the lead to four. Less than a minute later, a turnover by the Eagles allowed Colorado to hit a deep three-pointer and tie the game at 44.
 
"It's a game of runs. We were one run away from being fine, but we just broke and went off on our own. We made a lot of defensive mistakes."
 
Colorado took its first lead of the game, 48-47, with 9:38 left and proceeded to go on a 10-0 run over the next three and a half minutes. From that point, the Buffaloes took control, and Eastern was unable to recover, falling 76-56.
 
"I'm looking forward to seeing how we respond on Wednesday. I told them, we are preparing for March right now, and after the first game in the tournament, you have to turn right back around with very little preparation and go play again. That's exactly why we schedule it and exactly what we have to do."
 
Up Next
The Eagles will make the trip home to face off against Seattle University on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. for its home opener on Reese court.  
 
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

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