SEATTLE, Wash. — Eastern Washington (2-9) fought hard but ultimately fell to Washington (7-3) 87-69 in a game marked by turnovers and a tough rebounding battle. Despite only trailing by seven at halftime, the Eagles were plagued by 16 turnovers and were out rebounded 32-24, which proved costly in the second half.
"We are frustrated because we are getting better, but we aren't getting rewarded for it," said head coach
Dan Monson. "I think defensively, we are closer than it looks, we had 12 steals. This entire team has some injuries, it was good to get mason some minutes, he's still recovering, but that's two games in a row he's been able to give us 15 minutes."
The Eagles were led by
Andrew Cook, who scored 18 points, followed by
Nic McClain with 15, and
Emmett Marquardt with 10. McClain also contributed five assists, while Marquardt grabbed nine rebounds to lead the team on the glass.
"There's a lot of positives I told our guys. Our season starts with Montana in January, and we've got four-weeks to prepare for that. Our season is measured by how we do in the Big Sky and how we do in the tournament.
First Half:
Washington struck first on the scoreboard, but McClain quickly responded with a free throw, followed by a steal and a fast-break layup to give Eastern a 3-2 lead. The Eagles then found the basket again when McClain dished to
Sebastian Hartmann, who drained a three from the corner to knot the game at 8-8.
After a media timeout,
Andrew Cook sank a deep three-pointer, pushing the Eagles to a three-point lead, thanks to a strong defensive stop at the other end. However, the Huskies responded with an 8-0 run, fueled by defensive stops and efficient offense, regaining a five-point lead.
Eastern battled back with back-to-back buckets, trimming Washington's lead to four points with 5:40 left in the half. The Huskies quickly answered, regaining an eight-point cushion. With the clock winding down, McClain delivered a highlight-reel dunk off an assist from Marquardt. Then, with 14 seconds left in the half,
Vice Zanki hit a clutch three-pointer, sending Eastern into the locker room trailing 39-32.
Second Half:
Eastern came out of the break with energy, as Marquardt scored on two quick hook shots to open the half. Zanki followed with a three from the corner, bringing the Eagles back within five points. However, a three-minute scoring drought stalled their momentum until Marquardt ended it with a layup and Zanki hit another three-pointer to bring the game back to single digits. This forced Washington to call a timeout, leading to a more competitive stretch of play.
At the 10-minute mark, Eastern trailed 68-52, and with just over five minutes remaining, McClain fouled out with 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Despite this setback, Cook responded with an and-one play to complete a three-point play, and Zanki followed with a smooth turnaround jumper to give the Eagles a brief surge of energy.
However, Washington's size and depth proved too much down the stretch, as the Huskies pulled away to seal an 87-69 victory.
Up Next:
Eastern will return home for a four-game homestand to close out the preseason. The Eagles will first face Lincoln on Saturday, December 21, followed by Eastern Oregon on Monday, December 30.
To kick off the new year and Big Sky Conference play, Eastern will host Montana on Thursday, January 2, and Montana State on Saturday, January 4.
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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