BROOKINGS, S.D. — Eastern Washington (2-8) was defeated by South Dakota State (8-3) 74-53 in the final game of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge.
"I'm not making excuses, but we look like a team that's been on the road the last month," said head coach
Dan Monson. "We got to dig deep on Tuesday, and then we have five weeks where we are at home. Offensively we are struggling but defensively we are making strides. We were keeping in there defensively in the first half but the last four minutes of both halves we just caved."
Andrew Cook led the Eagles with 13 points and six rebounds, the only player to score in double digits for Eastern Washington. The Eagles struggled on the boards, being outrebounded 47-23, and shot just 36% from the field compared to 41% for the Jackrabbits.
First Half:
Emmett Marquardt got the Eagles off to a strong start, hitting a three-pointer right out of the gate, followed by a dunk from
Nic McClain to give EWU an early 5-0 lead. South Dakota State quickly answered with three consecutive buckets to take a 7-5 lead.
The two teams traded blows for most of the first half, with the Jackrabbits maintaining a slim lead. Eastern Washington closed the gap to within two points with 8:22 left in the half. However, the rest of the period belonged to South Dakota State, who outscored the Eagles 22-4 in the final minutes.
The Jackrabbits went on a 16-0 run, holding Eastern Washington scoreless for over five minutes. Meanwhile, SDSU capitalized on EWU's mistakes, forcing 10 turnovers and limiting the Eagles to just 34.8% shooting from the field. By halftime, the Jackrabbits had stretched their lead to 42-22.
Second Half:
The Eagles' scoring struggles continued into the second half, with South Dakota State extending its lead to 46-24 before Marquardt ended a 20-0 SDSU run with a layup.
Sebastian Hartmann added another basket, briefly pulling Eastern to within 20 points.
Refusing to go down without a fight, EWU mounted an 11-2 run, cutting the deficit to 13. Both teams tightened up defensively, entering a three-minute scoring drought. Eastern finally broke through with a deep three-pointer from
Elijah Thomas, pulling the Eagles within 10.
However, SDSU quickly regained control after the eight-minute media timeout, pushing their lead back to 16. Eastern briefly chipped away at the lead again, cutting it to 10 points, but late fouls allowed the Jackrabbits to hold onto their lead. South Dakota State sealed the game with a 74-53 victory.
Up Next:
The Eagles will travel across the state to take on Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. in Seattle, Wash.
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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