SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Eastern Washington Eagles (21-10, 15-3 Big Sky) closed out their regular season schedule on a high note on Monday night, notching win number 21 with a 91-88 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets (8-23, 4-14 Big Sky).
Forward Dane Erikstrup led all scorers with 24 points off the bench as EWU weathered a historic Sacramento State storm. In their last game at home, the Hornets tied a school record with 18 made 3-pointers, including several from those who aren't regular outside shooters. Every player who touched the floor for the hosts made at least one triple, led by four apiece from Emil Skytta and Austin Patterson.
"We survived a heck of a shooting night," said EWU head coach David Riley. "The thing we talked about yesterday as a team was that for the most part, teams are going to beat you from two. We came in at halftime and talked about our defense… we came in the second half and I think they were 3 for 14 from two, which is really good rim protection. We did a much better job protecting the paint."
Nine of Sac State's 12 second half field goals came from beyond the arc. They shot 41.4% in the half despite a blistering 9-for-15 from deep, and finished the game 18-for-31 overall from 3.
"Obviously we've got to do a better job guarding shooters, but the reality is we've got a scouting report and we trust the numbers. I think they had four guys we labeled, a couple as 'non-shooters', a couple as 'late contest', and they all got hot."
The Eagle offense marched on, continuing their relentless efficiency with another game shooting over 50% from the floor. They shot 60.3% overall (35-58), their third-best performance of the year against a Division I opponent. They are now 16-0 when shooting 50% or better, including 11 times against conference foes, and entered the game with the 4th-ranked field goal percentage in the entire NCAA.
"It's tough (to not get discouraged). I really appreciate our players' mental toughness," Riley added when asked about the team's reaction to Sacramento State's shooting efforts. "Luckily we have a veteran team that's been through a fire to learn about this. Most of the time (on other teams) when that happens, the players look back at the coach like 'you told me this guy couldn't shoot.'
"Our guys didn't look at the bench one time. They clapped their hands, they realized they've got to get a little more pressure on the ball and took it upon themselves."
The Eagles trailed by 9 midway through the first half before storming back to tie it at the break. They opened the second on a 13-4 run to take a 9-point lead of their own, but the Hornets' continued to stick around.
A Zee Hamoda three with 7:28 left tied it at 75-75 and neither team led by more than 4 the rest of the way. Eastern trailed by as much — 84-88 — with 2:37 on the clock before a LeJuan Watts layup and two made free throws by Erikstrup knotted it at 88. Ethan Price made the second of two freebies to take a 1-point lead, Homoda missed a triple from well beyond the top of the key and Casey Jones converted a fast break dunk to reach the final score.
EWU has now won 9 of the last 10 against Sacramento State, including four in a row.
"(The players) deserve some time off. Three games in five days is a grind," Riley said. "I thought we did a good job limiting minutes. Our highest minutes (played) tonight was Casey (Jones) at 28.
"We've got to get ready. The new season starts now."
The win gives Eastern a four-game winning streak heading into the Big Sky Tournament, for which they are the top seed and could be facing a quick rematch. Tournament play starts on Saturday, with EWU's first game coming on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. MT, 4:30 p.m. PT against the winner of Sacramento State versus Idaho on Saturday. Those games will be available streaming via ESPN+.
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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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