MOSCOW, Idaho. — Eastern Washington (6-12, 2-3) battled back in the second half but ultimately fell to Idaho (8-10, 3-2) by a final score of 83-76.
"They were just more ready than we were," said head coach
Dan Monson. "They played better than us in the first half, and we put ourselves into a hole. Offensively we didn't have a pace to us and defensively we didn't dictate the first half."
Mason Williams led the Eagles offensively with 21 points, while
Andrew Cook added 18.
Nic McClain and
Emmett Marquardt also scored in double figures. Defensively,
Sebastian Hartmann and
Tyler Powell each grabbed seven rebounds, and McClain contributed three steals.
"The second half I thought we played really heard but we dug ourselves to deep of a hole. I give our guys a lot of credit for digging out of that hole, but it took us too long to get there."
First Half:
Idaho dominated the first half, outscoring Eastern 35-14 in the paint and controlling the boards, 22-14. The Eagles struggled offensively, especially during a six-minute scoring drought that allowed the Vandals to extend their lead to seven points.
The game began with a back-and-forth battle. Williams hit a deep three to start for the Eagles, but Idaho answered with one of their own. By the first media timeout, the Vandals held a 10-7 lead. A 6-0 Idaho run stretched their advantage to 25-12.
Cook halted the run with a pull-up jumper, but Eastern continued to struggle to keep pace. With just six seconds left before halftime, McClain forced a steal and converted a quick layup, pulling Eastern within 12 at the break.
Second Half:
The Eagles came out strong in the second half. Hartmann knocked down a three, and Cook followed with a basket to cut Idaho's lead to single digits. McClain then hit a three-pointer from the corner, and Williams converted two free throws after a steal to trim the deficit to just four points with 15:52 remaining.
However, Idaho responded with a brief 6-0 run, pushing their lead back to 11. Williams went to the line for four free throws, hitting all of them to keep Eastern within striking distance. After a Vandals' bucket, Idaho's lead grew to nine.
With under a minute to play, Williams nailed a corner three, Marquardt came up with a steal and assisted Cook for a reverse layup, and Cook hit a free throw to bring the Eagles within three. At the final media timeout, the score stood at 72-68 in Idaho's favor.
Despite a valiant effort down the stretch, Eastern couldn't complete the comeback and fell to the Vandals 83-76.
Up Next:
The Eagles will gear up for three games in six days as they head Bozeman, Montana to take on Montana State on Monday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. PST. Then Eastern will face off against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado at home.
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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