BOZEMAN, Mont. — Eastern Washington (6-13, 2-4) dropped their second matchup of the season against Montana State (8-12, 3-4), falling 74-64.
"I don't think we trusted," said head coach
Dan Monson. "As soon as one or things went wrong, we just aborted the mission and went off on our own. Every thought they had to it themselves and when we do that we aren't a very good basketball team."
Andrew Cook led the Eagles with 21 points, while
Sebastian Hartmann and
Emmett Marquardt both finished in double figures. Defensively,
Nic McClain and Marquardt each grabbed six rebounds to lead the team.
"Playing hard is just a part of it, we have to play better, we have to play together, and we have to believe more. We don't have any confidence in what we are doing.
As a team, Eastern shot 44.4% from the field and 31.8% from three-point range. The Eagles were out-rebounded 29-27 and committed 11 turnovers to Montana State's 9. However, Eastern led in assists, recording 10 to the Bobcats' 9.
First Half:
Montana State struck first, but McClain answered with a steal and a breakaway dunk. Hartmann was hot from behind the arc, hitting back-to-back threes to give Eastern an early six-point lead. MSU responded with a couple of baskets to close the gap, but
Sam Stockton nailed a deep three, extending the Eagles' advantage to five.
The Bobcats hit a three in transition to cut the lead to one. With 6:38 remaining, MSU tied the game at 20. After a three-minute scoring drought, Cook was fouled on a drive and converted both free throws. Thirty seconds later, he scored a layup, giving Eastern a 24-20 lead with 4:04 left in the half, heading into the final media timeout.
Out of the timeout, MSU hit three consecutive free throws to stay within striking distance. Marquardt answered with a jumper, but the Bobcats tied it up at 26 with another three. Marquardt drove to the basket, finishing with a layup and an "and one" free throw, giving Eastern a 29-26 edge. MSU hit a three to tie it again before Marquardt made two free throws, sending the Eagles into the break with a 31-29 lead.
Second Half:
Montana State came out firing after halftime, scoring the first two baskets to regain the lead. McClain answered with a layup, and Marquardt knocked down a three to keep it close. But the Bobcats went on an 8-0 run, stretching their lead to 47-42.
MSU then caught fire, hitting back-to-back threes to push their lead to nine. The Eagles struggled to find a rhythm as Montana State's defense clamped down, fueling a 9-0 run that stretched the Bobcats' advantage to 15. Marquardt ended the run with a basket, but Eastern couldn't gain momentum.
Hartmann hit a three in an attempt to spark a comeback, but MSU responded with an alley-oop dunk to take a commanding 67-50 lead with 3:56 remaining. Cook answered with a three and a layup, cutting the lead to 12, but the Bobcats held on to win, 74-64.
Up Next:
The Eagles return home to face off against Northern Arizona on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. and then Northern Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m.
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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