POCATELLO, Idaho – Eastern Washington (6-16, 2-7) dropped a hard-fought 78-70 contest to Idaho State (9-10, 4-4) on Thursday night, despite a career performance from
Mason Williams. The Bengals were red-hot from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 three-pointers compared to just five from the Eagles.
Williams led the charge for EWU, setting a new career high with 35 points. He was unstoppable in the second half, scoring 26 of the Eagles' 44 points, shooting 12-for-15 from the field and 3-for-4 from three.
Emmett Marquardt also reached double digits with 12 points, while
Sebastian Hartmann paced Eastern on the boards with six rebounds.
First Half:
Marquardt opened the scoring for the Eagles with a quick layup, and Eastern quickly built a four-point lead after a jumper from
Vice Zanki. However, Idaho State found their rhythm, going on a 7-2 run to take a slim lead. Both teams then went cold offensively, failing to score for several minutes until the Bengals broke the drought with a free throw.
Eastern Washington answered with a mid-range jumper from Williams, cutting the lead to four with 9:36 left in the half. Yet the Eagles would struggle again, and the Bengals extended their lead. A deep three-pointer and a layup helped ISU push the advantage to six.
The Bengals' lead grew to its largest of the half before Eastern mounted a late charge. Williams hit a three-pointer just before the break, keeping the Eagles within striking distance. Idaho State led 28-26 at halftime.
Second Half:
Williams picked up where he left off in the second half, scoring the Eagles' first points to tie the game at 28-28. However, Idaho State came out firing, hitting four threes in the first five minutes to quickly build a lead. Williams was the lone offensive spark for EWU during that stretch, scoring the Eagles' first eight points of the half.
With 10 minutes to play, the Bengals hit another three to extend their lead to nine, but Marquardt answered right back with one of his own. Williams went on a 7-0 run to pull Eastern back within one point with 7:50 remaining. But Idaho State responded with three straight buckets, including a three-pointer, to stretch their lead to 62-54.
The Bengals kept up their scorching shooting, building their largest lead of the game at 14. Eastern wasn't done yet, though. The Eagles mounted an 8-2 run, highlighted by a Williams three-pointer, to cut the deficit back to single digits. That three also helped Williams set his new career high. Marquardt then drove to the basket, making it a two-possession game.
With 46.9 seconds left, Williams was fouled beyond the arc and calmly sank all three free throws, pulling EWU back within one possession. However, the Bengals answered with two free throws of their own, extending their lead to five. Despite the late push, Eastern could not complete the comeback, falling 78-70.
Up Next:
Eastern Washington will travel to Ogden, Utah, to face Weber State on Saturday, February 1, at 12:30 p.m. Following that matchup, EWU returns home for a three-game homestand against Sacramento State, Portland State, and Idaho.
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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