CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington (5-10, 1-1) came out on top in a hard-fought, defensively-charged contest against Montana State (5-10, 0-2), securing a 68-63 victory.
"We needed a win where our defense carried us, something to build confidence and reinforce our belief in this team," said head coach
Dan Monson. "I'm really proud of them and happy for their effort. I hope this is a foundation we can build on as we head out on the road next week."
"We know we don't have to make every shot to win, and we don't need to be perfect on offense. A lot of guys stepped up today, and one thing I did better was rotating players. Eleven guys contributed significantly, and our depth played a big role in the win."
The Eagles were led by
Nic McClain, who finished with 16 points, while
Andrew Cook contributed 13 and
Mason Williams added 11. On the defensive end,
Emmett Marquardt paced the team with six rebounds, and the Eagles collectively registered six blocks and forced 12 turnovers.
First Half:
The game began with intense energy, as both teams came out firing on both ends of the floor.
Emmett Marquardt set the tone defensively with a key block, followed by a fast-break dunk from McClain. The first 10 minutes were a grind, with Eastern Washington recording three blocks, forcing four turnovers, and pulling down 12 rebounds.
At the 7:01 mark, with the score tied at 9-9, Cook broke the deadlock with a contested layup, giving the Eagles a 12-9 lead. Marquardt then knocked down Eastern's first three-pointer of the game to extend the advantage to five. The Bobcats responded with a strong individual play from
Angelo Winkel, who finished a contested "and-one" opportunity to bring MSU within two.
With 3:42 left in the half, Montana State tied the game at 24, then briefly took the lead with a deep three-pointer. However, McClain had an immediate answer, driving the court and finishing to put Eastern ahead 31-30 with 26 seconds remaining. Montana State countered with a bucket on the ensuing possession to take a 32-31 lead into halftime.
Second Half:
Montana State opened the second half with a quick three-pointer, and the defensive intensity remained high. Cook responded for Eastern with a step-back jumper, followed by McClain sinking both free throws to keep the Eagles within striking distance. The Eagles then capitalized on back-to-back stops, scoring twice to tie the game at 39-39.
Eastern Washington hit a scoring lull as Montana State went on a 7-0 run. However, Cook ended the drought with a step-back jumper, and Winkel battled hard under the basket to keep Eastern close. With the game tied at 46,
Mason Williams' pull-up jump shot at the 12:59 mark gave the Eagles a 48-46 lead.
With 10 minutes to go,
Tyler Powell made a crucial block on defense, and Marquardt converted on a fast-break layup, giving Eastern a 52-49 lead. McClain then stepped up, hitting two clutch free throws with 4:42 left, extending the Eagles' lead to three.
As the game neared its final moments, Montana State hit a clutch three-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 58-58 with 3:45 remaining. However, coming out of the final media timeout, Eastern Washington went on a 7-0 run, spearheaded by McClain's five points. Although the Bobcats hit another three to close the gap to two with 22 seconds left, the Eagles held on, sealing the 68-63 win.
Up Next:
Eastern will travel for two games, facing Portland State on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. and Sacramento State on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 1 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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