LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Eastern Washington men's basketball showed toughness and composure on the road Wednesday night, battling back from a three-point halftime deficit to briefly take the lead before ultimately falling 70–62 to Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.
After trailing 32–29 at the break, the Eagles found their rhythm in the second half—attacking effectively in the paint and connecting from beyond the arc—before LMU closed strong to hold off the comeback. The back-and-forth contest featured nine lead changes and showcased EWU's resilience, even as the Lions executed late to secure the win.
"I think we do have to keep perspective that we're not getting to that large bid out of the Big Sky Conference," said Associate Head Coach
Ryan Lundgren. "At the end of the day, all these games are opportunities for us to keep learning and growing and getting ready for conference play. But it's hard to drop a game like that when you feel like you played well enough to win for probably 35 minutes but just didn't make enough plays down the stretch."
Isaiah Moses paced the Eagles with 15 points and five steals, while
Kiree Huie added 14 and
Johnny Radford chipped in 12.
Alton Hamilton IV anchored the defense with a team-high seven rebounds. Eastern led the free-throw battle, shooting 68 percent to LMU's 62 percent, and outscored the Lions in points in the paint and points off turnovers. Loyola Marymount countered with an edge in second-chance points and bench production to tip the balance.
"Offense was difficult in the first half, but once we got it going in the second half, I thought we played really well offensively for about a 10- or 12-minute stretch," Lundgren said. "Their positional size—those wings and guards are really long—and conversely we have smaller guards, so it was tough finishing in traffic. But we got into a rhythm playing through our bigs, and that's something we have to keep buying into. We have really good bigs who can draw fouls and finish around the rim."
The Eagles traded blows with LMU early in a defensive-minded first half that saw multiple lead changes before Eastern entered the break down 32–29. After an early 10–5 LMU lead, the Eagles responded with a 7–0 run sparked by steals and transition buckets from Moses and Huie. Radford's clutch free throws and Hamilton's interior finish kept Eastern close, while the defense held LMU without a field goal for the final two minutes of the half.
The momentum continued into the second half, as Eastern surged ahead midway through the period. A three-pointer from Radford and strong interior play from Huie fueled a 20–9 run that gave the Eagles a 53–46 lead with just over ten minutes remaining. However, LMU countered with key perimeter shots and timely second-chance opportunities to close the gap and reclaim control in the final stretch.
"Second-chance points really hurt us," Lundgren added. "We knew that was a huge key for them, and it's something we talked about at halftime. I thought we did a good job early in the second half, but we had a couple lapses late—put-backs, kick-outs to shooters—that were really crucial. Still, this group is learning every day, and the bottom line is these guys really like each other and enjoy being around each other. If we can continue that attitude and effort, we'll keep getting better."
Eastern now turns its focus to another road test on Saturday at Colorado. "That's the beauty of this level," Lundgren said. "You get to play a tough schedule and go into some great environments against high-major teams. We've got an older, experienced group that embraces that challenge, and I think that'll help us as we keep growing through the season."
Up Next
The Eagles continue their three-game road swing in Boulder, Colorado, taking on the Buffaloes on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. PST.
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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