CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington suffered its first home loss of the season, falling to California Baptist 88–83 on Saturday night. The defeat also dropped the Eagles to 0–2 all-time against the Lancers.
Isaiah Moses led Eastern with 23 points, marking his fourth 20-plus-point performance of the season, while
Kiree Huie and
Alton Hamilton IV each added 18 points. Hamilton matched his career high, Huie led the Eagles with six rebounds and three blocks, and Moses dished out a team-high five assists.
Rebounding proved to be a decisive factor, as California Baptist outrebounded Eastern 37–24, including 15 offensive rebounds. Associate head coach
Ryan Lundgren pointed to those extra possessions as a major difference. "If there's 28 rebounds to be had on your end of the floor and they get 15 of the 28, that's hard to overcome," Lundgren said. "Even when we got better defensively down the stretch, there were so many deflating possessions where we got a stop but gave them an offensive rebound."
Eastern shot 49 percent from the field compared to 54 percent for the Lancers. The Eagles went 67 percent from the free-throw line, while California Baptist connected at an 82 percent clip. Eastern did win the turnover battle, forcing 15 while committing 11, but Lundgren noted that CBU's efficiency and composure stood out. "They're a very good team. There's a reason they're the unanimous pick to win the WAC," he said.
The Eagles jumped out to a fast start, as
Straton Rogers scored on a tough layup, Huie added a contested hook shot, and Moses intercepted an inbound pass that led to a three-pointer by
Emmett Marquardt for an early 8–0 lead. California Baptist responded by tightening up defensively, forcing turnovers and trimming the lead to four by the first media timeout.
CBU took its first lead with 12:38 remaining in the first half, but
Tyler Powell knocked down one of two free throws to tie the game at 18–18. The teams traded baskets, including threes from Marquardt and Hamilton IV, before a seven-point Lancer run shifted momentum. After a brief scoring drought, Hamilton IV broke through at the line, but California Baptist closed the half with a late three to take a six-point advantage into the break.
Huie opened the second half with a basket to cut the deficit to four, but the Lancers quickly pushed the lead back to eight and maintained control for much of the period. Lundgren highlighted CBU's guard play as another key factor. "Their point guard is dynamic. I think he's as good as a point guard as we've seen all season," he said. "We really struggled to keep him in front, and it broke us down defensively."
Despite battling foul trouble on the Lancers, Eastern couldn't fully capitalize. Huie and Hamilton IV combined to draw 14 fouls, a point Lundgren said reflects how the Eagles need to play. "That's who we have to continue to be," he said. "If we can get teams fouling us early, then late in the half we're shooting free throws, and that's what we need."
Eastern made a late push behind Huie's interior toughness and a Moses basket that trimmed the margin to six, but California Baptist closed the game by controlling the glass and converting tough looks. "They just played under control and together," Lundgren said. "They were the better team tonight, but we just have to keep growing. This is all about conference play."
Up Next
Eastern Washington heads to Spokane for the 509 Classic, where the Eagles will face Washington State on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. at Numerica Veterans Memorial Arena. Lundgren added, "It'll be fun to tee it up downtown Spokane against a regional rival, and it'll be nice to play in front of some of our fans again."
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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
