CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington secured its second win of the season, finishing 1-1 in the Big Sky–Summit League Challenge with a commanding 90–66 victory over UMKC.
Jojo Anderson led the Eagles with 23 points, while
Isaiah Moses,
Kiree Huie,
Alton Hamilton IV, and
Emmett Marquardt also reached double figures in a strong offensive showcase.
Huie opened the game with authority, throwing down a statement slam before Marquardt followed with a putback. Anderson later buried a three to give Eastern its first lead, and the Eagles quickly began to find their rhythm on both ends of the floor. Defensive intensity was evident early, a point Associate Head Coach
Ryan Lundgren praised postgame, noting,
"I thought we took a step in the right direction and that helped our offense too because we're able to get out and get easy baskets." Eastern's pressure paid dividends, forcing turnovers that fed a hot offensive stretch.
At the 10-minute mark of the first half, Eastern held a six-point advantage. Huie continued his strong start, piling up 12 first-half points, and Marquardt knocked down his third triple to stretch the lead to 16 and trigger a UMKC timeout. With three minutes remaining, the margin grew to 21, and Moses drilled a deep three in the final seconds to send Eastern into halftime up 47–28. Marquardt shot 4-of-5 with three threes in the opening frame, while Huie added 14.
Moses kept it rolling out of the break, sinking a tough fadeaway to start the half as Eastern extended the lead to 58–34. UMKC trimmed it to 17, but the Eagles countered with six straight and never looked back. Eastern forced 21 turnovers and owned a 38–31 rebounding advantage, areas Lundgren highlighted as growth points.
"That's been an issue the last five, six weeks. I thought tonight they finally put some things together," he said.
"Forcing 21 turnovers, outscoring them by 14 in points off turnovers — that's a step in the right direction."
Lundgren also applauded the effort on the glass, especially from the backcourt.
"One thing that stands out is our guards rebounded tonight. Jojo had six, Isaiah had a couple, Tyler came off the bench and had three. We just have to keep improving in those areas as we get ready for league play." He spoke highly of Huie's recent surge as well, noting,
"When he plays with energy and effort... he's as good of a big as you'll find in this league."
Up Next
Eastern Washington stays home to take on California Baptist on Friday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Lundgren expects a battle, saying,
"They're really about as good as anybody we've played... it'll be a huge challenge for us, but it's great to be back at home in front of this crowd."
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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