FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Eastern Washington (10-18, 6-9) fought hard but faltered in the second half, ultimately losing to Northern Arizona (16-13, 7-9) with a final score of 87-67.
"I thought we really compete in the first half," said head coach
Dan Monson. "I think we lack some confidence for a team that recently won four in row, we took two steps back on Thursday and today we took a couple more back. "We have to get healthy and we have a lot of dynamics we need to work on."
Andrew Cook led the Eagles with 14 points, while
Mason Williams contributed 12 points, four assists, and four rebounds.
Nic McClain also played a key role, leading EWU with five assists.
As a team, Eastern shot 46.4% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range. However, Northern Arizona was more efficient, shooting 61.8% from the field and 64.3% from beyond the arc. NAU also out rebounded Eastern, forced more turnovers, and had more steals. Both teams scored 22 points off the bench, and each grabbed six offensive rebounds.
First Half:
The game started with Northern Arizona hitting a three-pointer, but Eastern quickly responded.
Sebastian Hartmann and
Elijah Thomas each hit a three, giving EWU an early 6-3 lead. Cook then contributed with two field goals, and Williams added another to give the Eagles a seven-point advantage. NAU responded with free throws, but
Angelo Winkel added to EWU's lead with a layup.
As the game progressed, NAU found their offensive rhythm and trimmed the lead to two, prompting a timeout from the Eagles with 10 minutes left in the first half. Cook hit a clutch step-back jumper to help Eastern maintain some breathing room. However, the Lumberjacks went on an 11-0 run, pulling ahead 31-24.
Eastern struggled offensively during this stretch but broke their three-minute scoreless drought with another step-back jumper from Cook. With 2:56 remaining in the half, the Eagles began to chip away at NAU's lead. McClain nailed a deep three-pointer with 1:18 left, bringing Eastern within four points. At halftime, the Eagles trailed 41-37.
Second Half:
Williams quickly brought the Eagles within one, hitting a three-pointer just 17 seconds into the second half. However, the Lumberjacks tightened their defense and found success on offense, going on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 10 points. After another few minutes of drought,
Emmett Marquardt ended the scoreless stretch with a tip-in.
Williams hit another three off a nice assist, but NAU responded with a three-pointer of their own. The Lumberjacks would then go on a 10-0 run, extending their lead to 17 points.
Vice Zanki hit a corner three to momentarily stop the momentum, but Northern Arizona continued to press, going on a quick 6-0 run to extend their lead to 22.
Despite late threes from McClain and Zanki, the Eagles couldn't catch up. With 1:42 remaining, Thomas hit a corner three, but it was too late as Northern Arizona took the victory 87-67.
Up Next:
Eastern Washington will return home for their final homestand of the season, starting with a matchup against Weber State on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. The Eagles will then face Idaho State on Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m. for Senior Night.
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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