CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington (10-20, 6-11) fell to Idaho State (15-13, 10-7) on Senior Night, with a final score of 78-54.
Andrew Cook led Eastern with 24 points, while
Nic McClain contributed eight assists. On the defensive end, Cook and
Sebastian Hartmann each grabbed four rebounds. As a team, Eastern shot 38% from the field, while Idaho State shot 43%.
"You're coming into the tournament you want some momentum and all of a sudden you've lost four in a row," said head coach
Dan Monson. "Today we just got out competed on the boards. I thought defensively we did a really good job of Darling early.
First Half:
The Bengals came out strong, hitting a three-pointer followed by a layup to set the tone early. After a quick 30-second timeout, the Eagles responded with back-to-back driving layups. Idaho State quickly pulled out to a seven-point lead within the first five minutes, but Eastern went on a five-point swing, narrowing the gap to just two.
Emmett Marquardt's three-pointer helped the Eagles close in after the Bengals extended their lead back to seven.
Eastern continued to battle but struggled to contain Idaho State's offense. The Bengals expanded their lead to 11 before Cook's layup heading into the final media timeout.
Elijah Thomas drained a three-pointer to bring Eastern back to within 10 points with 2:02 remaining in the first half.
Heading into halftime, Idaho State led 40-29. Eastern struggled with fouling, accumulating 13 fouls in the first half. The Eagles shot 42% from the field, compared to Idaho State's 40%. However, 14 of the Bengals' 40 first-half points came from the free-throw line alone.
Second Half:
Idaho State picked up right where they left off, opening the second half with a 7-2 run, extending their lead to 47-31 before the first media timeout. Eastern found some rhythm, hitting three consecutive baskets to pull within 10 with 11:27 remaining. Cook's driving layup brought the Eagles within single digits.
However, the Bengals quickly responded with a 9-0 run, pushing their lead back to 17 points. Despite Eastern's efforts, Idaho State continued to dominate. With Eastern trailing 68-50 after the final media timeout, the game was all but decided.
In the end, Idaho State secured the 78-54 victory.
Up Next:
The Eagles will head to Missoula, Mont. To take on Montana in the final regular season game at 8 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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