BOISE, Idaho. – Eastern Washington (10-22, 6-12) saw their season come to an end with a 66-53 loss to Northern Arizona (18-14, 8-10) in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.
Mason Williams led the Eagles offensively with 20 points, while
Emmett Marquardt and
Nic McClain each grabbed six rebounds.
Andrew Cook contributed four assists.
"I've been doing this a long time, I think this is my 28th year as a division one coach and it's never easy," said head coach
Dan Monson. "I thought we fought and we never got consistent all season, it's just very demoralizing when you get three stops in a row and then can't score for three times."
As a team, Eastern shot 38% from the field, compared to Northern Arizona's 44%. The Lumberjacks also out-rebounded the Eagles 35-26, but Eastern had the edge from beyond the arc, shooting 42% compared to NAU's 39%.
"Basketball is a game of runs, and this team has struggled all year to seize their moment to get runs and get up 8 or 10. We had a lot of chances early in the game to take control of it but we would turn it over."
First Half:
Andrew Cook opened the scoring for the Eagles with a three-pointer, and Williams followed with a three in transition after a McClain steal. Northern Arizona responded with back-to-back layups, and Eastern struggled to score for four minutes, allowing the Lumberjacks to go on an 8-0 run and take a two-point lead.
The teams traded baskets, with Williams hitting a second three-pointer to give the Eagles a 15-14 lead at the 10:42 mark. He was in double figures early, adding his fifth basket of the night.
Both teams then endured a three-minute scoring drought, but the Eagles maintained a 19-16 lead. Northern Arizona broke the stalemate, hitting three consecutive shots to lead 22-19. After the final media timeout, NAU led by one, 28-27, but hit a clutch three-pointer to take a 34-31 lead into halftime.
Second Half:
The Lumberjacks came out strong with a dunk to start the second half, but Eastern quickly responded with layups from McClain and Williams. Williams then hit a three-pointer to pull the Eagles within two. NAU answered with a three of their own, extending their lead back to five.
Vice Zanki added a layup, and Angelo Winkle followed with a dunk, cutting the deficit to three. However, the Lumberjacks went on a 10-0 run, as Eastern struggled offensively, enduring a five-minute scoring drought. Cook finally broke the drought with a layup, and Marquardt hit a deep three-pointer, but Eastern still trailed 58-48 with 6:22 remaining.
Following a shot clock violation forced by the Eagles, Williams hit his fourth three-pointer of the game with 49 seconds left, but it wasn't enough. The Eagles ultimately fell 66-53.
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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