CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington fell to Portland State, 65–61, despite a hard-fought second-half comeback effort.
Isaiah Moses led the Eagles with 22 points, while
Alton Hamilton IV added 13. Hamilton also paced Eastern on the glass with six rebounds, and
Kiree Huie anchored the defense with four blocks, a season high that matched his career best.
Eastern outblocked the Vikings 6–5, but Portland State held advantages in shooting percentage, free throw percentage, and rebounding. Moses was perfect from the line, going 10-for-10 and extending his streak to 48 consecutive made free throws over the last eight games.
Eastern opened the game with defensive energy but struggled to find an early offensive rhythm, allowing Portland State to build a small lead. The Eagles settled in midway through the first half as
Tyler Powell and
Shaumba Ngoyi scored inside, and Moses knocked down a three to tie the game at 9–9. Turnovers on both ends led to transition chances, with Hamilton IV and
Johnny Radford converting on the break to keep EWU within striking distance. Portland State responded with second-chance points and perimeter shooting to stretch the margin, and Eastern went into halftime trailing 33–26.
"We never really got into a rhythm offensively, which put a lot of pressure on our defense," said Associate Head Coach
Ryan Lundgren. "We just kind of came out a little bit flat, and against a team like that, it's hard to recover."
The Eagles came out aggressive in the second half, cutting into the deficit with quick buckets from Radford and Powell before Powell drilled a transition three to make it a two-point game. Eastern continued to apply pressure defensively, forcing stops and converting them into points, while Moses steadied the offense at the free-throw line. A late surge tied the game at 50–50 with just over five minutes remaining, highlighted by a transition layup from Hamilton IV.
Despite the rally, Portland State made key plays down the stretch, particularly on the glass. "Rebounding was the number one key going into the game," Lundgren said. "When you get outrebounded by 15, you're not going to beat those guys. We got the stops we needed late, but we couldn't come up with the rebound after that first stop."
The Vikings also received timely scoring from Miller, who hit a tough shot late in the shot clock to extend the lead. "That last one he made to put them up four was a really tough move," Lundgren said. "He's a veteran of the league and a talented player. He's done it a lot this year."
Eastern continued to battle until the final horn, with Moses hitting a jumper under a minute to play and Huie adding a second-chance finish to pull within two, but Portland State closed the game in the final seconds. "We were down 10, tied it at 50, but just couldn't get over the hump and capitalize on that momentum," Lundgren added.
Up Next
Eastern will return home to host Sacramento State on Saturday, January 24, at 2 p.m.
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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