MOSCOW, Idaho. – Eastern Washington pushed Idaho to the brink Saturday afternoon but came up just short in an 84–81 loss in Moscow, as a late surge at the free-throw line lifted the Vandals in a tightly contested Big Sky opener.
"Tough loss, no question about it," associate head coach
Ryan Lundgren said. "But we had some really, really good things today, especially with our bench stepping up and making plays when they needed to."
Kiree Huie led the Eagles with 16 points and 11 rebounds to record a double-double, while
Isaiah Moses,
Jojo Anderson,
Alton Hamilton IV and
Tyler Powell each finished in double figures. Moses paced Eastern early, scoring 12 of his points in the first half.
Eastern Washington closed the opening half locked in a back-and-forth battle, heading into the break tied at 37–37 after Moses knocked down a jumper with two seconds remaining. The Eagles leaned on active defense and second-chance opportunities to stay within striking distance, forcing turnovers and establishing Huie inside.
After Idaho briefly pushed ahead midway through the half, Eastern responded with timely baskets from Moses, Hamilton IV and Huie to spark a late run. Despite a slow offensive start, the Eagles settled in and fought back. "We definitely came out a little bit sluggish," Lundgren said, "but we got it back together and clawed our way back into it."
The Eagles continued to trade punches with Idaho throughout a tightly contested second half. EWU erased multiple deficits behind timely shooting from Powell and Anderson, including back-to-back three-pointers midway through the half that swung momentum and briefly gave Eastern the lead.
Huie controlled the glass and finished strong around the rim, while Moses and
Johnny Radford delivered key buckets to keep the game within one possession down the stretch. Idaho, however, capitalized at the free-throw line in the final seconds, and Anderson's last-second three attempt came up short.
"Sometimes you contest it as well as you can and it still goes in," Lundgren said, pointing to Idaho's late shot-making. "Kolton Mitchell really got in the flow early and made some tough ones down the stretch."
Despite the narrow defeat, Lundgren emphasized the importance of growth as conference play continues. "You don't like moral victories," he said, "but the team that wins this league isn't going to be the one playing the best right now—it's going to be the team that gets better by mid-March."
Up Next
The Eagles will return home to take on the Montana rivals. They face off against Montana State first on Thursday, January 8 at 6 p.m., then the Griz on Saturday, 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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