CHENEY, Wash. – The Eagles soared past the Idaho State Bengals 88–75 behind efficient offense and balanced scoring.
Isaiah Moses led the way with 19 points, while
Alton Hamilton IV and
Kiree Huie each added 18.
Jojo Anderson delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, finishing with 11 points and a career-high nine assists while posting a +19 plus/minus in his minutes.
Eastern shot 56 percent from the field compared to Idaho State's 44 percent and held the Bengals to just 24 percent from three-point range. The Eagles forced 13 turnovers and converted them into 22 points, while committing just six. They also dished out 22 assists, including 13 in the first half. Associate Head Coach
Ryan Lundgren praised the offensive execution, saying, "We were very efficient offensively, got to the free-throw line the second half too and went 24 or 26 to kind of put the game away and create some separation. Obviously you love the 22 assists, 13 at halftime." He added, "Defense wasn't bad, 44 percent they shoot for the game, just 24 percent from the three-point line. You turn them over 13 times and take advantage of it, 22 points off turnovers tonight."
Eastern carried a 45–38 halftime lead into a strong final 20 minutes after a competitive first half that featured six lead changes. A late surge fueled by transition baskets and timely threes from Moses and
Emmett Marquardt helped create distance. Out of the break, Huie scored off a turnover to spark a run, Hamilton converted at the stripe, and Anderson knocked down a key three as the lead stretched to double digits. Moses later buried a three-pointer with just over nine minutes remaining to make it 73–55, and the Eagles maintained control the rest of the way.
Despite the win, Lundgren emphasized the need for improvement on the glass after being outrebounded 31–21. "We got to be a lot better on the glass," he said. "You get beat on the glass by these guys by ten, that has to get cleaned up by Saturday or Weber's going to come in here and get us." He noted many of Idaho State's points came on second- and third-chance opportunities and at the free-throw line, where ISU scored 24 of its 75 points. Still, Lundgren credited the team effort. "You take wins in this league wherever you can get them. I didn't think we played our best tonight, but we still found a way. Again, pretty balanced scoring, everybody who did play contributed tonight."
He also highlighted Anderson's impact off the bench. "JoJo had 11 and 9 and only one turnover there late in the game. He was plus 19 when he was in the game. I thought he played a tremendous game." Looking ahead to Saturday's matchup with Weber State Wildcats men's basketball, Lundgren expects a physical battle. "They've got some good size inside, and they're a really good rebounding team. If you're not going to get on the boards, they're going to hurt you there. We have to be ready for a dogfight on Saturday because they're playing as well as anybody in the league. You enjoy the win, but you turn the page quickly tomorrow and prep for a good team coming in here."
Up Next
Eastern welcomes Weber State on Saturday, Feb. 14 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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