CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington dominated from the tip and never looked back, cruising to an 84–66 win over Weber State behind efficient scoring and stifling defense. Eastern shot 60 percent from the field (30-of-50), 41.2 percent from three (7-of-17), and 81 percent at the free-throw line (17-of-21), while controlling the paint with 44 points inside and limiting second-chance opportunities.
Alton Hamilton IV led the Eagles with a new career high 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting and a perfect 9-for-9 from the line, consistently finishing through contact.
Kiree Huie added 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, anchored the defense inside, and contributed highlight dunks, while
Isaiah Moses added 11 points, knocking down three triples.
Emmett Marquardt chipped in nine points off the bench, and key contributions from
Johnny Radford and
Jojo Anderson helped the Eagles build an early advantage.
Eastern set the tone immediately, racing out to a lead behind relentless transition offense and active hands defensively. Huie and Hamilton combined for the first eight points, and Moses controlled tempo, repeatedly finding cutters and shooters for high-percentage looks. Turnovers turned into runouts, and second-chance opportunities helped stretch the margin into double digits midway through the first half. By halftime, the Eagles had built a commanding 51–24 lead.
Reflecting on the start, associate head coach
Ryan Lundgren said, "The way we came out and jumped them, I think we might have done that to anybody in the league tonight…first 20 minutes, the way we came out with energy, it was impressive. How do you bottle that?"
The Eagles maintained control after the break, answering a brief Wildcat push with strong interior finishes and timely perimeter shots. Huie opened the second half with a basket in the paint, Hamilton added tough scores through contact, and Anderson connected from deep. Moses hit key deep threes to halt momentum, while Eastern's defense remained relentless.
Lundgren praised the team's defensive effort: "For a team like that, who's as good offensively as anybody in the Big Sky, to shoot the percentages they did tonight and only make three threes, that was an all-around really impressive defensive effort by our guys…we did a great job keeping their physical bigs off the glass and limiting them to one shot." He noted the team's growth and belief in each other: "If we just keep handling our business every day and continue to improve and play with that type of energy, there's nobody we can't beat."
Looking ahead, he warned of Sacramento State's challenge: "They're a dangerous squad…we got to understand what's at stake and come out with the same focus we did tonight."
Eastern Washington closes out the win with a balanced team effort, combining efficient scoring, lockdown defense, and bench contributions to remain a top contender in the Big Sky standings.
Up Next
Eastern will hit the road one last time this season as they take on Sacramento State on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m., then Portland State on Saturday, Feb. 21 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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