PORTLAND, Ore. – Eastern Washington closed its road trip with a decisive 67–55 Big Sky victory over Portland State on Saturday afternoon at Viking Pavilion. The Eagles turned a one-point halftime edge into a double-digit win behind late defensive stops and composure, avenging an earlier loss in the season series and moving firmly into the conference's top tier heading into the final week.
Isaiah Moses led Eastern with 22 points, going a perfect 11-for-11 at the free-throw line while adding six rebounds and three assists.
Kiree Huie contributed 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and
Jojo Anderson added eight off the bench. Eastern shot 15-for-17 at the stripe and recorded seven blocks while holding Portland State to just 25 second-half points. "We got timely stops down the stretch," associate head coach
Ryan Lundgren said. "That last six minutes, I don't know how many field goals they scored, but it didn't feel like many. We really locked down and got stops when we needed to."
Eastern carried a 31–30 lead into halftime after a competitive opening half with multiple momentum swings.
Alton Hamilton IV opened the scoring on a
Tyler Powell assist, and Moses followed with a driving finish and an and-one to establish an early edge. Portland State countered with back-to-back threes, but Eastern answered through its bench and on the glass,
Emmett Marquardt converted a second-chance tip-in and free throw as the Eagles generated extra possessions. The Vikings briefly grabbed a late lead off turnovers, yet Eastern closed the half with timely shooting:
Jojo Anderson knocked down a go-ahead three,
Johnny Radford hit a second-chance triple to tie it at 28, and Marquardt buried a three with 1:06 left to send EWU into the break up one.
Portland State reclaimed the lead to open the second half, but Moses immediately steadied Eastern with a step-back three. Huie then fueled the next stretch with energy plays, finishes inside, transition free throws, and a pair of rim-protecting blocks. The game remained tight through the middle minutes, yet Eastern consistently had answers: Marquardt scored out of a timeout, Huie and Anderson added second-chance points, and Hamilton converted a steal into a layup to push the margin to seven (51–44) with 8:27 remaining.
From there, Eastern closed the door with defense and poise. The Eagles forced late turnovers, protected the rim with blocks from Huie, Marquardt, and Radford, and extended the lead at the line. Moses' turnaround jumper at 1:10 made it 63–55, and he capped the win with a string of free throws as EWU pulled away. Lundgren credited both the interior defense and late-game execution: "Seven block shots here in this ballgame, that's one of the high numbers of the season. I thought Alton and Kiree both did a great job in the paint, rebounding the ball and just providing resistance." He also emphasized the value of Moses handling the ball late: "It's so valuable when you have a point guard who's 95 percent from the free-throw line and you're protecting a lead. You can't foul him, and he makes good decisions."
The Eagles also managed the grind of Portland State's defense throughout the night. "Credit to Portland State, they're a really good defensive team," Lundgren said. "We were out of rhythm offensively all night…we told the guys, you're going to be frustrated tonight. You just got to fight through it and find a way, and they sure did."
Up Next
The win strengthens Eastern's postseason positioning entering the final week. "Confidence-wise it's huge," Lundgren said. "It keeps us right in the mix for that two seed." Eastern returns home to close the regular season with three games at Reese Court, beginning Thursday, Feb. 26 against Northern Colorado (6 p.m.), followed by Northern Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 28 (1 p.m.). The Eagles will wrap the regular season Monday, March 2 against Idaho (6 p.m.), honoring seven seniors. Lundgren encouraged fan support: "They're playing as good as anybody…and they deserve a great crowd here this last week."
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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