CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington extended its hot streak to seven straight wins with an 82–72 victory over Northern Colorado on Thursday night at Reese Court, leaning on interior dominance and a standout defensive second half.
Kiree Huie led the Eagles with a career-high 23 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks, while
Alton Hamilton IV added 21 and
Isaiah Moses finished with 18 points and six assists. Eastern shot 57 percent from the field and 83 percent at the free-throw line, edged UNC on the glass 28–26, and controlled the paint 48–26 while committing just eight turnovers and forcing 12.
Associate head coach
Ryan Lundgren credited the defensive effort after the break. "One of our better ones of the year," he said. "You hold an elite offensive team to 39 percent in the second half and 25 percent from three, and then you look at nine steals and six block shots, four by Kiree. He was as good as he's been all season down the stretch, especially defensively. It was really a team effort."
Eastern erased an early deficit and briefly held a late first-half lead before heading into the locker room tied 40–40. Northern Colorado opened on a 7–2 run, but the Eagles stabilized behind consistent low-post touches from Huie and Hamilton, a deliberate emphasis. "That's our identity," Lundgren said. "The way Kiree and Alton were playing tonight, really physical and efficient, we wanted to keep going inside. As the game went on they started doubling, and we were able to get them out of rotation and get shots or offensive rebounds."
Jojo Anderson's second-chance three gave Eastern its first lead at 13–10, and Moses orchestrated the offense as the Eagles matched UNC possession for possession. The Bears pushed ahead by eight at 34–26 with just over five minutes left, but
Tyler Powell's three free throws ignited a 14–6 run featuring a Hamilton fast-break finish and a transition three to tie the game. Stratton Rogers added a second-chance layup late before UNC answered to send the teams to halftime even.
Eastern opened the second half with renewed defensive energy and quickly found rhythm.
Cole Scherer's jumper tied the game within seconds, and the Eagles strung together stops that fueled interior baskets from Hamilton, Huie, and
Emmett Marquardt to build a 56–50 edge midway through the half. Northern Colorado rallied to tie the game at 60–60 with 7:36 remaining, but Eastern delivered the decisive stretch. With the score even at 65–65, Huie finished inside and Moses converted a fast-break three-point play to spark a 9–1 run. Hamilton followed with consecutive transition layups off a steal, and Moses and Huie extended the margin to eight in the final two minutes.
"Defense was what won us this one," Lundgren said. "We threw a couple different doubles at the post, but mostly it was energy and execution. You can look up and down the bench, everybody contributed. Emmett was really good in 11 minutes, Johnny gave us great minutes, Maddox got a huge steal late in the first half. These guys are really bought into each other right now." Lundgren also noted Moses' late-game poise: "When you have a guy like Isaiah in the double bonus, he can control the tempo down the stretch."
Eastern controlled the final possessions and sealed the win with clutch free throws from Anderson and Moses.
Up Next
Eastern remains at Reese Court to face Northern Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. in the opening game of a men's-women's doubleheader. "It's personal," Lundgren said. "We came out flat down there and they got us down 20 in the first half. They're very good and well coached, so we've got to be ready."
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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