BOZEMAN, Mont. – Eastern Washington completed the Treasure State sweep with a 72–71 road victory over Montana State on Saturday night.
Alton Hamilton IV led the Eagles with 15 points and eight rebounds, while
Isaiah Moses,
Tyler Powell, and
Kiree Huie also finished in double figures. Nine of the 10 Eagles who saw action contributed to the scoring effort.
As a team, Eastern shot 48 percent from the field compared to Montana State's 41 percent and connected on 56 percent from beyond the arc, holding the Bobcats to 36 percent from three-point range. The Eagles controlled the glass with a 36–24 rebounding advantage and also won the battle in the paint and in bench scoring.
Eastern controlled much of the opening half and carried a 37–34 lead into the locker room. After MSU opened the scoring from deep, the Eagles answered behind Hamilton's work in the paint and a second-chance three from Moses.
Tyler Powell ignited a mid-half surge with finishes in transition and a pull-up jumper, while
Johnny Radford knocked down a three to help EWU build its largest lead at nine. Despite forcing turnovers and finding offensive rhythm, Montana State stayed within striking distance with timely perimeter shooting.
The Eagles opened the second half by reestablishing their interior presence, as Hamilton and
Straton Rogers scored early to keep Eastern in front. Moses caught fire from deep, drilling a pair of stepback threes to push the lead to eight at 50–42. Montana State answered with an extended run, using second-chance points and trips to the free-throw line to erase the deficit and eventually take a 60–54 lead midway through the half.
Despite trailing by as many as seven late in the second half, Eastern found a way to close. "You're not always going to play great on the road," Associate Head Coach
Ryan Lundgren said. "You just have to find ways to gut out wins, and that's exactly what we did those last three, three-and-a-half minutes."
The final stretch featured multiple lead changes and clutch plays on both ends. Huie delivered key baskets in transition and on the offensive glass, while Hamilton scored twice in the paint to pull the Eagles back within one. Powell then buried a critical second-chance three to give Eastern a 70–68 advantage.
After Montana State answered with a three of its own, JoJo Anderson attacked the lane and finished a coast-to-coast driving layup with 18 seconds remaining. "We were actually trying to get something to go to Zay there," Lundgren said. "But JoJo came with a full head of steam, made a really good read, and the big reacted too late. It was a great play by him."
Montana State had two opportunities in the final seconds, but Eastern stood tall defensively, securing the rebound on a missed tip-in at the buzzer to seal the one-point win.
Beyond the result, Lundgren noted the importance of the moment for his group. "When you play the schedule we played and then open league play 3–6, it's human nature to start questioning things," he said. "Now our guys are playing confident. They're starting to believe in each other, and they're getting rewarded for what they're putting in."
Up Next
The Eagles return home to host Idaho State on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m., before welcoming 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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
