BOISE, Idaho – Eastern Washington fell 81–68 in the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament to Idaho.
Kiree Huie led the Eagles with 20 points, while JoJo Anderson added 12.
Isaiah Moses and
Alton Hamilton IV each finished with 10 points. Hamilton IV and Huie paced Eastern on the glass with seven rebounds apiece, while Moses dished out a team-high six assists.
As a team, the Eagles shot 37 percent from the field compared to Idaho's 50.9 percent. Eastern struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 15 percent, but narrowly won the rebounding battle 36–35.
The Vandals got on the board first with two early baskets before
Cole Scherer answered with a three-pointer for Eastern. Huie followed with an offensive rebound and putback to briefly give the Eagles a one-point lead. The teams traded baskets through the opening stretch before a turnover allowed the opposition to take a three-point lead heading into the first media timeout. The lead later grew to 13 before Anderson knocked down a three to cut the deficit to 10.
Eastern responded late in the half as Huie and Hamilton IV scored on back-to-back possessions to bring the Eagles within three with 4:32 remaining. A late three-pointer as the shot clock expired pushed the lead back to eight heading into halftime.
The Eagles opened the second half looking to chip away at the deficit, getting an early spark from Hamilton IV, who scored on a driving layup on the opening possession. Moses added a pull-up jumper to keep Eastern within striking distance, while Huie continued to produce inside with a layup and a paint jumper that trimmed the margin to four. However, timely baskets and second-chance opportunities allowed the lead to hold.
Midway through the half, Eastern stayed within reach behind Moses and Huie. Moses knocked down another pull-up jumper and later converted at the free-throw line, while Anderson completed a three-point play to cut the deficit to three at 49–46 with just over 11 minutes remaining. A scoring run fueled by transition offense and perimeter shooting pushed the lead back to double digits.
The Eagles continued to battle in the closing minutes. Huie scored several baskets in the paint, Anderson added a fast-break layup, and
Elijah Thomas connected from beyond the arc to keep Eastern within striking distance. Hamilton IV added a late layup and
Straton Rogers converted two free throws in the final minute, but Eastern was unable to complete the comeback down the stretch.
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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