POCATELLO, Idaho (Feb. 25, 2023) — A slow start and cold-shooting finish proved to be the difference on Saturday night in Pocatello, Idaho, as the Eastern Washington Eagles (22-8; 16-1 Big Sky) lost to the Idaho State Bengals, 71-63. The defeat snapped Eastern’s NCAA Division I-leading 18-game winning streak and marked their first loss in Big Sky Conference play.
“You never want to lose a game, but the best thing about this team is how together we are,” said head coach David Riley. “We’ve been learning through winning. Now we’ve got to learn through this loss… it’s a great opportunity for us to come back, watch film, learn how to attack this kind of defense and be ready for it.”
On Senior Night at Reed Gym, the Bengals (11-19; 8-9) came out hot off the opening tip, sinking three-straight 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to jump out to an 11-0 lead. Eastern chipped away from there, slowly but surely reducing their deficit until tying it up at 28-28 on a Steele Venters 3 with just over six minutes left in the half. The Eagles took their first lead of the game on a free throw by Dane Erikstrup to make it 31-30 with 2:24 remaining.
ISU built momentum into the break with a quick 6-0 outburst capped by a fastbreak layup from Daxton Carr off a steal just before the horn. The Bengals capitalized on mistakes all night, scoring 25 points off 19 Eagle turnovers.
The second half shifted Eastern’s way as they used a 10-0 run to make it 51-46, highlighted by back-to-back 3s from Venters to tie it and capture the lead with 14:14 on the clock.
The Bengal defense stepped up, holding the Eagles to just 12 points the rest of the way for 27 in the half, tying Eastern’s lowest single half output against a Big Sky opponent all season (first half vs. Montana on Jan. 16). After tying it at 56-56 with 8:12 to go, EWU went 6:26 without a bucket. ISU hit enough free throws down the stretch to secure their 11th win.
Venters led the Eagle offense with 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting, joined by Angelo Allegri (10 points; 3-10) as the only two in double digits. Brock Mackenzie put in 26 for the Bengals on 9-of-14 from the field, including 20 in the first half. Eastern shot 40% overall and 37% (10-27) from beyond the arc.
“Obviously we missed some 3s in the second half that I thought were good looks, but we’ve got to find ways to get more paint touches and more looks inside,” Riley added. “What me makes me the most proud is the guys in the locker room talking about how this is just another opportunity for us to learn, to get better.”
The last time the Eagles lost was 74 days ago, at Texas Tech on Dec. 13. Saturday’s 63 points scored are their lowest since their 50-48 win at California on Dec. 7. Their 16-0 start to conference play was the best in Big Sky history and they tied the 1979-80 Weber State squad for best overall Big Sky win streak at 18. They clinched an outright claim to the Big Sky regular season title on Thursday and are guaranteed the top seed at the Big Sky Tournament in Boise starting next weekend.
EWU will have little time to rest as they host the second-place Montana State Bobcats at Reese Court in Cheney on Monday (6 p.m.) to close out their regular season schedule. They’ve won 16-straight at Reese dating back to Jan. 22, 2022.
