CHENEY, Wash. ? It has almost become a theme for the University of Idaho men's basketball team early in the season to fall behind in the first half and put together a furious rally in the second half. This time, however, the 21-point hole the Vandals found themselves in turned out to be just a bit too much.
Idaho (2-3) recovered from a dismal first-half shooting performance to pull with six points late in the game, but Eastern Washington's (3-1) timely free throw shooting thwarted Idaho's comeback attempt.
“We didn't come out ready to play tonight and by the time we came around the lead had gotten a little out of hand,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “Some of it is growing pains with a new coaching staff and trying to learn a new system, but I was disappointed we didn't play hard enough to win this basketball game and that is something I take complete responsibility for.
“Usually the team that plays the hardest wins and I thought they played harder than we did tonight. We weren't aggressive enough tonight. There is no excuse for not being ready and next time we step on the court we will be ready,” Verlin said.
Mac Hopson, who finished with 25 points, hit two free throws with 2:19 remaining to pull the Vandals within 63-57, but two turnovers cost Idaho its chance to pull any closer and the Eagles hit all six of their free throw attempts in the final 1:03 to keep the Vandals at bay.
Hopson added five rebounds, five assists and three steals to his game-high point total and Kashif Watson finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Idaho started strong with the first four points, but Eastern Washington fought back to tie the score at 4-4 and would later make the only lead change at 8-7 with 14:43 remaining in the half. The Eagles used a 10-0 run to extend the margin to 14-7 at the 12:51, but Brandon Wiley ended the run with a thunderous dunk. Eastern Washington led 21-12 when a free throw exhibition began. The next 14 points scored in the contest would come at the free throw line and the Eagles took full advantage in building a 32-19 margin. Terrence Simmons ended the streak with a jumper to cut into the lead at the 2:07 mark, but Eastern outscored Idaho 9-2 over the final two minutes to build its biggest lead of the half at 41-23 at halftime.
The Vandals began the half shooting 6-of-14 from the floor, but hit just two of its next nine field goal attempts. Idaho had a span of six-consecutive misses, coupled with four turnovers. The Eagles hit 13-of-23 (.565) attempts in the half, which included 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc. Eastern Washington also added 12-of-13 shooting from the free throw line.
Eastern Washington pushed its lead to the largest of the night at 45-24 and again at 47-26 with 16:57 remaining in the half. Idaho cut the lead to 17 on three occasions before pulling within 14 points at 54-40 with 10:57 remaining. With the score 60-43 and 9:05 remaining, the Vandals put together a 10-0 run to pull Idaho within 60-53 at the 6:30 mark. Hopson connected on two free throws to put the Vandals within 63-57 with 2:19 remaining and a turnover and foul put the Vandals at the line with a chance to pull within four points. Both free throws were missed, but the Vandals came down with the offensive rebound before turning the ball over. The Eagles hit their free throws on the other end and Idaho was called for an offensive foul on its possession. Watson made a lay in with nine seconds remaining to make the final score 69-59.
Idaho ended the game shooting 19-of-47 (.404) from the field while Eastern Washington cooled off to finish 22-of-47 (.468). The Eagles hit 21-of-25 free throws attempts while the Vandals finished just 15-of-23 from the line.
The Vandals will get a few days of rest after playing five games in 11 days, but continue their non-conference schedule Friday (Nov. 28) vs. UC Irvine at the Cowan Spectrum.
