MOSCOW, Idaho – Nothing went right for Idaho men's basketball on Wednesday as the Vandals fell behind big early and never recovered in a 73-66 home loss to Eastern Washington at Memorial Gym.

EWU (4-2) opened the game on a 21-4 run over the first nine minutes, extended its lead to as many as 20 points at 27-7 and maintained its lead for the remainder of the game to drop Idaho to a 3-3 overall record.

“They came in here and manhandled us in every phase of the game,” Idaho head coach Don Verlin said after the game.

Idaho shot 43.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line, but gave up a 41.9 percent overall clip to the Eagles and allowed an opponent season-high 13 made 3-pointers. EWU also out-rebounded Idaho by a 37-33 margin, including offensive boards that turned into 16 second-chance points.

Junior center Kyle Barone led Idaho with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Senior guard Landon Tatum, junior Mansa Habeeb and sophomore Stephen Madison each added 10 points for the Vandals.

Eastern was led by a pair of 13-point performances from Cliff Colimon and Cliff Ederaine, while Jordan Hickert came off the bench to add 12. Forward Laron Griffin led all players with 10 rebounds for the Eagles.

Idaho gave up eight 3-pointers in the first half and the Eagles jumped all over the Vandals in the first nine minutes of the game with a 21-4 scoring run. Idaho missed nine of its first 10 shots and turned the ball over four times to dig itself into the hole.

“We just didn't respond like a Vandal team needs to and like a Vandal team will,” Verlin said. “I don't sugar coat it – that effort was just not good enough tonight and when you give an effort like that, you're going to get your tail beat.”

Habeeb provided a lift for the Vandals off the bench with a pair of quick layups, an assist and a defensive rebound midway through the period and the Vandals started to make shots, and after going down by a 27-7 margin at the 8:54 mark, Idaho outscored EWU 17-11 over the remainder of the half.

The Vandals trailed by double-digits early in the half and went on an 8-0 run starting with a Madison 3-pointer at the 17:58 mark that brought the team within a 45-36 margin, but then Idaho missed its next five shots and turned it over twice and saw the Eagles stretch their lead back to 17, 53-36, at the 10:43 mark.

EWU's lead hovered around 15 points for the next eight minutes. Idaho ended the game on a 10-1 run over the final two minutes, but it was too little, too late and Tatum's buzzer-beating 3-pointer brought the team within seven – its closest margin since the sixth minute of the game.

Idaho hits the road for its next game at UC Davis on Saturday at 2 p.m. (PDT). The Vandals return home on Wednesday for their next home contest, a border showdown with Washington State on Wednesday, Dec.7, at the Cowan Spectrum.