CHENEY, Wash. – Despite a season-high 20 points from EJ Neal, Idaho men's basketball couldn't deliver defensive stops down the stretch in a back-and-forth battle as Eastern Washington earned an 87-79 win on Saturday evening at Reese Court. 

Neal led four players in double figures with a 7-of-13 shooting effort while posting two blocks and one steal. Quinn Denker scored 19 points and D'Angelo Minnis added 17. For the third straight game, Kyson Rose scored in double digits with 15 on 6-of-10 from the field. 

Idaho looked comfortable right from the jump, making its first six of eight shots to carry a 14-13 lead with 14:38 remaining. Minnis was a key contributor with seven points during the opening stretch. Denker followed with a mid-range jumper and a triple from behind the arc to continue the offensive rhythm. 

Idaho cooled off and EWU took advantage with an 8-0 spurt to go up seven (36-29) with 4:18 to go in the first half. The Vandals didn't go away, responding with a 10-2 run to close the half, including a fast break layup by Neal at the buzzer to make it a one-point deficit. 

The backcourt of Minnis and Denker combined to score 23 points to lead the Vandal offense in the opening 20. Minnis dropped 13 points while Denker added 10. When it looked like EWU was about to pull away in the first period, UI would respond with a key offensive rebound that led to an Idaho three. The Vandals grabbed three offensive boards and turned them into a trio of makes from behind the arc.

Out of the break, Idaho traded baskets with Eastern to stay within two possessions before the Eagles broke through for a 12-2 run to go up 12 (61-49) with just under 13 minutes to play. 

Similar to the first half, Idaho was resilient and chipped away at its deficit. Trailing 66-56, the Vandals used a four-point play by Minnis, a three each from Neal and Rose to help score 12 of the next 15 points to make it a one-point game with 5:19 to play. EWU pushed it to a 79-70 score later in the period before a 7-0 response by the Vandals brought it back to one possession with 1:09 remaining. Jake Kyman knocked down his fourth made three of the half on the very next possession to boost his second-half total to 14 points, putting a dagger in the Vandals' chances. The Eagles closed out the game at the foul line. 

Up Next
The Vandals return home for the first time in three weeks, welcoming Weber State (Feb. 15) and Idaho State (Feb. 17) for a pair of home meetings at the ICCU Arena. 

POSTGAME WITH COACH PRIBBLE