Rylan Bergersen’s 32 points propel Eastern Washington past Omaha

From staff reports

OMAHA, Neb. – Defense led to offense at an opportune time for Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Angelo Allegri’s steal and Yousef Elkugia’s ensuing layin on the other end sparked a 9-0 run in the second half that propelled the Eagles to a 92-81 victory in a nonconference men’s basketball game.

The teams were locked in a back-and-forth affair – the game featured 13 lead changes and 11 ties – and the host Mavericks (1-7) grabbed a 64-63 lead with a Dylan Brougham layup with 9 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game.

Allegri’s defensive play and Elkugia’s finish gave EWU (4-4) the lead for good.

Rylan Bergersen, who led the Eagles with 32 points, capped the nine-point spurt with a dunk for a 72-64 margin with 7 minutes left.

Omaha got as close as 86-80 with Frankie Fidler’s 3-pointer with 54 seconds remaining, but EWU’s Casey Jones, Mason Landdeck and Steele Venters combined to make six free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Bergersen made 10 of 13 shots from the floor and 11 of 15 attempts from the foul line. He also grabbed six rebounds and had three assists.

Venters hit five 3-pointers en route to a 21-point effort, and he secured a team-high eight rebounds for the Eagles.

EWU enjoyed an efficient shooting performance and made 29 of 54 attempts (53.7%) from the field, including 10 of 23 (43.5%) from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Mavericks made 14 of 27 shots (51.8%) in the first half and trailed 48-46 at halftime. They cooled off a bit in the second half, with 10-for-24 shooting (41.6%).

Nick Ferrarini led Omaha with 23 points off the bench. Darrius Hughes and Fidler each scored 12, and Marco Smith had 11.

EWU travels to play Colorado in another nonconference game on Wednesday at 5 p.m.