Arrow-right Camera

Color Scheme

Subscribe now
Eastern Washington University Basketball

Idaho State upsets Eastern Washington, dents Eagles’ Big Sky Conference title hopes

Eastern Washington’s bid for consecutive Big Sky Conference titles took a hit Wednesday.

Idaho State shocked EWU 68-63 at Reese Court, snapping the Eagles’ nine-game winning streak while dropping them to second place in the conference standings in a three-team championship race.

The defensive-minded Bengals controlled much of the tempo and got timely scoring down the stretch, ending the game on a 12-0 run.

EWU junior Kim Aiken Jr. put up 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions in crunch time. He missed on the first two and was blocked by Malik Porter on the third, ultimately leading to Robert Ford’s game-sealing free throws.

Idaho State (13-9, 8-5), which ranks sixth in the nation in defensive scoring (60.5 points per game), held the Eagles to four points in the final 8 minutes.

EWU (12-7, 11-3) was held to 2-for-10 shooting in that stretch, but EWU head coach Shantay Legans said he had faith in his All-Big Sky talent down the stretch.

“If (Aiken) makes those shots, he’s a hero. If not, we have to go down and play defense, and we didn’t do a good job of that tonight,” Legans said.

“Idaho State turned it into a grind-it-out, slow-it-down game, that’s their style.”

A sweep of Idaho State would have guaranteed EWU its second straight Big Sky title, but now the Eagles have to beat the Bengals on Friday and get some help.

Southern Utah (17-3, 10-2), which leads the Big Sky after EWU’s loss, travels to Portland State (9-10, 6-6) for a doubleheader.

Weber State (16-5, 11-3), which is tied with EWU in the conference standings, hosts Northern Colorado (10-9, 6-7).

If EWU beats Idaho State and Southern Utah and Weber State at least split their series, the Eagles win the crown, awarded to the team with the best conference winning percentage.

If not, hardware and the No. 1 seed for next week’s Big Sky Conference Tournament will slip through EWU’s hands.

Tanner Groves, EWU’s steady 6-foot-9 forward and Big Sky MVP candidate, was frustrated by a situation that’s now out of his team’s control.”

“We had a chance to win (the league) outright, and we have to hope for teams to lose,” Groves said. “Now we have to focus on Friday’s game.”

Groves was a force inside much of the game, scoring 12 of his team-high 19 points in the first half, when EWU built a 10-point cushion before leading 36-31 at halftime.

Jack Perry’s 3-pointer gave the Eagles a 59-52 lead at the 8:20 mark before the Bengals started their run.

Guard Mike Meadows, who had 14 points, scored EWU’s final two buckets.

Idaho State post Brayden Parker hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:49 left and two key free throws in the final minute to extend the Bengals’ lead.

“We had some decent looks. We couldn’t score, and ISU hit some big shots,” Groves said. “It’s tough.”

Idaho State, experiencing a resurgence behind second-year head coach and Central Valley graduate Ryan Looney, was paced by Ford’s 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

It was ISU’s first win in over EWU in Cheney in five years.

Looney praised EWU.

“They’re so skilled, they pass well, they can all shoot,” Looney said. “But I’m proud of our guys and how hard they played tonight.”

Correction: A previous version of this story noted that ISU’s win was the first over the Eagles since January, 2016. It was the first win over EWU in Cheney since then. The Bengals defeated EWU in Pocatello during the 2019-2020 season.