Ticket punched: Eastern Washington downs Montana State to earn program’s third NCAA Tournament berth

BOISE – Tyler Robertson used a running start to gleefully dive into a pile of confetti.

An emotional Jacob Davison doled out a series of hugs.

As jubilant Eastern Washington gathered in the middle of Idaho Central Arena, head coach Shantay Legans walked away from the celebration with his hands on his head, still processing what had just transpired.

EWU, a team known for its high-scoring and up-tempo brand of basketball, leaned on its third suffocating defensive effort in as many nights Saturday to down Montana State 65-55 in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game

Several of the same players who donned championship T-shirts and hats and cut down pieces of net had their faces in their hands in 2018 and 2019 when the Eagles fell to rival Montana in the tournament’s final game.

In 2020, when the Eagles won the Big Sky regular season title and appeared to have the means to break through, the tournament was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

So when the final horn sounded, EWU collectively breathed both a sigh of relief and a scream of redemption in front of a few dozen red-clad fans who made the trip to watch in the limited capacity arena. The Eagles, for just the third time in program history, are headed back to the NCAA Tournament.

“Two years ago we watched as Montana celebrated. We just stood there and watched them,” Legans said. “I said we would be back and get another opportunity, and we did. (The players) believed me, and I said we could do it multiple times.”

Brothers and Shadle Park graduates Tanner and Jacob Groves helped spearhead the No. 2-seeded Eagles against No. 5 Montana State (13-10), combining for 29 points and 17 rebounds.

Tanner Groves, the conference’s regular season Most Valuable Player, had a postseason encore that helped him secure tournament MVP honors. Jacob Groves also secured a spot on the all-tournament team.

They scored the Eagles’ first 13 points and helped EWU swiftly jump out to a 29-9 lead it wouldn’t relinquish but would need to protect late in the game.

“We finally played our three best defensive games of the entire season,” Tanner Groves said. “I know it’s a saying, but defense really does win championships.”

EWU, a team that led the Big Sky Conference in scoring (79 points per game), admittedly didn’t have its best shooting performance against a physical Montana State team the Eagles swept during the regular season.

On the other end of the floor, however, the Eagles were lights out, holding Montana State – a team that upset No. 1 seed Southern Utah 80-77 in overtime on Friday – to just 34.5% from the field and a 2-for-17 clip from 3-point range.

EWU relied on the steadiness of the Groves brothers, junior and Big Sky Defensive MVP Kim Aiken Jr., emerging guard Mike Meadows (12 points) and trusty senior Jack Perry, who hit two early 3-pointers to help set the tone.

“It’s very exciting, very emotional,” said Aiken, who had 10 rebounds, nine points, three blocks and two steals.

Montana State made it interesting late, though.

The Bobcats cut EWU’s lead to 51-41 midway through the second half after Nick Gazelas hit a 3-pointer, but a momentum-killing technical foul called on Jubrile Belo helped extend the Eagles’ lead.

Mohamed Abdul then converted on a 3-point play to make it a 60-51, but the resurgent Bobcats, playing in their first tournament title game since 2009 in pursuit of their first NCAA Tournament since 1996, wouldn’t get any closer.

“Eastern Washington was very deserving, they’ve been a great team all year,” Montana State coach Danny Sprinkle said. “Their big-time players made big-time plays. They jumped on us early, didn’t look tired and we look tired.”

Up next: EWU will learn its NCAA Tournament foe on Sunday during the 3 p.m. NCAA Tournament Selection Show. All NCAA Tournament games will be played in Indianapolis this year, beginning next week.

“I know our school is a little low on funding, and the NCAA Tournament is a huge business with big revenue,” Aiken said. “So we just need to go out there and handle it one game at a time and put Cheney on the map.”

Defensive juice: In EWU’s 66-60 win over No. 10 seed Northern Arizona in the quarterfinals, 78-50 win over No. 6 seed Montana in the semifinals and the 65-55 win over Montana State in the title game on Friday, EWU yielded an average of 55 points a game. Eagles assistant coach T.J. Lipold, who coaches the Eagles’ defense, was constantly animated on the sidelines throughout the tournament, appearing to instill energy in the group.

Help from home: Legans’ young daughters sent him off to Boise with a series of superhero action figures to “help the team win.” He set them on the table in live postgame press conferences for good luck.

Loss helped: EWU was on a nine-game winning streak before it was upset at home 68-63 last week by eventual No. 4 seed Idaho State, ultimately taking away the No. 1 seed and outright title from EWU. Legans said the loss helped the Eagles refocus for their most important stretch.

Fourth time’s a charm? It took each of EWU’s NCAA Tournament coaches Ray Giacoletti (2004), Jim Hayford (2015) and Legans four years to reach the NCAA Tournament, though, technically, Legans only had three shots at March Madness due to the 2020 cancellation.

Tournament history: No. 13 seed EWU fell 84-74 to No. 3 seed Georgetown in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament in Portland. In 2004, EWU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, the 15th-seeded Eagles lost to No. 3 seed Oklahoma State 75-56 in Kansas City, Missouri.