Andrew Cook’s late free throws secure Eastern Washington’s comeback win over Idaho 75-73

There were 7.8 seconds left on the Reese Court clock, and there at the free-throw line was Andrew Cook.

The Eastern Washington senior was playing in his 34th minute of the game, more than he had in all but two Big Sky games this season, and he was on the cusp of giving the Eagles a lead over the Idaho Vandals for the first time all evening.

“I felt fine,” Cook said of the moment. “That’s something that I work really, really hard on is my free throws, so when it came time to knock them down, I felt fine. I was ready for it.”

The Big Sky’s No. 1 free-throw shooter made both, and the Eagles made their first and only lead of the game stand up as they finished off a 75-73 victory over the Vandals on Saturday in front of their largest announced crowd – 1,989 – of the men’s basketball season.

It also capped a doubleheader sweep for the Eagles, whose women’s basketball team beat the Vandals 63-60 a few hours earlier in Cheney.

Cook finished with a career-high 28 points, topping the 27 he scored in the first game of the team’s winning streak at Weber State. He made 9 of 12 field goals and all 10 of his free throws while grabbing four rebounds. He also drew seven fouls, the last of which sent him to the line at the end of the game.

After Cook’s two free throws, Idaho got the ball at the top of the key to post player Julius Mims, who earlier in the game made his second 3-pointer of the season. But Mims’ attempt before the buzzer fell short.

“You get confidence by being in the position where we’ve done this before,” EWU head coach Dan Monson said. “There was no panic.”

Idaho opened the game by making eight of its first 13 shots from the field and had its first double-digit lead 11 minutes into the game when junior Isaiah Brickner hit the first of his three 3s. That gave the Vandals a 28-17 lead. Brickner finished with 17 points and didn’t miss from the field (5 for 5) or from the free-throw line (4 for 4).

The Vandals (11-15, 6-7 Big Sky) built the lead to as many as 14 points, but in small spurts the Eagles did enough to stick around. Junior Angelo Winkel, for example, scored six consecutive points for the Eagles – his only six of the game – over a stretch following the Mims 3-pointer that had given the Vandals a 31-17 advantage.

Even in the second half, when the Eagles’ lone 3-pointer – they hit just 6 of 20 for the game – was made by sophomore Sebastian Hartmann, the Eagles didn’t try to do too much.

“I think the biggest turn of this team is when Mason (Williams) and Nic (McClain) and (Cook) all just decided, you know what, I don’t have to carry this team, ” Monson said of the Eagles’ three leading scorers. “I’m going to take what the defense gives me. Some days it’s going to be my jumper, some days it’s going to be my facilitating.”

For McClain, and especially for Williams, this was a game of facilitation. McClain was 0 for 4 from the field, and his only point came at the free-throw line. But he had four rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers – his first turnover-free game of the season.

Williams was 2 for 9 from the field, and the 84.7% free-throw shooter even missed a couple at the line (4 for 6) on his way to eight points. But the sophomore guard finished with a career-high eight assists and matched a career high with four steals, including one that he and McClain paired up for on one of Idaho’s final possessions.

“Making winning plays, possession by possession,” Williams said of the Eagles’ comeback. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves, and we can’t get too behind.”

The Eagles, the best free-throw shooting team in the Big Sky at 77%, finished 23 of 27 at the line (the Vandals were 19 of 22), and they committed 10 turnovers (the Vandals had 17).

Monson also pointed out that the Eagles (10-16, 6-7) allowed just six second-chance points after letting the Vandals score 24 in an 83-76 win over EWU last month in Moscow, Idaho.

All those factors came together in the final minutes when Cook’s transition dunk – on an assist from McClain – and his final free throws kept the Eagles unbeaten in February and evened them in the Big Sky standings with Idaho.

“We led for (eight) seconds,” Monson said. “And we led the right (eight).”