Portland State closes on 7-0 run to beat Eastern Washington 64-59

From staff reports

PORTLAND, Oregon – Nic McClain missed a layup and Andrew Cook had two inside shots blocked in the final minute, and Portland State scored seven straight points to close out a 64-59 victory over the Eagles on Thursday at Viking Pavilion.

Eastern (5-11, 1-2) trailed 53-47 with 6 minutes to go before rallying to take a 57-55 lead on a driving layup by the senior Cook with 2:56 remaining. Another Cook basket gave the Eagles the lead again, 59-57, with 2:08 left.

But that was the last of Eastern’s scoring. Portland State made 3-of-4 free throws on its final two possessions to seal the victory, improving the Vikings record to 9-6 overall, 1-1 in the Big Sky.

The Eagles (5-11, 1-2) shot 43% from the field but just 17% (3 of 18) from 3-point range, and they allowed the Vikings to grab 14 offensive rebounds while committing 22 turnovers.

“It’s hard to beat anyone on the road with 22 turnovers,” EWU head coach Dan Monson said in a postgame radio interview.

“It shouldn’t have come down to the (final) stretch,” Monson said. “We just didn’t have the experience or the toughness. We did it in stretches tonight, but you can’t go on the road and play (well) in stretches. You’ve got to be consistent.”

Portland State took an early 18-7 lead but then went cold, going scoreless for the next 9 minutes. Over that span, the Eagles took a 20-18 lead and carried a 29-24 lead into halftime.

They stretched their advantage to nine points, 33-24, before the Vikings got back into it. Terri Miller Jr. led all scorers with 16 points for Portland State.

Three Eagles players scored in double digits, led by Cook (12 points) and sophomore Mason Williams, who scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds but also committed eight turnovers. Sophomore Sebastian Hartmann scored 10 points.

“We’re having a hard time having good defensive games and good offensive games on the same night,” Monson said. “Tonight our offense really struggled.”

Eastern plays at Sacramento State at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Women

Eastern Washington 78, Portland State 49: The Eastern Washington women’s basketball team picked up its first Big Sky victory in resounding fashion, beating Portland State on Thursday at Reese Court in Cheney.

Four Eagles players scored in double figures, led by freshman Jaecy Eggers, who matched a career-high with 13 points. Grad transfer Peyton Howard added 12 points, four assists and three steals; freshman Kourtney Grossman had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Portland State (3-8, 0-2 Big Sky) committed 21 turnovers that Eastern Washington converted into 26 points. The Eagles (5-10, 1-2) also had 21 fast-break points and 11 steals. Eastern led 39-28 at halftime and more than doubled its lead, to 52-28, midway through the third quarter. It made 11 of 20 3-point attempts, its best shooting night from beyond the arc since making 10-of-16 in the Eagles’ first game of the season.

The Eagles host Sacramento State at 2 p.m. Saturday.