Eastern Washington women beat Idaho State in overtime to end losing streak

From staff reports
Ella Gallatin’s buzzer-beating basket forced overtime and Kourtney Grossman’s nine points in the extra period helped the Eastern Washington Eagles beat Idaho State 78-71 in Big Sky Conference women’s basketball play and end a four-game losing streak Thursday afternoon at Reese Court in Cheney.
Idaho State led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter. With 2.5 seconds left in regulation and the Eagles trailing 62-60, Gallatin wrapped around a screen, caught the inbound pass and dribbled near the lane before sinking a shot at the buzzer.
After the teams traded the lead twice in overtime, freshman Grossman hit a 3-pointer to give Eastern a 71-67 lead with 51 seconds left. The Bengals (7-12, 2-6 Big Sky) never got closer.
Grossman finished with 14 points – all five EWU starters reached double digits – and added 11 rebounds to record her sixth consecutive double-double.
The Eagles (7-14, 3-6) finished 21 of 23 at the free-throw line. The Bengals went 7 of 12.
Eastern hosts Weber State at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Men
Idaho State 78, Eastern Washington 70: Central Valley High graduate Dylan Darling scored a season-high 29 points to help the Bengals (9-10, 4-4 Big Sky) overcome a big night from Mason Williams and defeat the Eagles (6-16, 2-7) in Pocatello.
It was the fifth consecutive loss for the Eagles, who never led in the second half – although they came close. Williams’ three-point play with just under eight minutes left got the Eagles within 55-54 after they trailed by as many as nine points.
But the Bengals answered with a 7-0 run and later pushed their advantage to 14.
It spoiled a 35-point performance by sophomore Williams, seven more than his previous career high. He made 12 of 15 field-goals and 8 of 10 free-throw attempts.
No other Eagles player had more than Emmett Marquardt’s 12 points. Redshirt junior Nic McClain – who has averaged 13.6 points per game – went 0 for 7 from the field and was held scoreless for the first time this season.
Both teams shot 45% overall, but the Bengals made 12 of 29 3-pointers and the Eagles made 5 of 16.
Darling, a redshirt sophomore, made 10 of 10 free-throw attempts, grabbed nine rebounds and had six assists to go with six turnovers. He entered Thursday ranked sixth in the Big Sky in scoring at 16.1 points per game.
Eastern will play at Weber State (8-14, 2-6) on Saturday at noon.