Despite career-high 26 by Davison, Eastern can’t keep up with hot-shooting Vikings in 78-65 loss

PORTLAND, Ore. — For 2 1/2 halves, the Eastern Washington University men’s basketball team was shooting lights out. But in the second half Thursday (Jan. 24) at Viking Pavilion, Portland State shot the rest of them out.

The Vikings out-shot Eastern 68 percent to 36 percent in the second half, and used a decisive 11-0 run to overcome an EWU four-point lead in a 78-65 victory over the Eagles in Portland, Ore.

Sophomore Jacob Davison led the Eagles with a career-high 26 points, sinking 10-of-21 shots with three 3-pointers. Junior Mason Peatling had 15 on 7-of-10 shooting and junior Tyler Kidd had 11 as that trio combined for 52 of EWU’s 65 points.

Now 0-10 on the road this season, the Eagles play Saturday (Jan. 26) at 7:05 p.m. at Sacramento State, which beat Idaho 69-48 on Thursday.

“It’s a tough one to swallow,” said head coach Shantay Legans after his team’s two-game winning streak was ended. “It was a game to keep our momentum in the league. Instead, it’s a must-win against Sac State — you have to at least split road trips in this league.”

Following a first half in which EWU sank 51.9 percent of its shots after season-best shooting in its last two games, the Eagles struggled through an 0-of-11 stretch during PSU’s run while going 4:45 without a bucket. Eastern was out-shot in the game 60.4 percent to 43.1 percent, and PSU had a 12-0 advantage in fast-break points.

“We just didn’t make the stop when we needed to,” said Legans. “They banged in some big-time shots. That’s sometimes how it goes, but at the same time we need to step up defensively and get the ball inside a little more. We have to do a better job punishing teams with our inside game. We played more of their style than they played our style.”

Both the Vikings and Hornets entered Thursday’s action just 1-5 in the league, while EWU had won four of its last seven games overall and its last two league games. Eastern was coming off an 85-81 win over Montana State on Jan. 19 and a 78-71 victory over Montana on Jan. 10 as the Eagles had their top two shooting nights of the season in those two contests.

In the first half versus PSU, Eastern led most of the half and used an 8-of-9 shooting stretch to open a six-point lead. Peatling had two baskets and Kidd and Davison one each during an 8-0 Eagle run. Eastern led 35-32 at halftime in a period which featured four lead changes and a pair of ties.

There were an additional five lead changes and four ties in the second half before PSU took the lead for good with its 11-0 run, which included a trio of 3-pointers by Jamie Orme. Eastern could come no closer than five after that while PSU led by as many as 14.

“They pushed us out of our game-plan,” added Legans. “We just have to go back to the drawing board and beat Sac State on Saturday night.”

Orme was one of five Vikings scoring in double figures after entering the game averaging just 7.0 points and making just 6-of-32 3-pointers on the season for 19 percent. Holland Woods also had 15 with 11 assists.

Records . . .

* The Eagles are 5-13, and 3-4 in Big Sky Conference play. Besides beating pre-season favorite Montana 78-71 on Jan. 10 and then knocking off Montana State 85-81 on Jan. 19, Eastern beat Idaho State 65-55 on Dec. 31 for its other league win thus far.

* The Vikings are now 7-11 overall and 2-5 in the Big Sky, and are a program that pressures full-court the entire game and crashes the backboard hard. The result is Portland State leading NCAA Division I in offensive rebounds (17.7 per game) and ranking sixth in steals (9.8). However, the Vikings had only eight offensive boards and six steals against EWU.

What’s Next . . .

* Eastern plays at Sacramento State on Saturday (Jan. 26) at 7:05 p.m. The Hornets are 1-5 in the league and 7-8 overall thus far after Saturday’s 76-71 loss versus Southern Utah. Sac State trounced Idaho 69-48 on Thursday, opening a 37-19 halftime lead over the Vandals. The Eagles are 0-of-10 on the road this season, but will return home to face Southern Utah (Feb. 2) and Northern Arizona (Feb. 4).

Top Performers . . .

* Jacob Davison had his fifth career game with at least 20 points, finishing with a career-high 26. He made his first six shots and finished 10-of-21 from the field with a trio of 3-pointers. He had 23 in his last outing, and his previous career high was 25 at North Dakota State on Dec. 8, 2018.
* Junior guard Tyler Kidd had 11 points and a career-high six assists in the third start of his EWU career after coming off the bench in the first 12 games he played this season. His previous high for assists was five versus
Montana in the first start of his career on Jan. 10, 2019. He has now scored in double figures six times, all coming in EWU’s last eight games.
* Junior Mason Peatling had 15 points and eight rebounds, making 7-of-10 shots from the field. He now has 21 career games scoring in double figures, with six rebounding in double figures and five double-doubles.
* Senior Jesse Hunt was held to five points and three rebounds, and made 1-of-4 shots. He entered the game with five double-doubles on the season and six in his career. He has had 20 career double-figure scoring performances in his career to go along with nine performances with 10 or more rebounds.

Key Stats . . .

* Eastern is now 5-0 this season when it makes at least 45 percent of its shots from the field (1-0 at 50 percent or better) and 0-13 when it doesn’t. Eastern was at 50 percent when they went on their 0-of-11 shooting stretch against the Vikings, and were at 40 percent when they ended it. The Eagles finished at 43.1 percent for the game, including 8-of-21 3-pointers for 38.1 percent. Versus the Grizzlies, Eastern made 52.9 percent of its 3-pointers (9-of-17) and had six performances with double figures in scoring or rebounding. Eastern finished a season-best 48.0 percent overall in that game, then topped it with 57.9 percent versus Montana State when Eastern had five players score in double figures.

* Eastern out-rebounded PSU 28-27, including a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Vikings entered with a league-best +8.9 rebounding margin (ninth nationally), while EWU is second-to-last in the league at -3.9 per game (312th out of 351 teams nationally). It was the second-straight game EWU had a rebounding advantage. The Eagles beat MSU 34-31 on the boards after having just two rebounding advantages in their first 16 games.

Notables . . .

* Senior guards Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson have both played in more than 100 games for the Eagles, with current totals of 119 (seventh in school history) and 114 (11th) games of experience, respectively. Jesse Hunt is right behind with 101 games played. Benzel ranks fifth in school history with 179 3-pointers and Gibson 11th with 133. Benzel is now just three 3-pointers away from moving into a tie with Marc Axton on EWU’s all-time leaders list (184 from 2002-05).

* Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, the Eagles are now 23-24 versus Portland State. All of the meetings have come since the 1996-97 school year when PSU joined the Big Sky Conference, and Eastern is 15-8 in Cheney and 7-15 against PSU in Portland (1-1 on neutral courts) since then. The Vikings have a 27-24 edge in the overall series. Eastern is 2-1 against PSU in the Big Sky Tournament, winning 78-72 in the quarterfinals in 2018 in Reno, 81-75 in the 2006 quarterfinals in Cheney and losing 80-74 in the 1999 quarterfinals in Ogden, Utah.

* Eastern improved to 5-3 at Reese Court this season with the wins over Montana and Montana State. The Eagles are 51-9 overall there in the last four-plus seasons (85 p

For 2 1/2 halves, the Eastern Washington University men’s basketball team was shooting lights out. But in the second half Thursday (Jan. 24) at Viking Pavilion, Portland State shot the rest of them out.

The Vikings out-shot Eastern 68 percent to 36 percent in the second half, and used a decisive 11-0 run to overcome an EWU four-point lead in a 78-65 victory over the Eagles in Portland, Ore.

Sophomore Jacob Davison led the Eagles with a career-high 26 points, sinking 10-of-21 shots with three 3-pointers. Junior Mason Peatling had 15 on 7-of-10 shooting and junior Tyler Kidd had 11 as that trio combined for 52 of EWU’s 65 points.

Now 0-10 on the road this season, the Eagles play Saturday (Jan. 26) at 7:05 p.m. at Sacramento State, which beat Idaho 69-48 on Thursday.

“It’s a tough one to swallow,” said head coach Shantay Legans after his team’s two-game winning streak was ended. “It was a game to keep our momentum in the league. Instead, it’s a must-win against Sac State — you have to at least split road trips in this league.”

Following a first half in which EWU sank 51.9 percent of its shots after season-best shooting in its last two games, the Eagles struggled through an 0-of-11 stretch during PSU’s run while going 4:45 without a bucket. Eastern was out-shot in the game 60.4 percent to 43.1 percent, and PSU had a 12-0 advantage in fast-break points.

“We just didn’t make the stop when we needed to,” said Legans. “They banged in some big-time shots. That’s sometimes how it goes, but at the same time we need to step up defensively and get the ball inside a little more. We have to do a better job punishing teams with our inside game. We played more of their style than they played our style.”

Both the Vikings and Hornets entered Thursday’s action just 1-5 in the league, while EWU had won four of its last seven games overall and its last two league games. Eastern was coming off an 85-81 win over Montana State on Jan. 19 and a 78-71 victory over Montana on Jan. 10 as the Eagles had their top two shooting nights of the season in those two contests.

In the first half versus PSU, Eastern led most of the half and used an 8-of-9 shooting stretch to open a six-point lead. Peatling had two baskets and Kidd and Davison one each during an 8-0 Eagle run. Eastern led 35-32 at halftime in a period which featured four lead changes and a pair of ties.

There were an additional five lead changes and four ties in the second half before PSU took the lead for good with its 11-0 run, which included a trio of 3-pointers by Jamie Orme. Eastern could come no closer than five after that while PSU led by as many as 14.

“They pushed us out of our game-plan,” added Legans. “We just have to go back to the drawing board and beat Sac State on Saturday night.”

Orme was one of five Vikings scoring in double figures after entering the game averaging just 7.0 points and making just 6-of-32 3-pointers on the season for 19 percent. Holland Woods also had 15 with 11 assists.

Records . . .

* The Eagles are 5-13, and 3-4 in Big Sky Conference play. Besides beating pre-season favorite Montana 78-71 on Jan. 10 and then knocking off Montana State 85-81 on Jan. 19, Eastern beat Idaho State 65-55 on Dec. 31 for its other league win thus far.

* The Vikings are now 7-11 overall and 2-5 in the Big Sky, and are a program that pressures full-court the entire game and crashes the backboard hard. The result is Portland State leading NCAA Division I in offensive rebounds (17.7 per game) and ranking sixth in steals (9.8). However, the Vikings had only eight offensive boards and six steals against EWU.

What’s Next . . .

* Eastern plays at Sacramento State on Saturday (Jan. 26) at 7:05 p.m. The Hornets are 1-5 in the league and 7-8 overall thus far after Saturday’s 76-71 loss versus Southern Utah. Sac State trounced Idaho 69-48 on Thursday, opening a 37-19 halftime lead over the Vandals. The Eagles are 0-of-10 on the road this season, but will return home to face Southern Utah (Feb. 2) and Northern Arizona (Feb. 4).

Top Performers . . .

* Jacob Davison had his fifth career game with at least 20 points, finishing with a career-high 26. He made his first six shots and finished 10-of-21 from the field with a trio of 3-pointers. He had 23 in his last outing, and his previous career high was 25 at North Dakota State on Dec. 8, 2018.
* Junior guard Tyler Kidd had 11 points and a career-high six assists in the third start of his EWU career after coming off the bench in the first 12 games he played this season. His previous high for assists was five versus
Montana in the first start of his career on Jan. 10, 2019. He has now scored in double figures six times, all coming in EWU’s last eight games.
* Junior Mason Peatling had 15 points and eight rebounds, making 7-of-10 shots from the field. He now has 21 career games scoring in double figures, with six rebounding in double figures and five double-doubles.
* Senior Jesse Hunt was held to five points and three rebounds, and made 1-of-4 shots. He entered the game with five double-doubles on the season and six in his career. He has had 20 career double-figure scoring performances in his career to go along with nine performances with 10 or more rebounds.

Key Stats . . .

* Eastern is now 5-0 this season when it makes at least 45 percent of its shots from the field (1-0 at 50 percent or better) and 0-13 when it doesn’t. Eastern was at 50 percent when they went on their 0-of-11 shooting stretch against the Vikings, and were at 40 percent when they ended it. The Eagles finished at 43.1 percent for the game, including 8-of-21 3-pointers for 38.1 percent. Versus the Grizzlies, Eastern made 52.9 percent of its 3-pointers (9-of-17) and had six performances with double figures in scoring or rebounding. Eastern finished a season-best 48.0 percent overall in that game, then topped it with 57.9 percent versus Montana State when Eastern had five players score in double figures.

* Eastern out-rebounded PSU 28-27, including a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Vikings entered with a league-best +8.9 rebounding margin (ninth nationally), while EWU is second-to-last in the league at -3.9 per game (312th out of 351 teams nationally). It was the second-straight game EWU had a rebounding advantage. The Eagles beat MSU 34-31 on the boards after having just two rebounding advantages in their first 16 games.

Notables . . .

* Senior guards Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson have both played in more than 100 games for the Eagles, with current totals of 119 (seventh in school history) and 114 (11th) games of experience, respectively. Jesse Hunt is right behind with 101 games played. Benzel ranks fifth in school history with 179 3-pointers and Gibson 11th with 133. Benzel is now just three 3-pointers away from moving into a tie with Marc Axton on EWU’s all-time leaders list (184 from 2002-05).

* Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, the Eagles are now 23-24 versus Portland State. All of the meetings have come since the 1996-97 school year when PSU joined the Big Sky Conference, and Eastern is 15-8 in Cheney and 7-15 against PSU in Portland (1-1 on neutral courts) since then. The Vikings have a 27-24 edge in the overall series. Eastern is 2-1 against PSU in the Big Sky Tournament, winning 78-72 in the quarterfinals in 2018 in Reno, 81-75 in the 2006 quarterfinals in Cheney and losing 80-74 in the 1999 quarterfinals in Ogden, Utah.

* Eastern improved to 5-3 at Reese Court this season with the wins over Montana and Montana State. The Eagles are 51-9 overall there in the last four-plus seasons (85 percent). In the previous four seasons, EWU has gone 46-6 at Reese Court, including an 11-1 mark last season and 15-1 record in 2016-17.

Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

On Portland State: “Their backs were against the wall and they’ve played pretty good all season long. They banged in some threes and got going downhill. Defensively we have to do a better job of adjusting. We made some good adjustments but not enough — they missed a total of only eight shots in the second half. We have to play better defensively, and we’ve been harping on that all season long. We have to stop dribble penetration and we let Woods get down the middle of the lane and made good plays for other guys.”

ercent). In the previous four seasons, EWU has gone 46-6 at Reese Court, including an 11-1 mark last season and 15-1 record in 2016-17.

Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

On Portland State: “Their backs were against the wall and they’ve played pretty good all season long. They banged in some threes and got going downhill. Defensively we have to do a better job of adjusting. We made some good adjustments but not enough — they missed a total of only eight shots in the second half. We have to play better defensively, and we’ve been harping on that all season long. We have to stop dribble penetration and we let Woods get down the middle of the lane and made good plays for other guys.”