Story by
The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Undermanned Eastern Washington drops narrow game to Stanford 74-65
- Story byThe Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
- Undermanned Eastern Washington drops narrow game to Stanford 74-65
Nov. 2—STANFORD, Calif. — Playing without three key players, Eastern Washington came up a couple possessions short in a season-opening 74-65 loss to Stanford on Monday in men's college basketball play at Maples Pavilion.
Already without redshirt freshman forward Alan Gballou and senior guard Tavi Jackson, the Eagles were also missing starting senior guard Andrew Cook, who missed the game with an injured left hand.
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Still, the Eagles jumped ahead of the Cardinal early, taking a 28-15 lead in the first half. But Stanford ended the half on a 19-2 run and led 34-30 at halftime.
After halftime, though, the Cardinal weren't able to stretch their advantage beyond nine points.
With 2 minutes, 43 seconds left, senior forward Alton Hamilton IV hit a jump shot to give the Eagles a 65-64 lead, their first of the half — yet it lasted less than a minute. The Cardinal answered with a basket, a steal and another basket to reclaim a 68-65 lead with two minutes remaining.
After a timeout, Eastern missed a shot, got an offensive rebound but then turned the ball over as the clock ticked under one minute. Stanford scored on the ensuing possession to extend its lead to 70-65. The Cardinal made their last six shots while the Eagles missed their final four.
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Julius Price (17 points) led five Stanford players who scored in double digits. As a team, Stanford made 28 of 51 shots (55%) from the field and 13 of 17 free throws.
Hamilton grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, made 9 of 18 shots and led the Eagles with 20 points. Sophomore guard Cole Scherer scored 11 points; redshirt sophomore Jamil Miller and redshirt senior guard Jalen Griffith each had nine points.
Eastern made 23 of 54 shots (43%) and outrebounded Stanford 32-26. But the Cardinal finished with a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Next up for the Eagles is a game Friday at Oregon, followed by a game at Oregon State on Monday before they play their home opener on Nov. 13 in Cheney against Corban University.
The win was former Washington State coach Kyle Smith's 300th of his career.
