Eagles down UND behind stellar three-point shooting

CHENEY — Eastern Washington battled their way to a win over North Dakota, 87-81 with a stellar second-half performance. Eastern won the shooting battle going 50% from the field and 55% from the arc.

"It was our best game as far as player better in the second half," said head coach Dan Monson. "I told our guys today at shoot around, what game have we played better in the second half? They couldn't give me one. I said that changes tonight, and they did that tonight."

The Eagles were led by Andrew Cook, who scored 20 points while shooting 41% from the field. Emmett Marquardt, Nic McClain, Sebastian Hartmann, and Vice Zanki also reached double figures in scoring. On the boards, Zanki stood out with eight rebounds, followed by McClain with six and Cook with five.

First Half:

The first half of the matchup against the University of North Dakota was a hard-fought, tightly contested affair, with both teams exchanging leads throughout a fast-paced opening 20 minutes.

The Eagles quickly found their rhythm as Tyler Powell responded with a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 2-2. From there, the back-and-forth battle was on.

Both teams struggled to establish momentum early on, with several missed opportunities. However, the Eagles didn't take long to settle into their offense. Powell knocked down a three-pointer to give EWU their first lead at 7-5, while Marquardt added another big shot to keep things close. Each time UND threatened to pull ahead, the Eagles answered back with clutch plays to stay in the hunt.

As the first half ended, both teams seemed to hit a bit of a scoring lull. UND's aggressive offensive rebounds kept them in it, but the Eagles' defense held strong, forcing tough shots and limiting second-chance opportunities. Heading into the half, the Hawks held a slight 42-40 lead.

Second Half:

In the second half, it was a tight and competitive game that saw numerous lead changes. EWU started the second half with a slight advantage at 45-40 but saw UND quickly rally. The teams exchanged leads multiple times throughout the second half, with EWU responding to UND's pushes with some strong plays.

Hartmann hit a couple of key 3-pointers, and Cook was active on the fast break and contributing offensively.

The game saw some critical defensive plays on both sides, including several turnovers. McClain and Marquardt made timely steals, while Cook was especially effective at both ends, blocking shots and grabbing key rebounds.

EWU hit a pivotal 3-pointer late in the game, with Vice draining a crucial shot from beyond the arc at the 4:05 mark to put the Eagles up by 7 points. That gave them a slight breathing room.

It was back and forth in the final two minutes, with Eastern maintaining their lead despite UND's desperate efforts. In the final moments, Zanki hit a clutch three-pointer and Cook hit some key free throws to close out the game 87-81