Eagles fall in overtime against N. Texas
Alton Hamilton IV (4) from Eastern keeps the ball away from a Northern Texas defender as he makes his way toward the net. Hamilton scored 16 points and shot 5-8 from the field and went 2-2 from three against UNT.
COURTESY PHOTO/EWU ATHLETICS
DENTON, Tex. – The Eastern Washington Eagles (1-6) fell 71-79 on the road in overtime against the University of Northern Texas Mean Green (5-2) in their last matchup. The two teams remained close for the entirety of regulation, but Northern Texas would come up just ahead in overtime to secure the victory.
Johnny Radford opened the scoring for the Eagles by knocking down a quick three and moving the ball effectively to find Straton Rodgers and Kiree Huie for a score. Alton Hamilton IV would come off the bench to make his presence known to get a quick layup and a three in transition and Isaiah Moses would lead the Eagles at the end of the half with six points and two assists.
The Eagles shone early as they jumped to a 5-0 run with a two-point lead to keep the game a one-score game for the majority of the first half. Their real flow would come halfway through the second half, taking a five-point lead with a burst from Jojo Anderson and consistent shooting from the floor by Hamilton.
UNT would make their way back into the game with nine seconds remaining in regulation, with Reece Robinson scoring two free throws and making a defensive stop to prevent EWU from scoring. By the end of regulation, the two teams were tied at 65-65.
The five-minute overtime would prove to be a challenge for Eastern as the Mean Green held the Eagles scoreless for the first three minutes and fifteen seconds while going on a 9-0 run. Costly shooting fouls and turnovers would plague the Eagles as the Mean Green continued to keep the heat and would ultimately end the game 71-79, with the Eagles leaving the court on a loss.
Hamilton led EWU with 16 points, shooting 5-8 from the field and 2-2 from three and Moses finished with 14 points and four assists. Huie contributed 10 points and seven rebounds, with EWU’s bench adding 31 points.
Eastern Washington will once again be on the road this week as it heads to Denver to play at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
BOX SCORE:
EWU: 30-35-6: 71
NTEX: 33-32-14: 79