Portland, OR – Eastern Washington weathered another stout defensive effort from Portland State to come away with a 63-58 Big Sky Conference win at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings held the Eagles 14 points below their season average and allowed them to shoot only .379 from the field. However, Portland State couldn't muster enough offense to pick up a win.
 
Both squads were short-handed due to a variety of injuries and illnesses. Eastern was fortunate to still have its starting lineup intact. The Vikings were missing their top three scorers. The result was a slower-paced game and some shaky shooting. The Eagles hit 22-58 from the field (.379), while the Vikings were 22-62 (.355).
 
"We've been defending all year. They shot only 38%," said Viking Coach Jase Coburn. "Our defense is giving us a chance every night. We just have to figure out how to get the ball in the basket more often. I'm proud of the effort though."
 
Senior forward Khalid Thomas took over the scoring load for PSU, going for 20 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. He added three steals and two blocked shots in a scrappy 35 minutes of play. Senior center Jacob Eyman had 11 points on 5-8 shooting and added a pair of blocked shots.
 
Eagles' star forward Steele Venters led the way to Eastern's win with 20 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Angelo Acliese added 19 points and seven rebounds.
 
The first half was tightly contested with the Eagles gaining a brief seven-point lead. They were up just 30-27 at halftime.
 
Eastern was ahead 45-34 with 12:37 to play before the Vikings got back in it. Sophomore forward Trey Wood buried a three-pointer. Then, back-to-back steal-and-fast-break-layins came from Thomas and freshman guard Paris Dawson. Suddenly, the deficit was trimmed to four points. It remained single digits the rest of the way.
 
Portland State couldn't come up with enough consistent offense to get over the hump down the stretch. The Vikings cut it three on two occasions in the final minute. Both times, PSU followed by fouling Allegri who got to the line and hit all four free throws.
 
"This one was a heartbreaker because our guys gave everything they had and weren't rewarded," said Coburn. "Our team really competed hard and battled through the adversity we have had."
 
The loss dropped Portland State to 3-8 on the season, 1-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Eastern Washington, the defending Big Sky Conference Champion, is now 7-6, 1-1.
 

GAME NOTES: 

• Trey Wood came off the bench for a career-high 19 minutes and matched his career high by scoring seven points (3-4 FG, 1-2 3-pt FG) with two rebounds and a blocked shot.
• Jacob Eyman matched his career high at Portland State with 11 points.
• Senior guard Ezekiel Alley had 10 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists.
• PSU has held opponents to .404 field goal shooting and 67.1 points per game this season.
• Portland State and Eastern Washington did not meet last season as the games were cancelled due to COVID-related issues.
• The Eagles lead the all-time series, 28-27, and the Big Sky series, 27-24.
• Portland State's scheduled game on Saturday against Idaho has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Idaho program. A makeup date has not been determined.
• The Vikings next game will be January 6 at defending Big Sky regular season champion Southern Utah. The game tips off at 6 p.m. PT and can be seen on ESPN+.