Both Eastern Washington University basketball teams advanced to the Big Sky Conference Tournament semifinals, falling one game short of the championship.
The men’s team entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing 11-7 in conference play. The Eagles won eight of their final nine regular-season games, with their only loss coming against Idaho on March 2.
EWU defeated No. 6 seed Weber State 84-79 in the quarterfinals on March 9. The Eagles were led by a career-high 25 points from junior forward Alton Hamilton IV and 22 points with 8 assists from senior point guard Isaiah Moses.
Moses earned All-Big Sky First Team and Big Sky Newcomer of the Year this season. Hamilton IV was named to the All-Big Sky Second Team.
In the semifinals on March 10, EWU faced No. 7 seed Idaho, the only team to beat them during their final nine games. Idaho won 81-68 and went on to defeat Montana in the championship the following day.
EWU struggled to contain sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell, who finished with 26 points and seven rebounds. Big Sky Freshman of the Year Jackson Rasmussen added 16 points for Idaho.
Graduate student center Kiree Huie led EWU with 20 points on a career-high 17 shot attempts and added seven rebounds, tying Hamilton IV for the team lead.
The men improved on last season, when they finished 6-12 in conference play and lost their opening tournament game.
The EWU women’s team was No. 6 seed after finishing 7-11 in conference play. On March 9, EWU narrowly defeated Northern Colorado 55-53.
All five starters scored either 10 or 11 points, including All-Big Sky second team selections Ella Gallatin and Kourtney Grossman. Sophomore forward Jaecy Eggers led the team with 11 rebounds.
In the semifinals on March 10, EWU faced No. 2 seed, Montana State. The Bobcats lost just two conference games during the regular season. The Eagles forced overtime but lost 79-77.
Sophomore guard Taylee Chirrick led Montana State with 26 points in 43 minutes. She finished the season as the Big Sky’s second-leading scorer, averaging 17.6 points per game.
Freshman guard Elyn Bowers led EWU with 23 points. She scored 488 points this season, setting a new EWU freshman record.
Eggers scored 19 points and had eight rebounds, while Gallatin contributed 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
The women’s semifinal appearance also marked an improvement from last season, when the team lost its opening tournament game.
