Missed it by that much

VANDALS, EAGLES, PIRATES

The Vandals came this close to winning another Western Athletic Conference game. And without leading scorer Keoni Watson, who has been suspended until his grades improve.

Jim Meehan’s coverage of the 72-70 overtime loss to Fresno State can be found here.

There is more on Jim’s Idaho blog.

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There is also more on Eastern’s down-to-the-wire loss at Montana on Saturday night on Dave Trimmer’s blog.

The Eagles may need to go 4-0 in their final four (all at home) Big Sky games to make the conference’s postseason tournament.

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Whitworth is back to playing the way it did early in the season, when the now-13th-ranked Pirates moved all the way up to sixth in the national polls.

They hammered George Fox on Saturday night, setting up a big game next Friday at the University of Puget Sound. The Loggers (9-3), who defeated the Pirates earlier this season, are a game behind Whitworth (10-2) in the NWC standings with four games to play.

• Whitworth women’s coach Helen Higgs, one of the nicest people you will meet in Inland Northwest sports, won her 200th career game Saturday as the Pirates upset George Fox.