Eagles Have Just Too Much For The Missionaries

Whitman College tried to beat Eastern Washington with the 3.

In the end, the Eagles won Tuesday night’s basketball game 90-78 because they had too many too’s.

Josh Lewis and Curtis Porter were too fast. Melvin Lewis was too big.

And the basket was too small for Dennis McNabb, Whitman’s leading scorer coming into the game on Reese Court. McNabb connected on just 4 of 18 field goals, missing at least a half-dozen layups, and finished with a grand total of eight points - seven below his average.

Russell Mickelson kept the NAIA Division II Missionaries close, scoring a career-high 33 thanks to 5-for-8 marksmanship from 3-point range and 13-for-23 shooting overall.

Josh Lewis was nearly as sharp for Eastern, getting career highs of 26 points and seven assists.

“My shot felt bad,” Lewis said, “but I got a lot of things going to the basket. I was frustrated earlier in the year. I’m just now getting more comfortable out on the court.”

The 6-foot-6 swingman was assertive from the start, scoring 10 of the Eagles’ first 12 points, then staking Eastern (3-7) to a 26-21 lead with 9:48 to play in the first half on a vicious dunk along the right baseline.

Melvin Lewis used his size advantage inside - the 290-pounder had at least 50 pounds on each Whitman player - to score five of his 14 points in the final 4:13 of the half.

That effort helped Eastern offset the hot shooting of Mickelson and Dan Rough, who each hit 3s in the half’s final 3:33. The Eagles led 38-35 at halftime.

“I shot it a little bit tonight,” quipped Mickelson, who was averaged 14.5 points. “We wanted to look inside, then come outside. But we missed a tremendous amount inside.”

Porter helped the Eagles take control early in the second half, capitalizing on Whitman’s sloppy execution for two transition baskets that gave Eastern a 44-35 edge.

“They ran a lot of zone,” Porter said, “and I like to see zones because I can hit the gaps. Josh is excellent at that, and I followed his lead.”

Josh Lewis stretched the lead to 57-44 with five straight points, including a three-point play on a wild underhand scoop from the right side of the lane.

Three-pointers by Mickelson and Brian Lewallen sparked Whitman to within 63-54, but Porter scored from the baseline and Josh Lewis hit a 3 before scoring inside as Eastern built its lead to 72-62 with 7:25 to play.

The Missionaries (5-9) tried to catch up by pressing and trapping, but Eastern consistently got the ball upcourt for layups that contributed to 19-for-28 second-half shooting.

“They really shot well and knew how to finish,” Whitman coach Skip Molitor said of Eastern.

While the Eagles played well offensively, shooting 54 percent for the game, they’ll have to defend the perimeter better when Boise State visits Reese Court for Friday night’s 7:05 Big Sky Conference opener.

“Those 3-point shots, that was ridiculous,” Eastern coach John Wade said. “We just can’t let (teams) do that.”

EWU 90, Whitman 78

WHITMAN (5-9)

Mickelson 13-23 2-2 33, Lewallen 2-9 0-0 5, McNabb 4-18 0-0 8, Dandoy 2-3 0-0 4, Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Schillinger 0-3 2-2 2, Rough 5-8 0-0 14, Maki 2-6 0-0 6, McLaughlin 1-2 2-3 4, Hamilton 0-0 0-0 0, Van Divort 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-75 6-7 78.

EASTERN WASHINGTON (3-7)

Groves 4-6 8-8 16, J.Lewis 9-17 6-8 26, M.Lewis 6-8 2-4 14, Crider 2-6 0-0 5, Porter 6-11 1-2 13, Rideout 1-4 4-4 6, Dean 2-3 0-0 4, Stinnett 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 33-61 21-26 90.

Halftime-Eastern Washington 38, Whitman 35. 3-Point goals- Whitman 12-26 (Mickelson 5-8, Lewallen 1-4, Schillinger 0-3, Rough 4-6, Maki 2-5), EWU 3-11 (J.Lewis 2-6, Crider 1-5). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Whitman 30 (McNabb 8), EWU 46 (M.Lewis 13). Assists-Whitman 22 (Smith 8), E. Washington 19 (J.Lewis 7). Total fouls-Whitman 18, EWU 12. Technicals- Whitman coach, EWU coach. A1,175.