Eastern falls short of 1st win

Justin Crosgile missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Eastern Washington lost to Utah Valley 86-83 on Tuesday at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Santa Clara, Calif.

The Eagles (0-4) led by as many as 12 points and took a 43-32 lead at halftime, but the Wolverines started chipping away after the break. Utah Valley limited Eastern to four Crosgile free throws over the first seven minutes of the second half while turning the 11-point deficit into a 51-47 lead the Wolverines would not relinquish.

Utah Valley led by as many as 12 points, 66-54 with 9:41 to play, but the Eagles had a comeback of their own. Martin Seiferth led the charge with 12 points during a 24-13 run.

Eastern got within a point with 50 seconds left in the game after back-to-back 3-pointers by Jordan Hickert and Danny Powell, but that was as close as the Eagles would get.

Jois Venky led Eastern with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Seiferth had 14 points with nine rebounds. Collin Chiverton, Jeffrey Forbes and Crosgile each added 13 points. Crosgile also had eight rebounds and a game-high nine assists.

The Eagles face South Carolina Upstate tonight at 6. The tournament takes Thanksgiving off, and Eastern faces host Santa Clara on Friday at 4 p.m.

North Idaho 87, Columbia Basin 52: The Cardinals beat the Hawks in a nonconference contest in Coeur d’Alene. No details were available.