Eagles Let Hornets Slip Away With Rare Road Victory

There are dozens of ways to lose a basketball game. Eastern Washington knows most of them by heart.

Brett Thompson felt obligated to take the blame Thursday night, although he had several accomplices. Moments after a 68-67 nonconference loss to Sacramento State, Thompson sat bleary-eyed in the Eastern locker room, having fouled Michael Boyd as the Hornets forward hit the game-winning shot with 6 seconds left.

The 14-foot fadeaway gave the visitors their second road win in their three most-recent tries, that after a 55-game losing streak away from Hornet Gym.

“I knew he was going right. We had it scouted,” Thompson managed. “I just let the team down. You can let anybody else down, but letting your team down hurts.”

The debacle was a team effort.

“A lot of plays make a game,” Eagles coach John Wade said.

Among the factors that doomed EWU:

Failing to make a field goal for the first 10:02 of the second half.

Failing to use its final timeout after Melvin Lewis rebounded Boyd’s missed foul shot with 5 seconds to play.

Lewis handed off to Curtis Porter, who tried to dribble the length of the court, but was forced to heave a halfcourt shot as time expired.

“Yeah, we knew we had one (timeout),” Wade said. “Obviously, our guys didn’t call it. Also, the floor was scattered and it’s a one-point game with 6 seconds left - a situation where we could go all the way to the basket (because) they can’t foul us.”

Shooting 35 percent from the field overall, making 8 of 21 in the first half and 7 of 22 thereafter. “Unbelievable,” Wade said, then said it again.

Carl Crider missing two free throws with 1:03 to play and EWU trailing 66-65. The victory was particularly sweet

for Sac State coach Don Newman, who starred at Idaho in the late ‘70s and is trying to build the Hornets into a respectable Division I program.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Newman said. “They stepped up and took one on the road. We needed this.”

They almost didn’t get it.

Leading 62-49 after Vincent Stewart’s short hook with 6:40 to play, the Hornets would go without a field goal until Boyd’s game-winner - a span of 6:34.

The Eagles, meanwhile, were spending most of their time at the foul line. D’mitri Rideout made four straight there, pulling EWU within 62-53. Kevin Groves, who made 14 of 16 free throws overall as the Eagles set school records with 34 made and 48 attempted, added two more after a Rideout steal to make it 62-55 with 4:50 remaining.

Lewis added two free throws to offset two from Sac State guard Damond Edwards before Eastern made - get this - three straight field goals. Rideout scored after rebounding his own miss, then followed a Crider 3-pointer with one of his own as the Eagles pulled within 66-65 with 1:09 to play.

Porter capped an 18-4 Eagles run with a driving basket for a 67-66 EWU lead with :17 showing.

The Eagles seemed headed for victory, pressuring Sac State to use its final two timeouts over the next 8 seconds. But the 6-foot-5 Boyd settled matters for Sac State (4-12).

Boyd led all players with 20 points, making 8 of 11 field goals in 34 minutes. Groves led EWU (3-10) with 16 points.

SACRAMENTO ST. (4-12)

Amos 1-2 0-2 2, Ramirez 5-8 2-4 12, Hillman 2-4 0-0 4, Hunter 0-2 2-2 2, Boyd 8-11 2-6 20, Tate 4-6 0-0 8, Edwards 3-10 8-10 16, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 0-0 0-0 0, Stewart 1-3 2-4 4. Totals 24-46 16-28 68.

EASTERN WASHINGTON (3-10)

Groves 1-5 14-16 16, J.Lewis 1-7 0-0 3, M.Lewis 4-6 2-4 10, Crider 1-5 1-6 4, Porter 3-6 6-8 12, Rideout 3-8 5-6 12, Dean 1-2 2-4 4, Thompson 0-1 2-2 2, Stinnett 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 15-43 34-48 67.

Halftime-Sacramento St. 32, E. Washington 28. 3-Point goals-Sacramento St. 4-10 (Ramirez 0-1, Boyd 2-3, Edwards 2-6), E. Washington 3-10 (J.Lewis 1-5, Crider 1-3, Rideout 1-2). Fouled out-Hillman, Hunter, J.Lewis, Stinnett. Rebounds-Sacramento St. 32 (Ramirez, Boyd 6), E. Washington 30 (M.Lewis 9). Assists- Sacramento St. 15 (Edwards 6), E. Washington 10 (Crider 3). Total fouls-Sacramento St. 29, E. Washington 21. Technicals- Sacramento St., Hunter. E. Washington, J.Lewis. A-1,230.