Snow, Hull Help Eagles Trip Cascade

Given the time of the season, the theme wasn’t all that surprising.

There was Snow, all over the Cascades.

Alvin Snow sprinkled in tough defense with 8-for-10 shooting in Eastern Washington University’s 100-68 men’s basketball win Saturday night over the Cascade (Portland) Thunderbirds.

With sharpshooter Aaron Olson out, with two other veterans hurting and a fourth - Marco Quinto - taken to the hospital in the first half for needle work on a split lip, the Eagles began to think Snow early.

When Snow scooped up a loose ball, broke away and beat the defense with a behind-the-back dribble and a shot high off the glass, Eastern had more than its 24th and 25th points.

The Eagles had given the 1,373 at Reese court their first hint that this is a Division I basketball team that would probably find a way to win its fourth game in six tries.

Eventually they found a lot of ways, starting with another freshman, Clint Hull. Hull hit 6 of 10 3-point shots, none better than his last of the first half.

That’s when he scored from the right corner to put EWU up by nine points, then got back in time on defense to take the charge from Cascade point guard Danny Franz.

Hull had a game-high 20 points in 21 minutes.

“I haven’t seen a whole lot of freshmen who can come in like that and make the best of a tight situation,” Eastern coach Ray Giacoletti said.

“They were going to sink everybody inside and make us look for the skip (pass). It took a little time to get people to understand what we were looking for. We did it at the end, when Clint was able to get some great looks. Our people recognized where the (defensive) help was, and were able to get him the basketball.” The not-too-bad Thunderbirds began to make a real pest of themselves with 13:45 left, cutting the lead to eight points when Tyrone Manlove split the defense and fed Dave Huld for the easy jumper.

The Eagles answered with a game-breaking 17-3 tear.

Marquis Poole, starting at point for Jamal Jones, and Jason Humbert scored a half-dozen each to fuel the run.

“Humbert does all the little things,” Giacoletti said.

The big things, too. He had 18 points, a game-high nine rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes.

The Eagles had a veteran presence as well. Jones, on a gimpy ankle, came off the bench to steady the offense in the first half. Center Chris White, who Giacoletti said was battling the flu, was one of six Eagles to score in double figures.

It was the first night in 11 outings that the 4-7 T-Birds, an NAIA Division II school, had been crushed. They were within eight of Northern Arizona in the second half of a 91-73 loss.

Asked to compare the Eagles with Big Sky conference rival Northern Arizona, Cascade coach Craig Moody said, “I think they (the Eagles) are a little better. They’re a lot better inside. I was impressed with their big people, White and Kareem Hunter.”

The Thunderbirds have lost second-leading scorer and top rebounder, Eme Delancy, to a season-ending knee injury.

“We still feel we’re going to be right there at the end (in the NAIA Division II scramble),” Moody said. “We’ve played two teams at our level. Everybody else has been up a level. And we’ve been right there in every game except this one.”

EWU 100, Cascade 68

Cascade (4-7) - Manlove 6-13 2-3 15, Baird 1-5 2-4 4, Dave Huld 6-8 0-0 12, Woodfy 2-7 0-0 4, Hobson 6-11 5-6 18 Hillery 4-8 2-4 10, Franz 1-2 0-0 2, Dan Huld 0-1 2-6 2, Perret-Gentil 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-56 14-25 68.

Eastern Washington (4-2) - Hunter 5-7 3-7 13, Snow 8-10 1-3 17, White 3-8 4-6 10, Lewis 1-2 4-4 6, Poole 5-9 1-4 11, Hull 6-11 2-2 20, Lincoln 0-2 0-1 0, Quinto 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Humbert 5-10 8-9 18, Johnson 1-2 2-4 4. Totals 34-63 29-37 100.

Halftime-Eastern Washington 44, Cascade 35. 3-Point goals- Cascade 2-9 (Hobson 1-1, Manlove 1-5, Baird 0-1, Woodfy 0-1, Perret-Gentil 0-1), Eastern Washington 6-10 (Hull 6-10, Lincoln 0-1) Fouled out-Dan Huld, Baird. Rebounds-Cascade 37 (Baird 7), Eastern Washington 34 (Humbert 9). Assists-Cascade 18 (Manlove 5), Eastern Washington 22 (Poole 5). Total fouls-Cascade 34, Eastern Washington 23. A-1,373.