Eastern Washington men fall to Texas State 81-74 in Empire Classic

Texas State overcame an eight point halftime deficit to beat Eastern Washington 81-74 in the Empire Classic in Northridge, California, on Saturday night. 

The Eagles (2-3) beat host Cal State Northridge in overtime on Friday to set up the meeting with the Bobcats (3-2), who beat Dixie State to open the in-season tournament.

TSU had four players score double figures, led by Caleb Asberry’s 18. EWU was led by Steele Venters’ 23.

The Eagles were undone by their sloppy ballhandling, which resulted in 20 turnovers, and only managed 2 of 9 shooting from three.

EWU has a daunting matchup with the red-hot Cougars of Washington State next Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Pullman.