PULLMAN -- No one really gave the Eastern Washington men's basketball team a chance against Washington State on Monday night in Pullman, but the Eagles were out to prove everyone wrong.
EWU, which was pegged as an 18 point underdog, jumped out an eight point lead in the first half and didn't allow the Cougars to have an advantage until Klay Thompson hit a three pointer to make it 28-25 with less than a minute to go in the opening stanza. The Cougars eventually led 30-25 at the break.
WSU finally kicked into gear early in the second half. The Cougars went on a 14-5 run, capped by a DeAngelo Casto bucket to make it 50-35. Casto finished with 16 points and five rebounds.
Again, Eastern Washington rallied back. They fought so hard that a Brandon Moore bucket with about a minute left put the Eagles within one at 62-61. Moore played big for EWU, finishing with ten points and 13 rebounds.
Thompson, who missed his first six shots of the game, delivered the dagger the next time down the floor. He landed a three-pointer with :42 to play to give Wazzu a 65-61 lead. The Cougars would ice it with a couple of Reggie Moore free throws. Thompson led all scorers with 24 points, while Moore scored 15 for WSU.
Eastern's Mark Dunn led the Eagles with 17 points. Glen Dean also scored in double figures, finishing with 11 points.
Washington State is now 2-0 on the year. They return to action on Thursday at home against Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Eastern Washington is 0-2, but their only other loss was a six point setback to Portland last weekend. The Eagles play again on Tuesday night at home against Whitman.
