SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. – Eastern Washington fell to Utah, 101–73, Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City. Alton Hamilton IV led the Eagles with 19 points, while Kiree Huie added 17 and Jojo Anderson chipped in 10. Anderson paced Eastern with four assists, and Huie and Hamilton each pulled down nine rebounds.
Eastern shot 40 percent from the field, while Utah connected on 68 percent of its attempts. The Eagles won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Utes 34–31, including an 18–7 edge in offensive rebounds. Utah, however, controlled the paint with 52 points compared to Eastern’s 38 and capitalized on turnovers to fuel its offense.
The Eagles opened the game with strong energy, winning the opening tip and responding to Utah’s early three-pointer with free throws from Hamilton and a hook shot in the paint by Huie. Anderson and Huie helped Eastern briefly take the lead midway through the half, and the Eagles stayed within striking distance behind second-chance points and timely shooting. Anderson knocked down a pair of threes, Emmett Marquardt added a triple to tie the game at 19–19, and Huie and Hamilton combined for several baskets inside to keep the game tight through the first 10 minutes…