CHENEY, Wash. (Interstat) — In a commanding wire-to-wire performance, the Eastern Washington Eagles overwhelmed the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 88-57 in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Reese Court.

The Eagles, fueled by a blistering first-half offensive display and a dominant performance from forward Alton Hamilton, never trailed and led by as many as 31 points to snap a two-game losing streak in the series. The victory improved Eastern Washington to 13-17 overall, while Northern Arizona fell to 10-20.

The most important part of the game was its decisive opening segment. Eastern Washington established control immediately, exploiting Northern Arizona’s early turnovers and cold shooting to build an insurmountable lead. The tone was set from the opening tip. After Northern Arizona won the jump ball, the Lumberjacks came up empty on their first possession. Eastern Washington’ Isaiah Moses then stole the ball on the Lumberjacks’ next trip and converted a layup. A three-pointer from Cole Scherer on the Eagles’ first offensive set made it 5-0 just 58 seconds into the game.

Northern Arizona’s struggles compounded quickly. The Lumberjacks committed four turnovers in the first three minutes, which the Eagles efficiently converted into easy transition baskets. A Moses three-pointer, followed by a Kiree Huie layup off another steal, pushed the lead to 10-2 before the first media timeout. The Eagles’ defensive pressure was relentless, finishing the half with seven steals that led to 12 points off turnovers.

Offensively, Eastern Washington was nearly flawless in the half, shooting 64.3% from the field and 50% from three-point range. Hamilton was the focal point, scoring 15 of his game-high 23 points before halftime. His interior scoring, combined with the backcourt play of Moses and the outside shooting of Scherer and Johnny Radford, stretched the lead to 20 points at 31-11 with just over nine minutes remaining in the half.

Northern Arizona showed brief signs of life with a 7-0 run, capped by an Isaiah Shaw three-pointer, to cut the deficit to 31-18. However, the Eagles responded with a 14-7 run to close the half, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Jojo Anderson to take a 45-25 lead into the break. The 20-point halftime margin proved definitive, as the Lumberjacks never mounted a serious challenge in the second half.

Hamilton, a 6-foot-8 junior from Fontana, California, led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting in just 26 minutes, adding two assists and a block. Moses, a guard from Anchorage, Alaska, orchestrated the offense with 10 points and four assists, while Emmett Marquardt of Seattle contributed 11 points and two blocks. The Eagles shared the ball effectively, with 11 assists on 36 made field goals, and their 139.2 offensive rating underscored an exceptionally efficient night.

Northern Arizona was led by Shaw, a 6-foot-8 forward from Phoenix, who scored 13 points. Guard Chris Komin from Cypress, California, added eight points, three assists and two blocks. The Lumberjacks were hampered by 16 turnovers, which Eastern Washington converted into 23 points, and a frigid 3-for-8 performance from the free-throw line. Despite making 10 three-pointers, Northern Arizona’s offensive rating of 89.3 highlighted a disjointed effort against the Eagles’ active defense.

Eastern Washington finished the game shooting 64.3% from the field, while holding Northern Arizona to 44.9%. The Eagles also won the rebounding battle 33-24 and outscored the Lumberjacks 42-22 in the paint.

The game was played before an announced crowd of 2,024. Both teams return to conference action Monday, with Eastern Washington hosting Idaho and Northern Arizona returning home to face Montana State.