With the nations leading scorer, Tyler Harvey, on the bench most of the second half as he nursed an injury he suffered early in the first half, Eastern Washington’s Drew Brandon stepped up.
The senior point guard scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, which included the layup that sent the game into overtime.
Despite seven points and one assist from Idaho senior point guard Mike Scott in overtime, Eastern Washington defeated the Vandals, 98-95, and kept its undefeated home record in tact.
Scott led the Vandals with 23 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Once again, the Vandals failed to hold on to a significant lead as they led by as much as 17 points just past the midway point in the second half. The Eagles went on a 33-16 run, which sent the game into overtime.
With the loss Idaho falls to 8-11 on the season and 3-5 in Big Sky competition. The Vandals are back on the road next week as they play the Montana schools’ –Montana State on Feb. 5 and Montana on Feb. 7.