Calvin Jensen, Sports Information Director, Utah State Eastern

Photo courtesy of Dallin Grant

Utah State Eastern battled hard on the road Thursday night but came up just short against North Idaho College, falling 81-77 in a tightly contested matchup. Despite a strong performance from Ike Palmer, who led the Eagles with 23 points and six rebounds, Utah State Eastern was unable to overcome North Idaho’s efficiency down the stretch.

The first half saw both teams trading baskets in a back-and-forth contest, with the Eagles keeping pace behind the efforts of Mark Huber and Palmer. Huber led the team with 11 first-half points, helping the Eagles shoot 42.3% from the field. On the other end, North Idaho leaned on the dominant play of Deng Diew, who proved difficult to stop throughout the night. The Cardinals’ forward put up 30 points and nine rebounds, giving his team a slight 38-36 edge at the break.

Coming out of halftime, Eastern looked to build momentum, but North Idaho responded shooting 51.9% from the field in the second half, compared to 42.9% from the Eagles. Palmer continued to attack, converting all ten of his free-throw attempts, while Sevastian Rosado and Kayin Turner provided solid contributions off the bench with 10 and 12 points, respectively.

Despite their offensive efforts, the Eagles struggled to contain North Idaho’s presence on the glass. The Cardinals out-rebounded Utah State Eastern 39-25 proving costly as North Idaho capitalized in key moments to maintain their narrow lead.

USU Eastern will remain on the road in Idaho as they continue to Twin Falls to take on No. 20 College of Southern Idaho at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.