Eastern Washington’s Bogdan Bliznyuk (32) drives the ball against Stanford’s Michael Humphrey (left) Robert Cartwright (2) and Reid Travis (22), during the second half of Tuesday night’s game at Maple’s Pavilion at the University of Stanford  (AP Photo by Ben Margot)

By London Marq

PALO ALTO–A cool night in Palo Alto saw the Eastern Washington Eagles fly into Maples Pavilion to take on the rolling 2-0 Stanford Cardinal. The Cardinal’s shooting faltered as they dropped Tuesday’s contest 67-61. Entering play Stanford had seen some excellent play from their key players such as Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, and looked to stay undefeated. With a more than favorable schedule early, the Cardinal must capitalize now if they hope to reach the tournament at season end.

The opening half was marred by poor shooting. The Cardinal had jumped out to a strong 13-7 lead through nearly half of the first period, before Eastern Washington went a 15-2 run. After nearly seven minutes without a basket, Stanford received relief in the form of Da Silva and Travis. This was immediately followed by an Eastern Washington scoring drought, where they missed four shots in a row over the course of 3 minutes. Both Stanford and Eastern Washington came up short with the majority of their attempt, shooting 33% and 40% respectively as the half expired with the score 33-27 in Eastern Washington’s favor.

With a sense of urgency and desire to close the game, Stanford came out fast and put four quick points on the board. Much like the first half, however the Eagles rallied for a tear, and went on an 8-0 streak. Despite this both teams continued to exhibit a lack touch from the field. The Cardinal particularly were poor in all shooting areas. Through the entirety of game Stanford shot 34% from the field, a dismal 13% from beyond the arc, and 63% from the charity strike. In a game where their opponents were also having a bad scoring night, the eagles shot 39%, Stanford missed some golden opportunities to take control.

Stanford Head Coach Jerod Haase will look to get his team back, as he only declared seven active players tonight, Friday against Northeastern. #9 North Carolina will be at Stanford the following Monday. Reid Travis and the Cardinal will hope to it rolling again soon.

Final Eastern Washington def. Stanford 67-61