Eastern Washington defeats Sam Houston State 81-76

CHENEY, Wash. (AP) — Collin Chiverton scored 20 points, Jeffrey Forbes hit a big shot to reach a career milestone, and Eastern Washington held off BracketBusters foe Sam Houston State 81-76 on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles (9-18) set a Big Sky Conference record with 16 blocked shots, eight by Martin Seiferth.

Chiverton was 7 of 10 from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Forbes had 11 points, including a 3-pointer with 2:38 left that made him the 16th EWU player to reach 1,000 career points.

Parker Kelly added 17 points for the Eagles, and Venky Jois had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Forbes’ milestone 3-pointer gave EWU what seemed a comfortable 73-64 lead with 2:38 left. But the Bearkats (14-13) rallied, pulling within 76-74 on James Thomas’ layup with 34 seconds to play. Chiverton and Kelly hit two free throws apiece to secure the victory.

Paul Baxter scored 19 points for the Bearkats.