GREELEY, Colo.—Devon Beitzel scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half as Northern Colorado moved into a first-place tie with Montana in the Big Sky Conference by beating Eastern Washington 63-53 Thursday night.
Beitzel shot 5-for-12 from the floor and 9-for-11 from the free throw line after the break for the Bears (12-9, 8-2), who trailed by 11 points in the second half.
Beitzel played despite a five-stitch cut on the side of his head he received from a car accident earlier in the day.
Weber State helped the Bears by beating Montana 68-52.
Cliff Colimon led Eastern Washington (7-15, 4-6) with 17 points. Kevin Winford had 15 for the Eagles, 0-12 away from home and losers of 18 consecutive road games over two seasons. The Eagles haven’t won on the road win since Jan. 10, 2010, when they beat Montana State 75-73.
Three-pointers by Winford and Colimon extended Eastern Washington’s eight-point halftime lead to 11 early in the second half, and Colimon’s fourth 3-pointer kept it an 11-point gap.
Beitzel’s layup after a steal by Elliott Lloyd gave Northern Colorado its first lead at 44-43, only to have Eastern Washington regain it 46-44 on a 3-pointer by Colimon, who went 5-for-11 from beyond the arc.
Beitzel hit two free throws to tie it at 46, and he gave Northern Colorado the lead for good with two more free throws and a 3-pointer. Laron Griffin’s tip-in closed the gap to 51-48 with 3:16 remaining, but the Bears made 10 free throws in the final 3 minutes to seal the victory.
Winford had 10 points as the Eagles took a 28-20 halftime lead. Eastern Washington’s defense did its part, holding Beitzel without a field goal until 2:50 remained in the half and creating 12 turnovers.
Northern Colorado appeared rattled in the early going, committing six turnovers. Winford and Cliff Ederaine had four points each as Eastern Washington jumped to a 15-6 lead. Beitzel’s lone field goal, a 3-pointer, made it 24-17.
The win completed a season sweep by the Bears. They beat the Eagles 75-73 on Dec. 31 at Eastern Washington.
