Eastern Washington beats Idaho State 77-64

CHENEY, Wash. (AP) Cliff Colimon scored 28 points to lead Eastern Washington to a 77-64 victory over Idaho State on Tuesday night in a game where home-court advantage for a rematch in the Big Sky tournament was at stake.

Laron Griffin had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Eagles (14-16, 8-8), who are the No. 4 seed in the league tournament that begins Saturday. They will host the fifth-seeded Bengals (9-20, 7-9).

Chase Grabau had 15 points and nine rebounds for Idaho State, and Kenny McGowen added 13 points.

Ball security was a problem for the Bengals, as McGowen and fellow guard Melvin Morgan combined for 11 turnovers, to just two assists. Idaho State had 17 turnovers overall, and Eastern Washington converted them into 25 points.

The Eagles lead by four points at halftime, and consecutive 3-pointers by Jeffrey Forbes and Colimon ignited a run that made the score 48-33 with 13:16 remaining. Idaho State got no closer than eight points afterward.

Updated February 28, 2012