Gaels top Eastern for 7th straight victory

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) - Matthew Dellavedova matched his career high with 25 points, Rob Jones had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Saint Mary's beat Eastern Washington 77-61 on Tuesday night.

Clint Steindl added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Gaels (9-1), who have won seven straight.

Saint Mary's led by 17 late in the second half but had to hold on after the Eagles - aided by a pair of technical fouls - cut the gap to single digits. The Gaels made a season-high 32 free throws, 13 in the final 3:10.

Collin Chiverton had 18 points for Eastern Washington (6-6) before fouling out with 1:30 remaining. Cliff Ederaine added 11 points and eight rebounds while Jeffrey Forbes had 10 points for the Eagles, who have lost four of six.

Eastern Washington opens Big Sky Conference play Dec. 28 at Montana State.

E. WASHINGTON (6-6)

Griffin 3-5 1-2 7, Chiverton 6-14 3-4 18, Ederaine 5-12 1-2 11, Colimon 2-11 2-2 7, Forbes 3-5 3-3 10, Kelly 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 2-5 3-4 8, Winford 0-0 0-0 0, Hickert 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 13-17 61.

SAINT MARY'S (10-1)

Waldow 2-3 1-4 5, Steindl 2-10 6-6 12, Jones 5-12 6-9 19, Dellavedova 6-10 9-12 25, Holt 0-4 6-8 6, Page 0-3 2-2 2, Young 1-1 0-0 2, Rowley 0-0 0-0 0, Levesque 1-2 1-1 3, Petrulis 0-0 1-2 1, Walker II 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 18-46 32-44 77.

Halftime_Saint Mary's (Cal) 40-25. 3-Point Goals_E. Washington 6-15 (Chiverton 3-5, Forbes 1-3, Johnson 1-3, Colimon 1-3, Hickert 0-1), Saint Mary's (Cal) 9-26 (Dellavedova 4-7, Jones 3-6, Steindl 2-8, Levesque 0-1, Holt 0-2, Page 0-2). Fouled Out_Chiverton, Colimon, Johnson. Rebounds_E. Washington 29 (Griffin 12), Saint Mary's (Cal) 36 (Jones 11). Assists_E. Washington 10 (Colimon 5), Saint Mary's (Cal) 13 (Dellavedova 6). Total Fouls_E. Washington 29, Saint Mary's (Cal) 16. Technicals_Dellavedova, Saint Mary's (Cal) Bench. A_2,796.