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CHENEY, Wash. (AP) -- Kellen McCoy had 21 points and 12 rebounds and, made four foul shots in the final 21.8 seconds to secure Weber State's 77-69 Big Sky Conference victory over Eastern Washington Sunday.
Nick Hansen added 19 points and Steve Panos 17 for the Wildcats (9-7, 3-0), who beat defending Big Sky champion Portland State 80-66 at Portland, Ore., Thursday night to end the Vikings' 18-game league winning streak.
Benny Valentine came off the bench to score 17 of his 20 points in the second half for the Eagles (9-8, 3-2).
Trailing by 17 points midway through the second half, Eastern Washington staged a furious rally and closed to within 68-65 with 2:35 left.
Weber State answered with a free throw by McCoy and a baseline drive and dunk by Daviin Davis to push the Wildcats' lead back to six points at 71-65 with 1:30 remaining. The Eagles got to within four points twice before the Wildcats closed out the game at the foul line.
Mark Dunn and Adris DeLeon each chipped in 14 points for the Eagles.
Adros DeLeon scored nine points during a 17-4 run that gave Eastern Washington its biggest lead, 23-15, midway through the first half.
Weber State answered with a 17-2 burst, sparked by Hansen's seven straight points, to grab a 32-25 lead with 4:23 left in the opening half.
In the second half, a 3-pointer by Hansen gave Weber State its largest advantage, 63-46, with 8:47 left.
On a day Eastern Washington retired the number of former standout Rodney Stuckey, the Eagles could have used the scoring of the Detroit Pistons starting point guard.
After starting 9-of-15 from the floor, the Eagles shot just 5-of-26 over a nearly 20-minute stretch that saw Weber State open its big lead.
Eastern Washington retired the No. 3 jersey of Stuckey during halftime. Stuckey played two seasons for Eastern Washington before becoming a first-round NBA pick of the Pistons in 2007. He would have been a senior this season. He played two seasons at Eastern, averaging more than 24 points per game, including a 45-point game against Northern Arizona as a freshman.
Stuckey is the first Eastern Washington player in school history to have his jersey retired.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
