Eastern Washington guard Collin Chiverton notched 21 points and four boards Thursday night, as the Eagles bested Sacramento State 65-60 at the Nest.

Despite leading for most of the game, the Hornets slowed down towards the end, allowing EWU to catch fire and storm back for the victory. While the Eagles shot just 35.3 percent on the game, they were 11 of 22 from the field after halftime, including four of 10 from three-point territory.

The contest was characterized by the physical play of both sides; the 43 personal fouls equaled the most in any game played by the Hornets this year. Head coach Brian Katz said he didn’t expect any less from this matchup.

“I thought looking at them on tape that they were easily the most aggressive and physical team we’ve played all year,” Katz said after the game. “So yeah we did expect that for sure.”

Thursday’s game featured the most of Jackson Carbajal Sac State fans had seen since the guard went down with a knee injury in the first game of the season. Carbajal played 28 minutes, going seven of 12 from the field and collected two offensive boards. His 17 points were the most of the sophomore’s career and a team-high for the Hornets.

Katz said he is glad to have such a key part of his team back on the floor. He said the spring is definitely back in Carbajal’s step.

“For his position,” Katz said, “he’s one of the best offensive rebounders I’ve ever seen. He’s really aggressive going to the boards and on the ball. He’s kind of an attack dog.”

With the loss, Sac State falls to 0-4 against conference rivals. According to Katz, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean the team is moving totally in the wrong direction. He said the Hornets don’t have far to go to start having the relative success they enjoyed earlier in the season.

“I actually think we’re better right now than we were when we were 5-6,” Katz said. “I just think we’re a better team now, it’s just not showing up in the win-loss column.”

The Hornets also have more help due to come off the injury list within the next couple of weeks, Katz said. Jordan Estrada, who went down with an ankle injury against Weber State on December 31, is expected to return to practice on Monday. Katz said the injury is a high ankle sprain, but he’s not sure whether Estrada will be back on the court when the Hornets travel to Montana next week.

The Hornets have a short rest now, as they return to action Saturday at home against Idaho State, while the Eagles travel to Greeley to take on Northern Colorado the same day.

Alex Grotewohl can be reached at [email protected].