BOISE, IDAHO -- The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team takes to the road this Thursday (Dec. 1) to open a brief two-game road trip starting at Boise State and ending at Cal State Northridge. Tip-off against the Broncos is set for 6 p.m. PT, while Saturday's (Dec. 3) contest against the Matadors Is set for 6:30 p.m. PT.
Eastern enters this week looking to extend its current three-game winning streak after mounting an 88-30 victory over Multnomah University last Sunday in the Eagles 2016-17 home opener. That victory marked the second-straight 30-plus point victory for EWU, as they also picked up a 33-point victory at Utah Valley last Tuesday (Nov. 22).
This week's contests are return games for Eastern Washington, as both Boise State and Cal State Northridge visited Reese Court last season. The Eagles knocked off CSUN, 70-59, on Nov. 22, but fell to Boise State, 84-79, in the final non-conference contest of 2015-16 season.
Last Time Out
The Eastern Washington women's basketball team lit up the scoreboard in its 2016-17 home opener on Sunday (Nov. 27), as the Eagles shot an even 50 percent from the field to claim an 88-30 victory over Multnomah University.
The Eagles shot 50 percent-or-better for the second-straight contest to extend their winning streak to a season-best three games. Eastern was blistering hot in the second and third quarters, as they hit 66.7 percent of its shots in the two frames. EWU was just as impressive on the defensive end, as they limited the Lions to a 20.8 shooting percentage and held MU to single digits in three of the four quarters on Sunday.
College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week
Eastern Washington University women's basketball player Delaney Hodgins was named the College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week after posting a pair of 20-point performances to help the Eagles go a perfect 2-0 last week.
Hodgins, a Preseason All-Big Sky first team selection, strung together arguably her best two performances in an Eagle uniform, as she averaged 26.5 points per game, and pulled down 7.0 rebounds per game in a pair of wins against Utah Valley and Multnomah University. The forward was blistering-hot from the field last week, as she hit 22 of her 27 shot attempts to post an 81.4 shooting percentage in the two wins.
Getting After It On Defense
Defense has been a big factor in the current three-game winning streak for the Eagles. Eastern has held each of its last three opponents under 35 percent from the field, and have even been more impressive in its last two outings by holding Utah Valley to 29.8 percent shooting and Multnomah University to a 20.8 percent success rate from the field.
The Streak Continues
Junior Delaney Hodgins extended her double-digit scoring streak to 21 games after a pair of 20-point contests in a pair of victories last week. Hodgins opened the week with a career-best 29 points at Utah Valley. She also matched her season-best in rebounds with 10 to pick her the eighth double-double of her career. She followed that performance up with 24 points in just 23 minutes of action in the 2016-17 home opener against Multnomah University. She scored 18 of her 24 points against the Lions in the third quarter alone.
Hodgins is currently second in the Big Sky in points per game with an 18.8 average.
Getting the Bench Involved
Eastern Washington has gotten the reserves heavily involved over the last two victories and it has resulted in a 56-14 advantage in points off the bench during that stretch. The Eagles outscored Utah Valley 18-2 in bench points last Tuesday then went on to post a 38-12 advantage in points off the bench on Sunday against Multnomah University.
Knowing Your Opponent: Boise State
The Broncos enter this week receiving five votes in the Associated Press Top 25 after opening 2016-17 with a perfect 5-0 record. BSU is coming off a 2-0 stay at the Saint Mary's Tournament, where they knocked off the Gaels, 83-78, on Nov. 25 then knocked off Charlotte, 68-65, the next day.
Senior guard Brooke Pahukoa leads a quartet of double-digit scorers for Boise State at an even 16 points per game. She is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field with a 48.3 field goal percentage, and is shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc. As a team, the Broncos are averaging 81.4 points per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. They are also posting a 45.0 percent success rate in 3-point field goals.
Defensively, the Broncos giving up an average of 66.4 points through five contests. Boise State is limiting teams to a 41.0 shooting percentage, while forcing 22 turnovers per game. BSU is also averaging 41 rebounds per game and are out-rebounding the opposition by 7.8 caroms per game.
Knowing Your Opponent: Cal State Northridge
The Matadors are an even 3-3 through six contests this season. CSUN went 1-1 at the 2016 Radisson Thanksgiving Classic in East Lansing, Michigan with a 76-67 win over Detroit before falling to host Michigan State, 63-59. Cal State Northridge will take on Northern Arizona on Thursday (Dec. 1) before taking on the Eagles this Saturday.
CSUN is averaging 69.3 points per game. Channon Fluker leads the team with 15.8 points per game, while Serafina Maulupe is also averaging double-digit points at 10.2 ppg. The Matadors are shooting 39.5 percent from the field this season and haven't fared much better from behind the arc with a 32.8 success rate.
Cal State Northridge is allowing 70.5 points to the opposition, while allowing a 37.9 shooting percentage. The Matadors have been tough to shoot on from behind the arch, as teams are just hitting 25 percent of their shot attempts from behind the arc.
For more information on the Eastern Washington women's basketball team, follow @EWUWBB on Twitter or Instagram or like EWU Women's Basketball on Facebook.
