Preseason WNIT Notes
SEATTLE -- The 2016-17 season officially gets underway this Friday for the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team, as the Eagles travel to No. 15/17 Washington for the first round of the Preseason WNIT. Tip-off from the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle is set for 7 p.m. PT.
The Eagles are coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons for just the second time since the program joined NCAA Division I back in 1982. Eastern has its sights set for a third 20-win campaign, as they bring back four starters from last season's 20-12 squad that finished in second in the Big Sky during the regular season.
Eastern Washington has a tall task in front of them in the season opener, as the Huskies are coming off their best season in program history. Washington advanced to its first-ever Final Four in last season's NCAA Tournament, and come into this year ranked No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll.
Game Coverage
Friday's contest against No. 15/17 Washington will be streamed live on Pac-12.com. It will also be broadcasted live on 1150 AM. Fans can listen on online at www.1150kknw.com.
Preseason WNIT
Friday's contest will be the first of a three games for Eastern Washington in the Preseason WNIT. If the Eagles win Friday's contest against Washington, then they will play on Nov. 13 or Nov. 14 on the road. If they lose, then they will play in the Consolation Bracket of the Preseason WNIT, which takes place on Nov. 18 and 19. No sites have been determined for the Consolation Bracket.
Last Time Out
The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team picked up a 67-60 win over Eastern Oregon on Sunday (Nov. 6) in its lone exhibition contest of the 2016-17 season.
The Eagles got a combined 27 points from freshmen Uriah Howard and Symone Starks in their first collegiate action. Howard, who made her first collegiate start on Sunday, filled the stat sheet, as she picked up a team-best 16 points and nine rebounds. Starks provided a spark off the bench for Eastern with an 11-point outburst in just 17 minutes of action.
Dean of the Conference
With the retirement of Montana's Robin Selvig, Eastern women's basketball coach Wendy Schuller is now the longest-tenured women's basketball coach in the Big Sky Conference. The longtime Eastern coach has won 218 games during the past 15 seasons, and she has guided the Eagles to 20-plus wins in each of the last two seasons.
Continue The Run
The Eastern Washington women's basketball team will look to make history this season, as they go for a third-straight 20-win season for the first time as an NCAA Division I team. Eastern is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons for just the second time as an NCAA Division I member, as they matched a feat that had not been accomplished in Cheney since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons.
Coming As Advertised
The Eastern Washington coaching staff is extremely on its freshman class, and last Sunday they proved why as the duo of Uriah Howard and Symone Starks combined for 27 points in an exhibition win over Eastern Oregon.
A Tough Act to Follow
Junior Delaney Hodgins has had a spectacular first two seasons with the Eagles, but she had to stand in the shadow of her sister Hayley, who went on to become the school's all-time leading scorer. Delaney is poised to step out of that shadow this season, as she picked up a Preseason All-Big Sky first team nod.
Hodgins leads a trio of double-digit scorers returning to the Eagles this season, as she brings back a 15.7 points per game average. Through two seasons, the forward has scored a total of 849 points in 65 contests for a 13.1 point per game average in her career, which is just 1.7 points off of Hayley's career point-per-game average (14.8 ppg).
Returning in Bulk
Despite graduating the school's all-time leading scorer last season, the Eagles return three players who made up 53 percent of the team's scoring last season along with four starters who a team that won 20 games.
Junior Delaney Hodgins (15.7 ppg), senior Ashli Payne (11.2 ppg) and senior Tisha Phillips (10.9 ppg) return a combined 37.8 of the team's 71.8 points-per-game average from a year ago, while junior Mariah Cunningham also returns after making all 32 starts last season.
Rebounding Machine
Junior Ashli Payne has pulled down 258 rebounds in her first season in Cheney, good for sixth in Eastern's NCAA Division I single-season record book. She recorded a season-best 18 boards in EWU's 100-97 win over Sacramento State in last season's Big Sky Tournament, a mark that tied for third all-time in league tournament history.
Letting It Fly
Eastern has the Big Sky's second-longest active streak with at least one three-point field goal made in 302 consecutive games, trailing only Sacramento State (357).
Knowing Your Opponent: No. 15/17 Washington
The Huskies are coming of arguably their best season in school history, as they ended the 2015-16 season in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Washington went 26-11 last season and was placed at No. 15 in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the Associated Press Preseason Poll.
UW averaged 71.4 points per game a season ago and shot 41.5 percent from the field. The Huskies return their top scorer in Kelsey Plum. The All-American averaged 25.9 points per game last season, while boasting a 40.5 shooting percentage.
The Huskies have eclipsed the 90-point plateau in both of their exhibition contest this season, as they scored 97 points against Central Washington and 99 points against Concordia (Ore.). Plum led the team in scoring in both games, as she scored 33 points against the Wildcats, followed by a 29-point performance against the Cavaliers.
For more information on the Eastern Washington women's basketball team, follow @EWUWBB on Twitter or like EWU Women's Basketball on Facebook.
