NEW ORLEANS – After an extended break, the Eastern Washington women's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday (Dec. 21) to participate in the 21st Annual Tulane Classic. The Eagles open the two-game Classic with host Tulane for a 3 p.m. PT tip.

Wednesday's contest against the Green Wave marks the first time that EWU has played a game since Dec. 11 when they fell 73-54 to Gonzaga at Reese Court. The Eagles were scheduled to play at Air Force this past Sunday (Dec. 18), but the game was cancelled after inclement weather prevented Eastern from traveling to Colorado.

Eastern Washington will take on either Auburn or Drake on Thursday (Dec. 22), depending out the outcome of Wednesday's contest against Tulane. That game will be played at either 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. PT.

Despite the loss to Gonzaga, the Eagles have won five of its last seven contest. Defense has been the key to success for Eastern. EWU has held its opponents to a 36.4 shooting percentage during that span, and have held teams to under 34 percent from the floor in four of those contests.

Last Time Out
The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team was handed its first loss at home this season on Sunday (Dec. 11), as the Eagles fell to regional rival Gonzaga, 73-54.

Junior Delaney Hodgins paced the way for Eastern, as she scored a game-high 13 points against the Bulldogs. It is the 26th-straight game that the Pasco, Washington native has posted double-figures in the scoring column.

On The Road Again
Wednesday's game will mark the seventh time this season that Eastern has played away from Reese Court. Coming into this weekend's contest, the Eagles are an even 3-3 in contests played either on the road or in a neutral site this season.

1,000-Point Scorer
With a three-pointer in the third quarter junior Delaney Hodgins became the 17th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. Hodgins ended the game with 28 points, which gives her 1,015 career points in just 73 career games.

Delaney joins her sister Hayley, who graduated last season with a school-record 1,862 points, on the 1,000-point list. The Hodgins are the first set of sisters to both be included on Eastern's 1,000 Point List.

Streaks to Watch
Eastern Washington has a pair of players on extended scoring streaks coming into Sunday's game against Air Force. Junior Delaney Hodgins has posted double figures in the scoring column in each of her last 26 games dating back to last season, while redshirt senior Tisha Phillips brings a seven-game double-digit streak into Air Force.

Getting into a Groove
The Eastern Washington offense has begun to gel, as they've scored 70-or-more points in four of its past six contests. The Eagles have also shot 47 percent-or-better four games during that stretch, which included a 55.8 field goal percentage last Saturday's victory at Cal State Northridge.

Letting It Fly
Eastern has the Big Sky's second-longest active streak with at least one three-point field goal made in 311 consecutive games, trailing only Sacramento State.

Knowing Your Opponent: Tulane
The Green Wave come into Wednesday's game with a 6-4 record overall. Tulane recently snapped a three-game losing streak thanks to a 63-58 win at home against NC State. They come into this week sporting an RPI of 74.

Tulane is averaging 66.9 points per game, while they are shooting 44.3 percent from the field as a team. Junior Kolby Morgan leads the team with her 18.2 points per game average. She is shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from behind the arc.

Defensively, Tulane is holding teams to 63.3 points per contest. Teams are shooting just 37.3 percent from the field against the Green Wave.

For more information on the Eastern Washington women's basketball team, follow @EWUWBB on Twitter and Instagram or like EWU Women's Basketball on Facebook.