MOSCOW, Idaho -- The Eastern Washington University women's basketball returns to action this Saturday after a week off, as they open a crucial three-game Big Sky Conference road trip at defending conference champion, Idaho. Tip-off against the Vandals is set for 2:05 p.m. PT.

The Eagles are flying high as they approach the stretch run on the Road to Reno, as they've won five of their last seven games and upset league-leading Northern Colorado their last time out. Eastern opens this critical three-game road trip to Idaho, Weber State and Idaho State with sole possession of the final bye in the 2017 Big Sky Tournament. The Eagles currently stand in fourth place in the league at 9-4.

Eastern Washington enters the week just two games behind a three-way tie between Montana State, North Dakota and Northern Colorado for first place in the Big Sky with five games to play. Yet, they are just a half-game ahead of Idaho State for fifth, a game up on sixth-place Idaho and holds a two-game lead over Weber State for seventh. The Eagles will play all three teams chasing them for the fourth and final Big Sky Tournament bye on their upcoming three-game road trip. All three will be looking for redemption against Eastern Washington, as each team suffered a loss to the Eagles at Reese Court earlier this season.

EWU could open Saturday's game in a tie for fourth with Idaho State, as the Eagles are idle this Thursday, while the Bengals play at North Dakota. EWU currently holds the tie-breaker over the Bengals thanks to a 58-41 win at Reese back on Jan. 12.

How to Watch
Saturday's contest will be shown live on WatchBigSky.com and on the Watch Big Sky app.

Last Time Out
Eastern Washington sent shock waves through the Big Sky last Saturday, as the Eagles knocked off first-place Northern Colorado, 67-61, at Reese Court. Junior Delaney Hodgins scored a game-high 22 points, 11 of which came during a 13-4 run late in the fourth quarter that broke a 52-52 tie to lead the Eagles to victory.

A Jumbled Picture
Nothing is close to being decided when it comes to the 2017 Big Sky Tournament for Eastern Washington. With five games remaining, the Eagles currently hold the final Big Sky Tournament bye, as they are in fourth place at 9-4. Eastern is just two games back of a three-way tie for first, but they are just a half-game up on fifth-place Idaho State and a full game up on Idaho for sixth place.

The Big Sky Tournament picture will become much clearer in the next week-plus, as Eastern Washington will take both Idaho and Idaho State on its current three-game road trip. A game against seventh-place Weber State – a team EWU is just two games ahead of in the Big Sky standings – is sandwiched in between.

Setting the Pace
As has been the theme for nearly the entire 2016-17 season, junior Delaney Hodgins enters this week of play as the Big Sky leader in scoring at 18.1 points per game. The forward has been on quite a tear since her 31-game double-digit scoring streak game to an end on Jan. 12 against Idaho State. She has tallied double-figure points in all nine games since, which includes four contests with 20-plus points.

Road Warriors
Winning on the road is the hardest thing to do in college basketball, but the road has been kind to the Eagles recently. Eastern has won three-straight road games at Southern Utah, Sacramento State and Portland State, which puts the Eagles at 6-5 overall on the year.

Ending Strong
Redshirt senior Tisha Phillips has made the most of her fifth-year at Eastern Washington. She is averaging a career-best in nearly every statistical category, while she ranks inside the Top 10 in the Big Sky assists, scoring, steals, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.

Phillips currently ranks third in 3-point percentage (42.9%), sixth in assists (3.7 per game), seventh in steals (2.0) and ninth in both field goal percentage (45.6%) and scoring (14.7 ppg).

Dynamic Duo
Eastern Washington currently sports the highest-scoring duo in the Big Sky Conference, as junior Delaney Hodgins and redshirt senior Tisha Phillips are averaging a combined 32.8 points per game. Hodgins leads the conference in scoring at 18.1 points per game, while Phillips ranks ninth with her 14.7 ppg average.

The Eagles are only one of two teams to have a pair of players rank inside the Top 10 in scoring in the Big Sky. They are joined by Portland State, who has Sidney Rielly (4th; 17.1 ppg) and Ashley Bolston (6th; 15.5 ppg) inside the Top 10.

Taking Good Shots
EWU ranks eighth in the Big Sky in scoring at 68.0 points per game, however they are third in field goal percentage, as they are hitting 42.8 percent as a team.

The Eagles are the only team in the conference to have three players rank inside the Top 10 in field goal percentage, as senior Ashli Payne ranks eighth (46.4%), redshirt senior Tisha Phillips is ninth (45.6%) and Delaney Hodgins is 10th (45.4%).

Knowing Your Opponent: Idaho
Like Eastern, Saturday's game is the only contest the Vandals will play this week. Idaho is 13-11 overall on the year, while they are in sixth place in the Big Sky. They are just one game back from the fourth-place Eagles. UI has been on a role of late, as they knocked off first-place North Dakota last Saturday, while they've won six of its last eight games.

Idaho is led by Mikayla Ferenz's 17.8 points per game, which is the second-highest scoring average in the Big Sky Conference. The Vandals average 71.7 points per game, the fourth-highest average in the league, while they are shooting 41.6 percent from the floor. UI is the top free throw shooting team in the conference, as they are shooting 78.3 percent as a team from the charity stripe.

Defensively, the Vandals are giving up 68.2 points per game. Teams are shooting 39.8 percent against them. Idaho has had a tough time forcing steals this season, as its 5.5 steals per game is the lowest mark in the Big Sky.

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