CHENEY, Wash. -- The Eastern Washington women's basketball team returns home for the final two games of the 2016-17 regular season, as they host Southern Utah and Northern Arizona at Reese Court this week. The Eagles open with the Thunderbirds on Wednesday (March 1) before taking on the Lumberjacks this Friday (March 3). Both games are set for a 6:05 p.m. PT tip.
Eastern Washington enters the final week of the regular season in sole possession of the final bye of the Big Sky Tournament, as they currently stand in fourth place with an 11-5 conference record. EWU currently holds a one-game lead over both Idaho and Idaho State for the Tournament's final bye with two games left to play.
A lot of seeding is still yet to be determined for the Big Sky Tournament, but the Eagles can finish anywhere from third to sixth in the Big Sky Standings at the end of the week. Eastern's Big Sky Tournament scenarios break down as follows...
Scenario A: If Eastern goes 2-0 this week, they will at no worse claim the No. 4-seed of the Big Sky Tournament & will open the Tournament next Wednesday, March 8.
Scenario B: If Eastern goes 2-0 this week and Northern Colorado goes 0-2, Eastern will claim the No. 3 seed of the Big Sky Tournament based on better conference record (13-5 v. 12-6).
Scenario C: If Eastern goes 2-0 this week and Northern Colorado goes 1-1, then Eastern will claim the No. 3 seed of the Big Sky Tournament due to Eastern's head-to-head victory over Northern Colorado.
Scenario D: If Eastern goes 2-0 this week, Montana State goes 0-2 and Northern Colorado goes 1-1, it creates a three-way tie for second. The tiebreaker gives Montana State the No. 2 seed (2-1 vs. EWU & UNC), Eastern will claim the No. 3 seed thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker over Northern Colorado.
Scenario E: In the event of any three-way tie between Eastern, Idaho and Idaho State for fourth place at the end of Friday's' results, then Eastern will claim the No. 4-seed of the Big Sky Tournament thanks to a combined 3-1 record against the Bengals (1-3) and Vandals (1-3).
Scenario F: If Eastern goes 1-1, Idaho goes 2-0 and Idaho State goes 1-1 or 0-2, then the Vandals claim the No. 4-seed due to tiebreakers and Eastern will be the No. 5-seed and open the Big Sky Tournament on Monday, March 6.
Scenario G: If Eastern goes 0-2 and Idaho and Idaho State goes 2-0, Eastern will be the No. 6 seed of the Big Sky Tournament with an 11-7 conference record. Idaho and Idaho State will both have a 12-6 mark in league play, but Idaho State will claim the No. 4 seed thanks to going 2-0 against the Vandals this season.
Scenario H: If Eastern and Idaho State go 0-2 and Idaho goes 2-0, Idaho claims the No. 4 seed due to a better conference record (12-6 v. 11-7). Eastern would be the No. 5 seed thanks to winning the head-to-head regular season meetings (2-0) against Idaho State.
Scenario G: If Eastern, Idaho and Idaho State go 0-2 this week, Eastern claims the No. 4 seed.
Irregular Week
Due to next week's Big Sky Tournament starting next Monday (March 6), this week's slate of conference games will be played on Wednesday and Friday.
How to Watch
Both games this week will be streamed live on WatchBigSky.com and on the Watch Big Sky App. Fans can also follow along with live stats at EWUStats.com
Senior Night
Friday's game against Northern Arizona will be the final game at Reese Court for seniors Ashli Payne and Tisha Phillips. Both players will be honored prior to the start of Friday's game.
The Eagles will be a motivated group against the Lumberjacks on Friday, as they look to avenge a 56-47 loss in Flagstaff, Arizona back on Jan. 19.
Going for the Scoring Title
Junior Delaney Hodgins is still in the hunt for the Big Sky regular season scoring title, but she has her work cut out for her, as she currently stands in second at 17.7 points per game. Hodgins had led the Big Sky in scoring for nearly the entire season, but a 32-point performance from Idaho's Mikayla Ferenz allowed her to surpass Hodgins' point per game total at 18.1.
Reese Court Dominance
Eastern Washington has enjoyed an ample amount of success at Reese Court against Big Sky teams since the beginning of the 2014-15 season. The Eagles are 20-4 since against the Big Sky over that time frame, with the lone losses coming to Sacramento State (2x), Montana State and North Dakota.
Knowing Your Opponent: Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds enter the final week of the regular season occupying last place in the Big Sky standings, as they are 1-15 through 16 league games. SUU stands at 6-21 overall this season, yet they picked up a win last Thursday against Portland State to snap a 14-game losing streak.
Southern Utah averages 66.7 points per game, which is third-lowest in the Big Sky, while they are 39.1 percent as a team. Darri Frandsen leads the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game, while Jamie Smith follows with her 10.1 points per game average.
SSU is giving up the second-most points in the conference at 73.2 points per game. Teams are shooting 41.2 percent against the Thunderbirds this season.
Knowing Your Opponent: Northern Arizona
The Lumberjacks enter the final week of Big Sky play in 10th place in the Big Sky, as they stand at 4-12. Overall on the year, NAU is 9-18, but come into Cheney with a head of steam, as they've won two of their last three games.
Olivia Lucero leads the Lumberjacks in scoring with her 15.3 points per game. Lucero's scoring average is the seventh-highest in the Big Sky Conference. Rene Coggins also averages double-digits at 11.3 points per game. As a team, Northern Arizona puts up 69.3 points per game and shots 39. 6 percent from the field.
Defensively, NAU is giving up 70.5 point per game, as teams are shooting an even 42 percent against them from the field.
For more information on the Eastern Washington women's basketball team, follow @EWUWBB on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to like EWU Women's Basketball on Facebook.
