­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (15-8/7-3 Big Sky) Feb. 4 – Portland State, 1:05 p.m., Cheney, Wash. Feb. 9 – at North Dakota, 5 p.m., Cheney, Wash. all times Pacific
Radio:	700-AM ESPN in Spokane, with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff
Internet Radio:	http://www.700espn.com or http://www.tunein.com
Radio iPhone App:	Search for "700 ESPN" and download app. An app is also available for tunein radio.
TV:	The PSU game will be broadcast regionally on SWX.
­­­Webcast:	All EWU home games and all Big Sky Conference games available via http://goeags.com/sports/2016/1/5/watchbigsky.aspx?id=73 or http://watchbigsky.com
Live Stats:	http://ewustats.com for all EWU home games.
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next show is Monday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Swinging Doors in North Spokane (shows take place Mondays through at least Feb. 27) . . .  700-AM ESPN, http://www.700espn.com & via iphone app. (search for "Spokane Radio" and download app).

Before Jim Hayford can get to win No. 100 as Eastern Washington University's men's basketball coach, his second-place team will have to get past frenetic-paced Portland State.
 
The Eagles host the Vikings Saturday (Feb. 4) at 1 p.m. in a game televised regionally by SWX. Fans can listen on 700-AM ESPN and via the web at www.700espn.com, with pre-game coverage starting a half-hour prior to tipoff. All Big Sky games will also be broadcast via www.watchbigsky.com.
 
The Vikings are coming off an 89-72 loss to hot-shooting Idaho in Moscow on Thursday, as PSU was out-shot 50 percent to 37 percent and 14-7 from the 3-point stripe. The Vikings are 11-9 overall and 4-5 in the Big Sky standings.
 
Portland State features the top scoring team in the conference at 84.8 points per game overall – 15th-best in the country -- and the third-best in league games only (78.6). Creating offense from their defense, the Vikings are ranked fourth in NCAA Division I in steals (10.2 per game) and are sixth in turnover margin (+5.0 per game). They are 20th in turnovers forced (16.4) and 32nd in fewest miscues (11.4), with Calaen Robinson ranking first in the Big Sky and eighth in the nation in steals (2.6).
 
Earlier this season, the Vikings had a five-game winning in December, including road wins at San Francisco (82-78) and Portland (77-75). Their four road victories this season also include a 91-85 triumph at Pepperdine.
 
"Portland State is a talented team that has had some big-time road wins," said Hayford. "They are a dangerous team with multiple skilled players who can score in a variety of ways. They have our full respect and attention."
 
Eastern is coming off a 77-72 victory over Sacramento State, punctuated by EWU's second-fewest points in a half in the first 20 minutes, then scoring its second-most points in a half with 54 after trailing at intermission 26-23. Senior graduate transfer Jacob Wiley had yet another monster game with a career-high 38 points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists, helping EWU improve to 15-8 overall. In Big Sky play, the transfer from Lewis-Clark State and former Montana Grizzly is leading the league in scoring (25.4), rebounds (9.0), field goal percentage (.673) and blocked shots (2.6).
 
"What a neat person to coach because what is behind all of that is really hard work and character," said Hayford. "It is character he's learned through adversity in life. A lot of people might have gone the other way in life, but Jake has used that. He would be the first to give credit to a lot of different people, but ultimately it's Jake making the decisions of his life, so you see that character shine through. He's done the work and he's in the gym before everyone else, so I'm really happy to see him have these kind of games."
 
 

 
Team Notes

 
Jim Hayford One Victory Away from 100 as Eastern's Head Coach
 
One more victory will get Eastern head coach Jim Hayford to 100 victories as an Eastern coach in just his sixth season at the helm. He could be the fastest to 100 in Eastern history, with Red Reese (470-301 in 31 seasons) achieving that feat in his seventh season. Vin Eustis (108-43 in eight seasons) hit 100 in his eighth and final year at the helm, and Jerry Krause (261-197 in 17 seasons) also reached his 100th in his eighth season. That trio and Hayford are the only coaches in the school's 109-season history to have more than 75 victories. Hayford currently has a 99-87 record at Eastern, and is 353-171 in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
 
 
Defense Continues Impressive Play in League Season
 
Eastern held Montana on Jan. 26 to 60 points, 43 percent from the field and 29 percent from the 3-point stripe (4-of-14) to continue EWU's impressive performances during league play. After 10 conference games now, Eastern continues to have the Big Sky's best scoring defense (69.9). The Eagles are now second defensively in shooting percentage overall (.415, with Idaho leading at .399) and are second in defensive 3-point shooting percentage (.353, with Northern Colorado leading at .339). Eastern is also second in league games only in field goal percentage (.504) and are second in scoring margin (+7.6).
 
The defense for the Eagles includes the top six performances this season versus NCAA Division I foes of 62, 64, 65, 62, 68 and 60 points allowed in games versus Idaho, MSU, Montana, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah and Montana, respectively. For the season, EWU leads the league in blocked shots (5.3 per game to rank 27th in the nation). Eastern had entered league play ranked ninth among 12 teams in scoring defense (78.6), eighth in field goal percentage defense (.455) and ninth in 3-point percentage defense (.377), and have since improved those rankings to sixth (74.8), second (.438) and fifth (.367).
 
Eastern held Idaho to 31 percent shooting from the field for EWU's top defensive performance of the season, and that game included a stretch of nine-straight misses for UI and two others of six-straight. In the next game versus MSU, the Bobcats had 11-straight misses at one point and had stretches of 11:23 and 3:58 without a field goal. Montana scored just 65 points in an Eagle loss, and went the first 5:13 without a point. In Eastern's next game, the Eagles held Idaho State scoreless for the first 4:09 of the game, in addition to another scoreless stretch of 5:02 and a game-deciding 4:42 period without a field goal. Against Northern Arizona, Eastern had stretches of 5:28 in the first half and 6:34 in the second half without allowing a field goal. Versus Southern Utah, en route to a 47-22 halftime lead, Eastern held the Thunderbirds without a field goal for 6:35. Montana had stretches of 3:04, 3:00 and 2:59 without baskets, and MSU had a stretch of 4:32 without one in the second half. Sacramento State went the first 6:31 without a field goal, and in the second half went 3:47 without scoring.
 
 
Eastern Has Big Sky's Top RPI at No. 153
 
Eastern is back on top of the Big Sky Conference in RPI with a ranking of 153 compared to 172 for Weber State (EWU was a season high 57th on 12/13 in the official NCAA RPI ratings). Prior to beating Montana on Jan. 26, Eastern had fallen behind Weber State. The next-best Big Sky teams are Montana (#218), North Dakota (#225), Idaho (#241), Montana State (#261) and Portland State (#267). With an 8-5 mark entering Big Sky play, Eastern joined Portland State at 7-4 as the only other league team above the .500 mark prior to the start of the league season. Plus, the Eagles received 10 votes in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major top 25 on Dec. 12 when the Eagles were 7-2.
 
 
Eastern 43rd in the Nation in Free Throw Percentage
 
Eastern's clutch free throw shooting is a major reason EWU won its first six games decided by six points or less (EWU is now 7-3 in games decided by six or less and 10-4 in games decided by 10 or less). Eastern has made 75.3 percent thus far to lead the league and rank 35th in NCAA Division I. Jacob Wiley is 91st at 83.9 percent (99-of-118) and Bogdan Bliznyuk is 14th at 81.6 percent (80-of-98). They are ranked fifth and 10th, respectively, in the Big Sky. Felix Von Hofe is not ranked, but has made 31-of-40 thus far (77.5 percent). A season-low 50 percent performance against Xavier on Dec. 20 (9-of-18) dropped EWU from second to seventh in the nation, and a 15-of-24 performance at Colorado dropped the Eagles to 14th.
 
 
Eagles Set School Record Already for Overtime Periods With Seven
 
The Eagles have set a school record with seven extra periods this season, and are now 4-1 this season in games requiring extra periods.  Eastern defeated Seattle 80-76 in double overtime on Nov. 22 and then beat Denver in its next game in overtime by an 85-80 score. Two games later, the Eagles played at Seattle in another double-overtime thriller, winning 93-88. Eastern beat Morehead State 88-86 on Dec. 13, but then didn't have another until Jan. 28 when Montana State prevailed 91-90 in OT. The previous record for overtime periods in a single year was five in the 1998-99 season, including four extra periods in a 101-100 loss to Weber State on Jan. 16, 1993. The Eagles had no overtime games last season, two in 2014-15, one in 2013-14 and four in 2012-13
 
 
Eagles Entered League Play With 8-5 Record After Successful Pre-Conference Schedule
 
Eastern entered league play with a winning record of 8-5 – only the fifth time that has happened in 30 years in the Big Sky. The impressive start for EWU equals the NCAA Tournament team of 2014-15 (9-4) and the 1985-86 team (9-4) as the only teams to start 8-5 or better in 34 years in NCAA Division I. This year's Eagles were just the sixth team in 34 years to start 5-2 or better, including three under Hayford.
 
 
Eagles Picked as High as No. 5 in Preseason Polls
 
The Big Sky Conference men's basketball race is going to be a dogfight, and 2016-17 preseason predictions bear that out. Coming off its best back-to-back seasons in its NCAA Division I history, Eastern has been picked fifth by the media and seventh by the coaches in the league's preseason basketball polls released Oct. 14.
 
While the Eagles appear loaded and ready for another Big Sky title run, the rest of the league is as well. Weber State was picked to win the title in both polls, while the media picked Montana at No. 2, Idaho third and North Dakota to finish fourth just ahead of the Eagles and Idaho State at No. 5. After Weber State, the coaches picked the order of finish as Idaho, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho State, Montana State and then EWU.
 
"This is my sixth year as the head coach of Eastern and I anticipate this to be the most balanced and competitive conference season we have seen yet," said Eastern head coach Jim Hayford.
 
The 2017 Big Sky men's basketball championship will take place March 7 through 11 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev. Tickets for the 2017 Big Sky Basketball Championships are now on sale. Visit http://RoadtoReno.com for more information.
 
 
Eagles Coming Off First Postseason Victory as a Member of NCAA Division I
 
The Eagles finished the 2015-16 season with an 18-16 record and advanced to the second round of the College Basketball Invitational, including the school's first NCAA Division I postseason win with a 79-72 victory over Pepperdine. Eastern finished fourth in the Big Sky Conference with a 10-8 league mark, then beat Northern Arizona 74-52 in the first round of the league tournament. Eastern was the Big Sky's 2014-15 regular season and tournament champion, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The 44 combined victories the last two years are the most in since EWU became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season. They are the most overall in 39 years since EWU won a combined 45 in the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons as a member of the NAIA.
 
Eastern finished the season ranked fifth in NCAA Division I with an average of 10.5 3-pointers made per game. Eastern also ranked 15th in NCAA Division I in scoring offense (81.4 points per game), 16th in overall field goal accuracy (48.3 percent) and 25th in accuracy from the 3-point stripe (38.5 percent).
 
 
Schedule Features Four Teams from 2016 NCAA Tourney
 
The Eagles will again travel the nation by playing teams from 13 different leagues. Eastern's schedule includes four teams which appeared in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and four others who joined EWU last year in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). One opponent played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). But the best part of the season is 16 home games at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.
 
Eastern picked up an 80-69 exhibition victory on Oct. 30 against Saint Martin's, which is coached by former Eastern assistant Alex Pribble. The Eagles officially opened the regular season in Cheney with a 70-47 victory against Linfield, a NCAA Division III school in the Northwest Conference.
 
Eastern then took part in the Legends Classic, falling to Northwestern 86-72 on the road on Nov. 14 and 85-52 at Texas on Nov. 17. Still looking for its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, Northwestern finished with an overall record of 20-12 and 8-10 in the Big 10, losing to Michigan in the first round of the Big 10 Tournament. Texas (20-13 overall and 11-7 in the Big 12) lost to Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament and went on as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament where it lost to Northern Iowa in the first round. The Longhorns were ranked 21st and 23rd in the two national polls prior to playing the Eagles.
 
The Eagles returned home and won the title in the Legends Classic Sub-Regional round in Cheney. Eastern beat Bryant (8-23/5-13 Northeast Conference) 81-77 on the first day, then edged Seattle 80-76 in double-overtime the next night. Bryant beat Louisiana Monroe in the consolation game, with Eastern's Jacob Wiley earning tournament MVP honors. Seattle was in the CBI a year ago and Louisiana Monroe played in the CIT.
 
Next, Eastern swept two games in the EWU Classic in which they beat Denver (16-15/7-9 Summit League) 85-80 on Nov. 26 and then defeated San Francisco (15-15/8-10 West Coast Conference) in a 96-90 shootout on Nov. 27. San Francisco lost in the first round of the WCC Tournament last season to Pepperdine, which fell to Eastern 79-72 in the first round of the CBI. The Eagles beat the Dons for the second-straight year in San Francisco in 2015-16, winning 81-77.
 
On Dec. 4, Eastern had yet another double-overtime victory (93-88) over Seattle (13-15/7-7 Western Athletic Conference), which lost in the second round of the last year's WAC Tournament. Seattle made it to the second round of the CBI before falling to Vermont. Eastern and the Redhawks split two games last season, with EWU winning 76-70 at home and losing on the road six days later 58-52.
 
The Eagles returned home for a pair of games against Great Falls (13-16/5-13 Frontier Conference) on Dec. 8 and Morehead State (23-14/11-5 Ohio Valley Conference) on Dec. 13. Eastern beat the Argos 103-76 and downed Morehead State 88-86 in overtime. Morehead State had a successful postseason in 2015-16, making it to the finals of the CBI before losing to Nevada in three games. Nevada ended EWU's season last year with an 85-70 victory in Reno in the quarterfinals of the CBI.
 
Eastern hit the road for its three final non-conference games before starting league play. The Eagles lost 70-48 at Northern Kentucky (9-21/5-13 Horizon League) on Dec. 18, then fell at 17th-ranked Xavier (28-6/14-4 Big East) by an 85-56 score on Dec. 20. The trip closed with a 76-68 loss at Colorado (22-12/10-8 Pac-12) on Dec. 22. The latter two teams participated in the 2016 NCAA Tournament -- Xavier as a No. 2 seed and Colorado at No. 8. Xavier defeated Weber State in the first round and then lost to Wisconsin in the second round. Colorado fell to UConn in the first round.
 
Eastern's home triumphs ended with a perfect 7-0 record, but the true road challenges of the season commenced with a trio of games, with EWU taking first-half leads in each before falling. Following the last of those losses on Dec. 22, the combined record of those three teams was 29-8 -- Xavier 10-2, Colorado 10-3 and Northern Kentucky 9-3. Through games of Dec. 26, the Musketeers had the fourth-highest RPI in the nation at No. 4, with Colorado at No. 69 and Northern Kentucky at 138th.
 
Eastern's loss at Northern Kentucky was an afternoon game in the Eastern time zone that actually started at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Northern Kentucky out-shot Eastern 45 percent to 33 percent in the game, and the Norse outscored Eastern 49-24 after the Eagles had taken a three-point lead late in the first half. Eastern then held 22-11 lead in the first half in its first-ever game against 17th-ranked Xavier, but the Musketeers roared back to beat the Eagles. Eastern used an 11-0 run in the first half to forge its 11-point lead, including a trio of 3-pointers, and led for 11:05 in the first half, compared to just 4:50 for XU. Eastern followed that with a 19-2 opening run versus Colorado, and led for 26 minutes versus the Buffaloes. A 17-3 run gave Colorado the lead for good, but Eastern had a furious 10-2 run in the last four minutes to nearly pull off the upset of the Pac-12 Conference opponent.
 
 
Coaches Shows Continue on Mondays Through at Least Feb. 27
 
The weekly Eastern Washington University Men's Basketball Coaches Show featuring head coach Jim Hayford and host Larry Weir now take place Mondays at 6 p.m. Pacific time at the Swinging Doors in North Spokane (W. 1018 Francis). Additional interviews with players and other guests will also be featured. Fans may attend the one-hour shows live, or listen on 700-AM ESPN and via the web at www.700espn.com. Programming on 700-AM ESPN is also available via mobile phone aps (search for "Spokane Radio" and download app) and www.tunein.com (an app is also available for tunein radio).  Shows will continue Mondays through at least Feb. 27. The show on March 6 depends on team travel arrangements for the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Reno, Nevada. Shows on March 13 and March 20 are also possible and will be determined by EWU's postseason fate and availability of Hayford.
 
 
Rodney Stuckey in 10th Season in NBA; Former Eagle Drew Brandon Signs with Romania Pro Team
 
Former Eastern men's basketball player Drew Brandon recently signed with the CS Phoenix Galati in Romania after playing previously in Germany, and is one of 14 former Eagles currently playing professionally. The most famous is Rodney Stuckey, who is in his 10th season in the NBA (now with the Indiana Pacers after seven years with the Detroit Pistons) after earning honorable mention All-America honors for Eastern in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
 
Brandon was a member of EWU's 2015 NCAA Tournament team, and CS Phoenix is a member of the Romania Liga Nationala League. In 30 games as a rookie for Bayer in Germany last season, Brandon averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He was named to the Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro A squad as an honorable mention selection, and was on its All-Defensive Team.
 
Former Eagles Venky Jois and Tyler Harvey are also currently playing overseas. In his first four games with Tartu Ulikool/Rock in Estonia in the 2016-17 season, Jois was averaging 7.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.8 blocked shots per game, including 17 points and 13 rebounds in an 88-57 victory over Audentese in Estonia.
 
In his first five games with Auxilium Torino in Italy in the 2016-17 season, Harvey was averaging 6.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and made 8-of-29 3-point shots. He averaged 11.9 points in 37 games as a rookie for the Erie Bay Hawks in the NBA's Developmental League, making 80-of-231 three-pointers for 34.6 percent.
 
In addition, former Eagle Laron Griffin recently signed with KB Trepca Mitrovice (SuperLeague) in Kosovo. Most recently, Griffin played for San Miguel in Liga MB in Salvador where in 18 games he averaged 16.3 points, 14.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game.

Eastern has 14 former players who have played in the pro ranks within the last year. The complete list of current and former professionals is located at: http://goeags.com/sports/2016/6/27/eagles-in-the-pros.aspx
 
 
 
 

Player Notes

 
Wiley Eighth in NCAA Division I in Field Goal Percentage and Seventh in Blocked Shots
 
Ranked in the top 10 nationally in two statistical categories, Jacob Wiley continues to surge in the NCAA Division I and the Big Sky Conference statistical rankings. He has scored 72 points in his last two games, and is coming off a career-high 38-point performance against Sacramento State on Feb. 2 in which he made 14-of-23 shots from the field to go along with 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists.
 
For the season, he is averaging 18.7 points per game overall on 63.7 percent shooting to rank eighth in the nation and second in the league. He's also averaging 2.91 blocked shots (first in the league and seventh nationally) and has made 83.9 percent from the free throw line (fifth in the league and 91st nationally). In addition, he is averaging 8.2 rebounds on the season (second in the league and 89th nationally) and 2.5 assists per game.
 
In league-only statistics, Wiley is leading the Big Sky in four different categories during what will be a one-year career at EWU. He leads in scoring (25.4), rebounding (9.0), field goal percentage (.673) and blocked shots (2.6), and is 12th in assists (3.1) and 12th in free throw percentage (81.8 percent), and has averaged 1.0 steals.
 
With four 30-point performances this season and 10 with at least 20, he has had at least 27 points in five of his last seven games. He has at least 21 in eight of EWU's 10 league outings. For the season, he has scored in double figures in all but two of EWU's 23 games and has five double-doubles. His five double figure rebounding performances include a season-high 14 against Montana on Jan. 7.
 
As a result, he earned Mid-Major Player of the Week honors, as well as Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, from College Sports Madness on Jan. 23. That day he was also chosen by the league office as Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for the second week in a row. In victories over Northern Arizona (84-62) and Southern Utah (83-68), the senior graduate transfer made 67.7 percent of his shots from the field (21-of-31) and 9-of-10 free throws and added 16 rebounds, nine assists, eight blocked shots and a pair of steals. He scored 31 points versus NAU on 14-of-16 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
 
Prior to his 30-point output versus NAU on Jan. 19, he had had career-high performances of 27 and 36 points, respectively, in a victory over Idaho State on Jan. 12 and a three-point loss to Weber State two days later. His performance at Weber State equaled the 16th-most in school history and helped earn him Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time of his career on Jan. 17.
 
While impressive, his 63 points in back-to-back games is not rare in recent years for EWU. A year ago, Austin McBroom scored 73 points in back-to-back games – the third time in two years an Eagle has scored at least 72 points in back-to-back games. It was the most in back-to-back Big Sky Conference games in school history, besting the 70 Rodney Stuckey, now with the Indiana Pacers in the NBA, had late in the 2006-07 season against Weber State (34) and Portland State (36). In the 2014-15 season, Venky Jois had 38 each in back-to-back games versus Eastern Oregon and Seattle, then Tyler Harvey had a total of 73 in consecutive games versus L-C State (34) and Weber State (39). The most Harvey had in back-to-back league games was 61 as a senior against Northern Colorado (37) and North Dakota (24). The Big Sky record was set by Damian Lillard (now of the Portland Trailblazers), who had 75 in two games in Feb. of 2012 (40 vs. Portland State 2/2 and 35 vs. Northern Colorado 2/4).
 
Wiley had a near triple-double with what was then a career-high 25 points in an 82-64 win over Montana State by making 10-of-15 shots from the field and 5-of-7 free throws. He also had 10 rebounds, a career-high seven assists and three blocked shots. His scoring performance versus Montana State eclipsed his previous career high of 23 points one game earlier at Idaho when he sank 9-of-13 shots from the field and added nine rebounds and five blocked shots in the 69-62 win. He had 16 points, six rebounds, five blocks and four assists versus 17th-ranked Xavier on Dec. 20, then had 10 points, eight rebounds and two more blocks against Colorado two nights later. Prior to that he had back-to-back double-double performances, with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Morehead State on Dec. 13 and 14 points and 12 more boards against Northern Kentucky on Dec. 18.
 
Earlier this season, Wiley was the MVP of the Legends Classic sub-regional round in Cheney, Wash, finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds, five blocked shots, five assists and a pair of steals in an 80-76 double-overtime victory over Seattle in the championship game. The previous night in an 81-77 win over Bryant, he scored 18 points and had a team-high nine rebounds, sinking 10-of-12 free throws and four of seven shots from the floor.
 
Wiley's numbers compare favorably with those of the forward he's replacing in the starting lineup – all-time leading scorer Venky Jois. Now playing professionally, Jois averaged 14.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.3 assists in his 122-game career, and made 58.3 percent from the field. However, Wiley has a significant advantage at the free throw line where Jois made only 55.0 percent in his career.
 
Wiley capped a spectacular junior season for Lewis-Clark State in 2015-16 by earning first team NAIA All-America honors after averaging 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game. He led L-C State to a 29-5 record and was the fourth-most accurate shooter (.604) in the NAIA, as well as ranking 20th in blocks per game and 43rd in rebounds per game. An Academic All-Frontier Conference selection while at L-C State, Wiley originally played 20 games at Montana in the 2012-13 season. He is 2012 graduate of nearby Newport (Wash.) High School.
 
As a true freshman for Montana in the 2012-13 season, Wiley played in 20 games and averaged 3.0 minutes, 0.9 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. In two regular season victories over EWU, he played one minute in each. Wiley scored two points in an 81-66 win in Missoula and had a rebound in a 65-46 triumph in Cheney. His career highlight came during Montana's 2013 NCAA Tournament round game against Syracuse when he scored five points and recorded one block in the 81-34 loss. After quitting the basketball team prior to his sophomore season, he joined the Montana track and field squad and competed in the 400 meters.
 
 
 
Two-Time Big Sky Player of the Week Bogdan Bliznyuk Ranks 90th Nationally in Scoring
 
A two-time Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week earlier in the season, after 23 games Bogdan Bliznyuk is ranked in the top 13 in four different statistical categories in the league, ranking eighth in points (18.0 per game), 13th in rebounds (5.9), fifth in assists (4.0) and 10th in free throw percentage (.816). He ranks 90th nationally in scoring, 145th in free throw percentage and 159th in assists.
 
He had his 11th 20-point performance this season and 18th in his career with 28 points at Montana on Jan. 26. He also had 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 12th of his career. It was his highest-scoring game since netting 34 against Morehead State on Dec. 13 and his first double-double since Dec. 4. He scored 21 points on Jan. 21 against Southern Utah, in which he equaled his career high with five steals. En route to 19 points versus Idaho State on Jan. 12, he scored all 10 points in a game-deciding 10-0 run in the second half of the 92-85 win. One game earlier, he finished with 21 in a 65-59 loss to Montana on Jan. 7. He closed the nonconference schedule with a 25-pointer performance at Colorado on Dec. 22 that included 21 in the first half, scoring 18-straight Eastern points at one point. He had a career-high 34-point effort in EWU's 88-86 win over Morehead State on Dec. 13, making 13-of-19 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws. Bliznyuk had a double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds in EWU's 93-88 double-overtime non-conference victory over Seattle on Dec. 4 to earn his second of two Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors. Formerly from Lutsk, Ukraine, and a 2014 graduate of Todd Beamer High School near Seattle, he had 12 rebounds to finish with the 11th double-double in his career, including the school's first and only triple-double last season. The previous week, after helping EWU win three home games, Bliznyuk was also the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.
 
He came a rebound away from the second triple-double in school history (he had the first as a sophomore last year) with 22 points, a career-high 11 assists and nine rebounds in an 85-80 win over Denver. The next night, he equaled what was then his career-high with 32 points, and added seven rebounds and seven assists in a 96-90 shootout win against San Francisco. He made 9-of-16 shots from the field, both of his 3-pointers and 12-of-13 free throws in the win over the Dons, which equaled the career high of 32 he had on Nov. 21 in a win over Bryant. In that game, Bliznyuk made 11-of-15 shots overall, both of his 3-point attempts and all eight of his free throws, to go along with seven rebounds and four assists.
 
Bliznyuk's 22 points, career-high 11 assists and nine rebounds against Denver on Nov. 26 was the fourth time since Jan. 11, 2014, that an Eagle had come one stat from a triple-double. The other three were by Drew Brandon. Bliznyuk had 11 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists against Northern Arizona on Jan. 16, 2016, for the first triple-double in school history. The closest former Eagle Rodney Stuckey – now playing in the NBA for Indiana – came was 14 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists on Nov. 19, 2005, versus Pacific Lutheran.
 
Bliznyuk compiled some big numbers during Eastern's seven-game winning streak from Nov. 21 to Dec. 13, including four performances of at least 31 points. He averaged 25.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game in that stretch, making 53.0 percent of his field goals, 37.5 percent of his 3-point shots (9-of-24) and 89.6 percent of his free throws (43-of-48). Until falling 70-48 to Northern Kentucky on Dec. 18, Eastern hadn't lost since falling at Texas 85-52 on Nov. 17.
 
 
Felix Von Hofe Up to 14th in Big Sky History for 3-Pointers Made, Just 28 from School Record

 
With a team-leading 66 3-pointers this season, senior Felix Von Hofe ranks 45th in NCAA Division I with an average of 2.87 per game, helping EWU rank 109th as a team in makes per game (8.2) and 85th in percentage (37.2).
 
Von Hofe has moved up to 14th in career 3-pointers in the Big Sky Conference with 232, and needs just three to move into 13th (235, Devon Beitzel, Northern Colorado, 2008-11). He ranks second in school history, having recently moved past his former teammate Parker Kelly with 210 from 2012-15. Von Hofe is now 28 from the record of 260 set by his former teammate Tyler Harvey from 2013-15. At his current pace of 2.87 per game this season, he would finish the regular season with 254. Von Hofe is also second in school history with 582 attempts, and his percentage of .399 is 12th.
 
Von Hofe now has had 12 performances of at least 20 points in his Eastern career, including four this year and seven as a junior in 2015-16 when he had the fourth-most 3-pointers in school history with 105. He has scored in double figures 10 times this season and 36 times in his career (20 as a junior), and has led EWU in scoring on 11 occasions (eight in 2015-16). He had five 3-pointers and 19 total points in an 82-64 win over Montana State on Jan. 5.  One game earlier, Von Hofe had a 22-point performance in a 69-67 victory over Idaho on Dec. 30 that included six 3-pointers.
 
During EWU's seven-game winning streak earlier this season, he averaged 16.1 points and made 25-of-63 3-pointers and 20-of-24 free throws. He had a pair of 20-point performances in that stretch – 23 with six 3-pointers against Denver and 21 with five more treys versus San Francisco – then had 19 in EWU's double-overtime win at Seattle.
 
 
Hunt Has Hot Weekend in Split Versus MSU and UM
 
Sophomore Jesse Hunt came off the bench to contribute 21 points in just 34 minutes of action in EWU's split against Montana State and Montana. In the two games, he made 7-of-8 shots (3-of-4 from the 3-point line) and added nine rebounds. He had a career-high 13 points in 18 minutes against Montana State, having entered that game averaging just 2.2 points per game and scoring seven points in his previous five games. He also had seven rebounds against the Bobcats, coming one from his career high. Hunt then scored eight versus Montana, hitting all three of his shots from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. He is now averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds this season after a freshman season that saw him average 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 30 games (nine as a starter).
 
 
Ty Gibson Has Career Day Versus Argos
 
Sophomore Ty Gibson scored 13 points in a less than four minute span in the first half and finished with a career-high 19 points in EWU's 103-76 victory over Great Falls on Dec. 8. In helping Eastern open leads of 27-2 and 39-4, he played only 15 minutes and still nearly doubled his previous high of 10 last year versus Southern Utah and on Nov. 27 this season versus San Francisco. He scored 13 points in a 3:43 stretch in the first half with four three-pointers and a free throw. Gibson made 6-of-7 shots from the field – all 3-point attempts – and made all three of his free throws. For the season, he is averaging 4.3 points on 52.6 percent shooting from the field, including 27-of-51 3-pointers (52.9 percent to rank second in the Big Sky). He is a 2015 graduate of Issaquah (Wash.) High School.
 
 
Eagles Starting Pair of True Freshmen, Who Combine for 23 at Montana
 
A pair of Eagle true freshmen have been in the starting lineup since Dec. 20, including point guard Luka Vulikic from Belgrade, Serbia, and forward Mason Peatling from Melbourne, Australia. That starting unit is 8-4 thus far, with the two freshmen combining for 23 points in EWU's 72-60 win at Montana on Jan. 26.
 
Vulikic has started 19 of 23 games, and is averaging 3.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He had just two turnovers in 58 combined minutes versus Xavier and Colorado, and he equaled his season high with 12 points versus the Buffaloes. He had 10 points and six rebounds at Montana.
 
Peatling made his starting debut versus 17th-ranked Xavier on Dec. 20 and has started every game since. He is averaging 4.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.6 blocked shots, with a high of 13 points at Montana on Jan. 26 and highs of nine rebounds and three blocked shots versus Idaho on Dec. 30. He also had seven points versus the Vandals and has made 56.6 percent of his shots from the field for the season (43-of-76) and 41.7 percent of his 3-pointers (10-of-24).
 
 
Bliznyuk Earns Mid-Season "Player of the Year So Far" Honors, and Wiley is Also Honored
 
Eastern's Bogdan Bliznyuk and Jacob Wiley were honored Dec. 30 by HoopsHD.Com as mid-season All-Big Sky Conference selections. Bliznyuk was named that organization's "Player of the Year So Far," and he was joined on the all-league team by senior graduate transfer Jacob Wiley.
 
"There are three parts of the season – non-conference, conference and post-season," said Eastern head coach Jim Hayford. "Our team only has four upperclassmen this year and we need their leadership and consistent play. Jacob and Bogdan played well in November and December. Recognition for them is earned and deserved.  Now we move forward together with their leadership."
 
 
Julian Harrell Will Miss Rest of Season With Shoulder Injury
 
The collegiate career for Julian Harrell has ended with surgery to repair a disabling shoulder injury, head coach Jim Hayford announced Nov. 21. With a 3.89 grade point average, Harrell saw action in two of Eastern's three games this season, but played just 36 total minutes. In his 23-game career as an Eagle he averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists, making 47.1 percent of his shots from the field. He transferred to Eastern from City College of San Francisco after originally playing at Penn in the 2012-13 (redshirt) and 2013-14 seasons.
 
"This is terrible news, and very disappointing for Julian, his family and his teammates," said Hayford of the 2012 graduate of Loyola High School in Los Angeles. "Julian has giving everything he can to our program for two years, and will graduate winter quarter as an honors student. Though not replaceable, our team will work very hard to step up and honor Julian with our work this season."
 
Harrell will graduate from Eastern with an interdisciplinary studies/liberal arts degree. He was a Big Sky Conference All-Academic selection last season, and entered this year as a preseason fourth team All-Big Sky selection by College Sports Madness.
 
 "The hardest thing for me to do is to accept that I won't be able to play this season," said Harrell. "This team has something special brewing, and I wanted to be out there playing with my brothers. There isn't a doubt in my mind that they will be successful this year. Though I'm expected to make a full recovery, it truly hurts that I can't be on the court during the special season that this team will have. Thank you to the EWU community for the love and support since I first arrived on campus -- it means a lot. Go Eags!"
 
 
Trio of Eagles Earn Preseason Honors
 
Junior forward Bogdan Bliznyuk was selected as a first team selection on the College Sports Madness preseason All-Big Sky Conference team. Seniors Felix Von Hofe and Julian Harrell were both picked as fourth team selections. All three were starters last season on a team that featured a pair of All-Big Sky Conference and All-District 6 selections in Venky Jois and Austin McBroom. 
 
"We lost two great starters from last year's team to graduation. It's nice to see the other three guys who started recognized for what they have done," said Eastern head coach Jim Hayford. "I am excited about what they will do as leaders of this year's team."
 
Last year, Bliznyuk averaged 12.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, and registered the first triple-double in school history. Von Hofe averaged 13.0 points and 3.1 made 3-pointers per game, and Harrell chipped in 8.3 points and 2.8 rebounds after missing 13 games with a hand injury.
 
 
Quartet Sign Letters of Intent With Eagle Basketball
 
A quartet of high school players, including 6-foot-9 forward Tanner Groves from Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., have signed letters of intent to play basketball and attend Eastern Washington University, EWU head coach Jim Hayford announced Nov. 9.
 
The others signed include 6-6 forward Brendan Howard, who was Montana's Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior at Great Falls High School. The third signee was Australian Jack Perry, a 6-2 guard who joins a group of five Aussies currently on EWU's roster. The fourth was 6-7 guard/forward Kim Aiken, an All-CIF selection from East Valley High School in Redlands, Calif.
 
More on the signing class, including comments from head coach Jim Hayford, is available at: http://goeags.com/news/2016/11/9/mens-basketball-quartet-sign-letters-of-intent-with-eagle-basketball.aspx?path=mbball
 
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
 * Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, the Eagles are now 20-22 versus the Vikings. All of the meetings have come since the 1996-97 school year when PSU joined the Big Sky Conference, and Eastern is 13-8 in Cheney and 7-13 against PSU in Portland (0-1 on neutral courts) since then. The Vikings have a 25-21 edge in the overall series. Eastern split its meetings against PSU in 2015-16, winning in Cheney (112-83) and losing in Portland (107-91).
 
* Last season in Cheney, on a night they made a school-record 20 3-pointers, the Eagles jumped out to a 21-4 lead and had a 10-point lead or larger for all but four minutes in an overwhelming 112-83 victory over Portland State in a Big Sky game Jan. 28 at Reese Court. Eastern sank 64 percent of its shots from the field, including 20-of-31 3-point attempts (62 percent). The Eagles broke the previous record of 18 3-pointers set against New Hope on Dec. 4, 2010. Eight Eagles made 3-pointers and six Eagles scored in double figures, led by the 25 of Austin McBroom and 23 by Venky Jois. Although Portland State's Cameron Forte had a monster game with 37 points and 13 rebounds, the Eagles held PSU to 34.3 percent shooting in the first half and led at intermission 56-32. Eastern's largest lead of 36 came with 15:11 left at 74-38 after an 18-6 run to open the second half. Bogdan Bliznyuk was a box score stuffer, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, five steals and four blocked shots. Felix Von Hofe scored 16, and Sir Washington came off the bench to score 10 points in 16 minutes.
 
* A year ago in Portland, the Vikings used hot shooting and Eastern miscues to open a 20-point lead at halftime, but EWU used a 28-16 run in the second half to close the gap before falling 107-91 Feb. 20 in Portland, Ore. The Vikings made 18 of their first 25 shots and went on to out-shoot the Eagles 65 percent to 50 percent for the game. After EWU had a 12-of-16 shooting stretch to cut the lead to 10 with 7:19 remaining, Portland State followed with a 12-4 run to pull away. Venky Jois made 9-of-11 shots to finish with 20 points and six rebounds, and Austin McBroom scored 36 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field overall, 3-of-9 from the 3-point stripe and a perfect 11-of-11 at the free throw line. He also had three assists, and Felix Von Hofe chipped in 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers. Bogdan Bliznyuk finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
Career High 38 Points For Jacob Wiley as Eagles Beat Hornets 77-72
 
Eagle Jacob Wiley equaled the eighth-most points in school history en route to a double-double with 38 points and 12 rebounds as Eastern beat Sacramento State 77-72 Feb. 2 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The Eagles used runs of 8-0 and 6-0 in the second half to take the lead for good, then held off the Hornets for their 15th win of the season. The victory moved the Eagles into a second-place tie in the league standings and gave head coach Jim Hayford his 99th victory as EWU's head coach. The Hornets started a front line of 6-foot-11, 6-8 and 6-7, and brought a 6-8 player off the bench. But Wiley was still able to register his fourth 30-point performance of the season with 38 – two points better than his career high of 36 set against Weber State on Jan. 14. He made 14-of-23 from the field and 10-of-13 free throws, and also had four blocked shots and three assists. Sophomore Cody Benzel hit a 3-pointer in both of EWU's runs, which helped the Eagles open a 10-point lead with 5:51 to play. Senior Felix Von Hofe chipped in nine points and six rebounds, but it was his defense late in the game that also caught the eye of Hayford. Junior Bogdan Bliznyuk was the only other Eagle scoring in double figures, finishing with 11 to go along with a team-high six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
 
 

 
Head Coach Jim Hayford Comments

 
On Wiley Versus Sac State: "Jake could have had 50 if he shot the ball like he normally does. He missed some easy ones, but he had a great night. He's doing such a great job of making the most of his opportunity and making up for lost time at the Division I level. He just keeps putting unbelievable games up that I'm sure everybody in Eagle nation loves."
 
On Contributions of Benzel and Von Hofe: "Cody came in and gave us two really big 3-pointers," he said. "We didn't get that spark in the first half when we lacked energy, but Cody did that for us in the second half. He deserves praise for that. Justin Strings got going for Sac State, and Felix started getting stops on him, so Felix deserves some praise as well. Who ever thought we would be praising Felix on his defense? People grow."
 
On 15th Victory of the Season:  "We got win No. 15, and we were very fortunate we were on our home court tonight. I thought we came out really flat. We missed four really easy shots to start the game, and I called a timeout to get re-grouped. But we were playing some really good defense and kind of fought our way through that first half. It was like we were moving in mud. We had a real logical timeout and said, 'hey, can we get some more passion into this game.'"
 
On Second Half: "Sac State answered in the second half – they were up at half and had a chance to win. They brought some fire and we answered that and got some separation. As crazy as we tried to make it at the end by giving up a pair of four-point plays, we fortunately built a big enough win to sustain the lead and win. It was a good thing we were at home tonight, because if we were that flat to start a game on the road, it would have been curtains. Hopefully we can learn a lesson, even though we won. Sometimes you need to take a loss to learn a lesson, but we won."
 
On Wiley Being Focal Point of Offense: "We are going to get Jake the ball, and we (ask other teams) 'what are you going to do about it?' If that doesn't get solved, we are going to keep going to him. And if that doesn't get solved we are going to go to it again. We take a page out of the Eastern Football playbook – if you can't stop Cooper Kupp we are going to keep throwing him the ball."
 
On Abilities of Wiley: "You can use Jake so many different ways. We use him at the low block and we use him off the drive. Then we can use him as a pressure release when teams press. And at the end of all that, if you foul him he's a really good free throw shooter."
 
On Big Sky Tournament in Reno: "Ultimately, you are playing for a three or four game winning streak. If you can do that in Reno, you can get the crown jewel. Playing it in Reno is a great experience because every team knows they are coming, you can plan ahead and families can see you play. I thought the environment is great. I'm glad the conference made this move to a neutral site, and I think it is only going to get better and better. It's nice to have experience there, but ultimately you have to build depth for your team to be at its best for those games."