­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (1-4/0-0 Big Sky) Saturday, Dec. 1 – at Seattle ­– 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8 – at North Dakota State – 5 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	The Seattle game will be on Rock 94.5 FM with Bob Castle calling the play-by-play. All other 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir calls the play-by-play Broadcasts both days begin a half-hour prior to tipoff
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Eagles-Sports-Network-s273711/
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	None
­­­Webcast:	CLICK HERE for Seattle Game http://watchbigsky.com or Pluto Channel 234 for EWU home games
Live Stats:	Seattle & EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. (subject to change) and is aired live on 700-AM ESPN. The show will take place live at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in Cheney.

 Long before the coaching circles developed some irony, this was a rivalry in the making.
 
The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team returns to Seattle for the second time in five days to face the Jim Hayford-coached Seattle Redhawks on Saturday (Dec. 1) in an annual clash of NCAA Division I rivals from within the state of Washington.
 
Tipoff is 5 p.m. Pacific time at the Redhawk Center on the SU campus. Because of EWU's football game that afternoon, the radio broadcast will be on Rock 94.5-FM in the Spokane area, with Bob Castle taking over the headset as play-by-play broadcaster. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff.
 
The Eagles have played Seattle at least once every season since 2009, and are 15-10 all-time versus the Redhawks. In the first game versus his former team last year, Hayford's Redhawks won 84-64. Hayford spent six seasons as EWU's head coach, with current Eagle head coach Shantay Legans serving on his coaching staff all six seasons.
 
The Eagles are 1-4, and are coming off an 83-59 loss at Washington on Tuesday (Dec. 27). Seattle is 6-2, including a 78-69 win over Washington State on Nov. 14 in Kent, Wash. Playing this year's games at its campus venue, the Redhawk Center, Seattle is 7-1 at home following a 107-72 win on Wednesday (Nov. 28) against Northwest University.
 
"We have another game against a very good Seattle team," said Legans. "It's getting us ready for our conference season and it's a lot of fun. Playing here at Washington is a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of people from within the state. I just wish we would have showed better."
 
Prior to the Washington loss, EWU split a pair of overtime games in the Cheney sub-regional of the 2K Empire Classic Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Eastern lost 82-78 to Green Bay on Nov. 16, then knocked off UMKC (Missouri-Kansas City) 87-80 in the consolation game. Senior Jesse Hunt had double-doubles in both games to earn all-tournament honors, then scored 15 to lead the Eagles versus the Huskies.
 
Prior to that, Eastern suffered a pair of season-opening losses to nationally-ranked opponents last week in the first of two preliminary games of the 2K Empire Classic. Eastern fell 66-34 to Syracuse on Nov. 6 before falling to Oregon 81-47 three nights later. The Ducks, the favorite to win the Pac-12 Conference title, were ranked 14th in the Associated Press preseason poll and 16th in the USA Today Coaches rankings. The Orange, which advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, entered the EWU game ranked 16th and 14th, respectively.
 
Eastern played without three injured players the first week – Mason Peatling, Jacob Davison and Steven Beo – plus senior Ty Gibson for the most part. Gibson did not play versus the Ducks because of an injury in the first half versus Syracuse after playing just eight minutes. Davison returned to action versus Green Bay and had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the two games combined, then had a career-high five assists at Washington.
 
This week's games begin a stretch of five-straight games on the road –- Washington, Seattle, North Dakota State, San Francisco and Stanford. The North Dakota State will be a milestone for Legans as he coaches in his 300th game as an Eastern assistant or head coach. Last season, in just the third game under Legans of his head coaching career, Eastern upset Stanford 81-67 on Nov. 14, 2017. The Eagles will also host powerhouse South Dakota State on Dec. 18, and Corban University on Dec. 21.
 
Seattle has five players averaging in double figures, with all five starting at least five games this season. Junior guard Morgan Means leads the Redhawks with a 16.7 average and team-leading 23 3-pointers, scoring 23 in Wednesday's win. Sophomore guard Terrell Brown out of Seatttle's Garfield High School and Shoreline Community College had 26 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals versus Northwest. He is averaging 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
 
Eastern returns seven total letterwinners from the 2017-18 team, including four starters. However, the Eagles lost the Big Sky and EWU all-time leading scorer in Bogdan Bliznyuk, who was the league MVP and an honorable All-America selection last year after finishing with 2,169 points in his career.
 
The Eagles closed the 2017-18 season with a 20-15 record in their 35th season as a member of NCAA Division I after finishing 13-5 in the league during their 31st season as a member of the Big Sky. Eastern made its fourth-straight national postseason appearance when the team competed in the 2018 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
 
 
 
Links to EWU Men's Basketball Information
 
A .pdf version of the 2018-19 EWU Fact Book & Archives: https://goeags.com/sports/2016/1/7/MBB_Other%20Links-Archive.aspx
More Information on Eastern Men's Basketball: https://goeags.com/index.aspx?path=mbball
Big Sky Conference Championship Information: http://bigskyinboise.com
 
 

Game/Season Notes

 
Jesse Hunt Averaging 14.8 Points and 8.0 Rebounds With Pair of Double-Doubles
 
Senior Jesse Hunt had back-to-back double-doubles, but he saved his best for last on Nov. 17 to earn All-Tournament honors at the Cheney Sub-Regional of the 2K Empire Classic Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. He then followed that performance by leading the Eagles with 15 points at Washington on Nov. 27.
 
He scored 15 of EWU's 22 points down the stretch en route to his second-straight double-double and give the Eagles an 87-80 victory over the University of Missouri Kansas City on Nov. 17 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. It was Hunt's fourth double-double of his career, and he doubled his previous career high of 16 and achieved a new career high with 12 rebounds. Hunt hit a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and his efforts also included two other baskets in the final 2:02 of regulation to provide most of EWU's offense down the stretch. He then scored eight of EWU's 18 points in overtime. He sank 12-of-16 shots from the field with a trio of 3-pointers, and also had four assists.
 
"Jesse was there and knocked down the shot," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans on his team getting to overtime. "Our guys spaced the floor and Jesse came up big. Jesse had a great game. For he and Ty (Gibson) to get 20 rebounds between them was huge."
 
One game earlier in a semifinal loss to Green Bay, Hunt finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, plus had three assists and a pair of blocked shots. In the two games, he averaged 23.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shots per game, while making 65.5 percent of his shots overall (19-of-29), 4-of-6 from the 3-point stripe and 5-of-9 free throws.
 
Through five games as a starter this season for the 1-4 Eagles, he's averaging 14.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game while making 53.7 percent from the floor, 52.9 percent from the 3-point arc (9-of-17) and 50.0 percent from the line. He's played in 88 career games with 22 starts, and has averages of 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds. He nearly had a double-double at Oregon on Nov. 9 when he finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
 
A foot injury limited Hunt to just 20 games and five starts in the 2017-18 season, including just four brief appearances in EWU's last 19 games of the season. For the season, Hunt averaged 18.3 minutes, 7.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and had nine blocked shots, while making 49.5 percent of his shots from the field and 80.6 percent from the free throw line.
 
Before initially injuring the foot on Jan. 5, 2018, in a practice, Hunt had started the last five games he played, helping lead the Eagles to four victories and averaging 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He made 25-of-43 shots overall (58.1 percent), 7-of-11 from the 3-point stripe (63.6 percent) and 16-of-20 from the free throw line (80.0 percent) in those five games, and had registered his career high for scoring in the first four games.
 
Playing for the first time in more than a month, Hunt logged six minutes against Montana on Feb. 15, 2018, in his first action in 10 games before aggravating a foot injury in that game. He returned for the Big Sky Conference Tournament and had a total of four points and five rebounds in EWU's first two games. But he once again aggravated the injury in the title game, also versus Montana, and missed EWU's College Basketball Invitational game versus Utah Valley.
 
 
 
Hayford in Second Year After 16 Years in the Inland Northwest
 
Jim Hayford, who was assisted by his associate head coach Shantay Legans for six seasons, was head coach of Eastern teams from the 2013-14 through 2016-17 seasons which had win totals of 15, 26, 18 and 22. Eastern has had its first back-to-back national tournament postseason appearances at the Division I level (with a current active stretch of four-straight), including its first-ever win (79-72 over Pepperdine in the College Basketball Invitational in 2016). Hayford and Legans directed Eastern to a 26-9 record overall, Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament titles and a NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2014-15 season.
 
Hayford left the Inland Northwest on March 29, 2017, after 16 years – 10 at Whitworth and six at Eastern. He was 106-91 overall in Cheney to establish a new high-water mark for victories for EWU's eight head coaches who led the Eagles exclusively at the NCAA Division I level.
 
Hayford and Legans coached together in 10 Big Sky Conference Tournament games, with a record of 6-4 in four appearances. Eastern's 2014-15 squad won the title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a trio of victories in Missoula, Montana. Included was a come-from-behind 69-65 over the host Grizzlies in the championship game.
 
 
Five Eagles Made Eagle Debuts Versus Syracuse
 
Four Eagles, including starting redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr., made their collegiate debuts when Eastern played at Syracuse on Nov. 6. For Aiken, it was the first start of his career in his Eagle debut, finishing with five points.
 
Coming off the bench for EWU were redshirt freshman Tanner Groves and true freshmen Elijah Jackson and Austin Fadal. All three scored their first points and had their first rebounds of their careers as Eagles, as did junior college transfer Tyler Kidd. A redshirt last season after transferring from Skagit Valley Community College, Kidd made 3-of-8 shots from the field – including 3-of-5 3-pointers – to finish with a team-high nine points. He also had a pair of rebounds, an assist and a steal. Against Oregon one game later, Groves and Jackson both made their first 3-pointers as Eagles.
 
Besides Aiken, the rest of EWU's starting lineup against Syracuse included seniors Ty Gibson and Jesse Hunt, as well as sophomores Luka Vulikic and Jack Perry. Eastern played without three players – Mason Peatling, Jacob Davison and Steven Beo – plus Gibson played just eight minutes after suffering an injury in the first half. Gibson did not play versus Oregon and was replaced in the lineup by Cody Benzel, who finished with a team-high 16 points.
 
Aiken averaged 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds as a high school senior in the 2016-17 season, and scored 1,730 points (18.4 per game) and had 1,038 rebounds (11.0) in his career. Groves earned All-State honors while at nearby Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., and averaged 18.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocked shots as a senior. Kidd earned all-defensive honors in the Northwest Athletic Conference and averaged 14.1 points as a sophomore at Skagit Valley Community College.
 
Jackson is out of Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, earning All-Metro League honors as a senior, then winning the long jump and triple jump at the 2018 State 3A Championships. He had high school bests of 23-6 in the long jump, 46-4 3/4 in the triple jump and 6-6 in the high jump. Those marks would have all placed in the top 12 at the Big Sky Conference Championships in 2018.
 
Fadal averaged over 18 points and six assists in his high school career, but a knee injury in December of his senior season ended his high school career. He then played one season at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona where he was one of the eight finalists nationwide for the National Prep Hoops Offensive Post-Graduate/Prep School Player of the Year.
 
 
Eastern Picked Fourth in Big Sky Preseason Polls
 
Montana is the consensus favorite, but the Grizzlies are just one of several league championship contenders Eastern will face in the 2018-19 season. The Eagles were picked to finish fourth behind defending champion Montana, Weber State and Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference preseason polls announced on Oct. 18 by the league office.
 
Eastern received 261 votes in the media poll to trail Northern Colorado by 19, and were 67 tallies ahead of Montana State. The coaches had Eastern seven points behind UNC and eight points ahead of No. 5 Portland State.
 
"The Big Sky will be good again – it's really talented from top to bottom," said second-year EWU coach Shantay Legans. "So it's going to be a fight for us."
 
Montana was a unanimous choice to repeat as champs, receiving 33 of 35 first-place votes in the media poll and all but one of the votes cast by the coaches. Picking up the other first-place votes and ranking second in both polls was perennial Big Sky power Weber State.
 
"Montana is the favorite because they have most of their players back," said Legans. "And Weber State is also bringing back some guys and has some good, young players coming in. Northern Colorado should be right at the top again, and Montana State has Tyler Hall so they'll be a challenge."
 
League play begins Dec. 29, but Big Sky foes won't be the other league favorites the Eagles will face. In their respective preseason polls in their leagues, Oregon (Pac-12) and South Dakota State (The Summit League) have been picked to win titles. Syracuse (Atlantic Coast Conference) under veteran head coach Jim Boeheim will be among the favorites after its run to the NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16" a year ago.
 
"With our schedule we'll be able to see how we stack up against teams picked to win their conference," said Legans, whose team will play seven of its 11 preseason games on the road. "That's how we like it."
 
One of EWU's home games will be against South Dakota State on Dec. 18, and the Jackrabbits feature one of the best players in NCAA Division I basketball in Mike Daum. The 6-foot-9 senior forward averaged 23.9 points and 10.3 rebounds a year ago."
 
 "They say he is one of the top 20 players in the country, and it will be a lot of fun to play them at home," Legans added. "They are maybe one of the top five mid-major programs in the country and are very talented."
 
Big Sky Conference Preseason Rankings
 
Media Poll (Rank – Team – Points): 1. Montana - 383 (33); 2. Weber State - 346 (2); 3. Northern Colorado – 280; 4. Eastern Washington – 261; 5. Montana State – 194; 6. Idaho – 192; 7. Portland State – 189; 8. Idaho State – 176; 9. Southern Utah – 128; 10. Sacramento State – 115; 11. Northern Arizona – 46. First place votes in parenthesis
 
Coaches Poll (Rank – Team – Points): 1. Montana - 100 (10); 2. Weber State - 90 (1); 3. Northern Colorado – 70; 4. Eastern Washington – 63; 5. Portland State – 55; t6. Montana State – 53; t6. Southern Utah – 53; 8. Idaho State – 50; 9. Idaho – 34; 10. Sacramento State – 27; 11. Northern Arizona – 10. First place votes in parenthesis
 
 
Preseason Schedule Includes Teams from Seven Different Conferences
 
It will be another year of challenge, as Eastern will play 11 non-conference games – four at home and seven on the road – prior to the start of Big Sky Conference play on Dec. 29.
 
In all, Eastern's non-conference schedule will include teams from seven different conferences – ACC, Pac-12, Horizon, Ohio Valley, Western Athletic, Summit and the West Coast. The 11 non-conference opponents EWU will play or could potentially play combined for a 202-170 overall record last season, and were 90-92 in their respective leagues.
 
Along with Syracuse, South Dakota State also advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished 28-7 after winning the Summit League title with a 13-1 record. Washington, Stanford and Oregon all played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), winning first-round games before bowing out in the second round.
 
Seattle and San Francisco joined EWU in the 2018 CBI. Both Eastern and the Redhawks – coached by former Eagle head coach Jim Hayford – fell in the first round. But the Dons advanced all the way to the championship series versus North Texas where USF won 72-62 in the opener but lost 69-55 and 88-77 in the next two games.
 
In all, 10 of EWU's 21 NCAA Division opponents appeared in postseason NCAA Division I Tournaments. Montana represented the Big Sky in the NCAA Tournament, while Portland State and Northern Colorado both played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).
 
 
League Schedule Features 20 Games for the Third Time in League History
 
As expected, the 2018-19 schedule of games in the Big Sky Conference for the Eagles will have a few twists and turns. It includes 20 league games for the first time since the 2013-14 and 2012-13 seasons. Those were the only years in the league's 55-year history the schedule has included 20 conference games.
 
The departure of North Dakota left the league with 11 members, making for a challenge in scheduling 20 games for each team in a span of 11 weekends. Travel partners – such as Idaho paired with EWU – were retained as much as possible, but the "lone wolf" is always prevalent when scheduling an odd amount of teams.
 
Most notably, Eastern will play four games on Monday, including three at home at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.  The Eagles will also host Montana and Montana State in back-to-back games, but those will come nine days apart.
 
However, the good news for the Eagles is that their road travel schedule is as good as could be expected. The lone Monday road game is at Northern Colorado -- four days after the Eagles play at nearby local rival Idaho.
 
"Scheduling 11 teams in a 20-game schedule is definitely a difficult task," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "But we are pleased with how it came out for us. It's definitely different playing on Mondays, but we'll embrace the challenges and fight to win the league title."
 
The Big Sky Conference Championship, which will take place in Boise, Idaho, for the next three years, is scheduled for March 13-16, 2019 at CenturyLink Arena.
 
 
Eastern Will Be Involved in Big Sky Versus Summit League Challenge Series in 2018-19
 
North Dakota's final year of membership in the Big Sky was in 2017-18 before moving to the Summit League, but the Eagles will play the Fighting Hawks again in the future as part of a four-year rivalry series between the two leagues. Members of the Big Sky Conference and Summit League have agreed to a four-year men's basketball series involving four teams from each league, which begins during the 2018-19 season.
 
Each school will play one home game and road contest against separate schools from the other league during each of the four seasons. Big Sky schools participating are Eastern, Montana State, Montana and Idaho. The Summit is represented by North Dakota State, North Dakota, Omaha and South Dakota State.
 
Eastern played South Dakota from the Summit League in the 2017-18 season, but the Coyotes are not among the schools taking part in the series. Montana State Director of Athletics Leon Costello and Bobcat coach Brian Fish were among those initiating the process between the eight schools. The rundown of games for the next four seasons is:
 
2018-19 -- Eastern Washington at North Dakota State, South Dakota State at Eastern Washington, North Dakota at Montana State, Montana State at Omaha, Montana at South Dakota State, North Dakota State at Montana, Omaha at Idaho, Idaho at North Dakota.
 
2019-20 -- Eastern Washington at North Dakota, Omaha at Eastern Washington, Montana State at North Dakota State, South Dakota State at Montana State, Montana at Omaha, North Dakota at Montana, North Dakota State at Idaho, Idaho at South Dakota State.
 
2020-21 -- North Dakota State at Eastern Washington, Eastern Washington at South Dakota State, Montana State at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana State, South Dakota State at Montana, Montana at North Dakota State, Idaho at Omaha, North Dakota at Idaho.
 
2021-22 -- Eastern Washington at Omaha, North Dakota at Eastern Washington, Montana State at South Dakota State, North Dakota State at Montana State, South Dakota State at Idaho, Idaho at North Dakota State, Montana at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana.
 
 
Brackets Set for Big Sky Tourney in Boise
 
The move from Reno to Boise has also resulted in a change in the brackets for the 2019 Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships presented by My Place Hotels. Tickets and lodging for the event s available now at: http://BigSkyinBoise.com.
 
The tournaments are set to take place March 11-16 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. Eastern's women's team could start as early as Monday, March 11, while the men wouldn't begin play until Wednesday, March 13, at the earliest. The women's tournament will be held March 11-15, while the men's championship will take place March 13-16. The tournament champions will receive automatic berths to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
 
For the fourth-straight season, all Big Sky members will compete in the conference tournament with the field featuring 11 teams for both the men and women in 2019. The top five teams in the final regular season standings will earn a bye to the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Championship. The six-day event will be held in the state of Idaho for the first time since 1994 when former Big Sky member Boise State served as the championship host.
 
The three first round games of the Big Sky women's championship will start Monday afternoon before four quarterfinal matchups follow on Tuesday for the women. A five-game Wednesday slate features a trio of men's first round games, leading up to the women's semifinals in the evening. 
 
The men's tourney continues Thursday with the quarterfinals. Friday's action consists of the women's championship game, which will air on Eleven Sports, while the men's semifinals follow that night. The week-long event wraps up Saturday with the men's championship game on ESPNU at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
 
CenturyLink Arena is a 5,300-seat facility located in downtown Boise that has been the home of the Idaho Steelheads hockey team since opening in 1997. The arena hosts an average of 100 events annually and has welcomed over 5.5 million attendees in 20 years. It also hosts numerous concerts, trade shows, and conventions each year. CenturyLink Arena is attached to the Grove Hotel, Boise's only four-diamond hotel.
 
The 2019 championship will be the fourth neutral site basketball championship in the Big Sky's history after holding the event in Reno, Nevada, the previous three seasons.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Big Sky Conference, follow us on Facebook at /BigSkyConf or on Instagram and Twitter @BigSkyConf. Fans can also follow Big Sky men's and women's basketball on Twitter, @BigSkyMBB and @BigSkyWBB.

 
Basketball Coaches Continue Dec. 11
 
Basketball Coaches Shows began Tuesday, Nov. 13, and will take place at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in downtown Cheney throughout the 2018-19 season. Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza is located at 122 College Ave. in Cheney, and the public is always invited to attend the shows live.
 
The shows begin at 6 p.m. and will feature men's head coach Shantay Legans, with special guests including head women's coach Wendy Schuller. Players and assistant coaches from both the men's and women's programs will be featured on the shows, which will continue through March 11.
 
Hosted by veteran Eagle radio play-by-play announcer Larry Weir, the shows may be heard on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, tunein.com and via Tunein's mobile phone app (search for Eastern Washington). EWU football and men's basketball games may also be heard via those methods.
 
After Nov. 13, shows will also take place on Tuesday, Dec. 11 and Tuesday, Jan. 8, before moving to Mondays on Jan. 14. The shows will take place each Monday thereafter, except for Feb. 4 and Feb. 18 because of games the Eagles play those nights.
 
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* Eastern is now 15-10 all-time against Seattle in a series that has included at least one game annually since 2009. In the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, the Eagles and Redhawks played each other twice both seasons. In 2016-17, a pair of tightly-contested games both went to double overtime, with Eastern winning in Seattle 93-88 after being victorious in Cheney 80-76. In the 2015-16 season, Eastern won at home 76-70 and then five days later fell in Seattle by a 58-56 score. Eastern won in the 2014-15 season in Seattle 87-75, and the year before triumphed in Cheney 82-75.

* Before renewing their rivalry in 2009, the last meeting came on Nov. 22, 1985, when Eastern won 83-64 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Until 2009, that was the lone game played between the two schools since EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season. The first four meetings came in the 1945-46 season, and Eastern won all four of those games, as well as a pair the following season. A split followed in 1948-49, and Seattle swept a pair in the 1951-52 season. Seattle was in NCAA Division I from 1944-1980, with such star players as Elgin Baylor, John O'Brien, Clint Richardson and Frank Oleynick on its rosters. Baylor, in fact, led Seattle to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament where it lost 84-72 to Kentucky. Formerly known as the Chieftains, from 1980-2002 they were affiliated with NAIA and from 2002-2007 were a member of NCAA Division II.
* In last year's meeting, Seattle made 51 percent of its shots while EWU struggled to a 39-percent afternoon in an 84-65 loss to the Redhawks on Dec. 3 at KeyArena in Seattle. The Redhawks used a 20-6 run to lead by 13 at halftime, then scored 23 of the first 29 points to start the second half to build a 32-point lead. At one point in the second half, the Redhawks were shooting at a 26-of-43 clip (60 percent), and at the same time the Eagles were just 13-of-41 (32 percent). Eastern ended the game with a 26-13 run to cut the lead to the final margin of 19, but the damage was done much earlier as the Redhawks led the entire game and by no less than 19 in the final 14 minutes. Sophomore Ty Gibson scored all 10 of his points in the second half, making 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-5 from the 3-point stripe. Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk was held to four points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. He went into the game averaging 15.6 points on the season. Gibson scored all eight Eagle points during an 8-0 run in the second half, including both of his 3-pointers in the game. The Eagles held Seattle scoreless for nearly three minutes, including no field goals for a 5:36 stretch.

* On Nov. 22, 2017, Eastern made its last four 3-pointers in the second overtime and beat Seattle 80-76 at Reese Court to win the title in the Legends Classic sub-regional round in Cheney, Wash. The Eagles had made just eight of 30 3-point shots until Bogdan Bliznyuk, Sir Washington, Felix Von Hofe and Cody Benzel all hit treys to turn a 70-65 deficit into a 77-73 lead with 25 seconds to play. Before that, Benzel and Bliznyuk hit triples – both with four seconds on the clock -- to force the game into overtime and double-overtime. Tournament MVP Jacob Wiley led the way with 20 points, nine rebounds, five blocked shots, five assists and a pair of steals in the victory. Benzel and Von Hofe each has 17, and freshman Luka Vulikic added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Benzel made the second start of his career and finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the 3-point arc. Von Hofe finished with 17 points with a trio of 3-pointers and 6-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. The game featured 14 lead changes and 11 ties, all in the second half and overtime. The Eagles finished with 10 blocked shots.

* In the rematch on Dec. 4, 2017, EWU rallied from a 14-point deficit with 10 minutes left to force overtime, then prevailed 93-88 in another double-overtime non-conference victory over Seattle at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash. Six 3-pointers in the final eight minutes of regulation helped send the game into overtime, including a trey with 24 seconds remaining by Felix Von Hofe, who finished with 19 points. After the Redhawks hit a 3-pointer to send the game into a second extra period, Eastern used a 9-0 run and 11-of-12 free throws in the final 1:54. Bogdan Bliznyuk had a double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds, Cody Benzel was also in double figures with 12 and senior Jacob Wiley had a great all-around game with 10 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots, five assists and a pair of steals. The Redhawks led 50-36 with 10:05 to play when Eastern hit six 3-pointers in the final eight minutes of regulation. With 24 seconds to play, Von Hofe made a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, and Eastern survived a 1-of-19 shooting stretch to finish at 42 percent for the game with 11 3-pointers.
 
 
 
 

More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Game Saturday at Seattle: "They have a lot of talent and do a good job. They have a similar style to us with four guards out there – they shoot a lot of 3's and come off a lot of ball screens. It's going to be a fun game for us, and our players our going to be excited. It's another chance to play in Seattle and play in the state of Washington. We love doing that and need to do it more often. We'll let this one go (Washington loss) and move on."
 
On Washington Loss: "We didn't stop fighting no matter what the score was which is a positive. Jesse Hunt is playing out of his mind and playing great basketball right now. Our guys in the locker room want to play against Washington and Stanford and whoever we can possibly play. It's a great experience for the team and we get our university on television. We have to make it look a little better, but at the same time we are out there and competing."
 
On Positives in Playing Tough Opponents: "I liked Kim Aiken today and Tyler Kidd played okay, and defensively he did a good job of picking guys up. We just need to get our younger players caught up with the older dudes right now, and as we do that our team is going to be good. We have depth and the fourth-hardest strength of schedule – the coach is an idiot whoever set this schedule up."
 
On Shooting: "We had some terrific looks by the guys we want to get shots, but we just didn't knock them down. We'll make them -- I have a lot of confidence in our team. They are in the gym and are putting the work in. When you see that as a coach you feel good about it. They are working and doing everything they can to get better. You have to believe in what they are doing."
 
On Week Off: "It actually helped us. It got us more healthy and in better shape. Jesse Hunt could have played all 40 minutes – he's playing his butt off and looked like he was in good shape tonight. He shot the ball well and shot with confidence. We are just trying to get the rust off Jacob Davison and get him all the way healthy and feeling 100 percent confident. When he does that he's one of the best guards in the league – I wouldn't take anybody over him. We just have to get players with a little more confidence behind him."
 
On Playing Challenging In-State Opponents: "Players like it and they want to play against the best. When you come to Eastern you are going to get a chance to do that. Our preseason really speaks for itself – we play everybody we possibly from within this state and it's a lot of fun. The players love it and gain a lot of experience. We have a lot of players from the state of Washington, so it's exciting to play games in front of their friends and families. It's awesome and we'll try to do it every single year."
 
On Confidence Growing After UMKC Win: "Our guys are starting to play with a lot of confidence. Our team last year started the same way because we pushed defense so hard early in the season. We feel like if we can hang our hat on the defensive end, scoring will come and guys will get better. We want to peak at the end of the year. We shot 43 percent and made nine threes, but we're getting our numbers up. We got some great performances from a lot of players."
 
On Bright Spots in Loss to Green Bay: "We wanted to come out with a win, but there were some bright spots when you look at it. We had five players in double figures which we haven't had all year long. We did a good job moving the ball once we started getting things going. Jesse had a double-double, so that was good for us. We had other guys step up like Austin Fadal. But we put them at the line 31 times and we can't do that. We have to do a better job in transition and the turnovers really hurt us. It's all a part of the process. We hate losing at home, but it was a learning experience. Some of our younger players took advantage of the opportunity."
 
On Process: "We're just trying to get better every game, and it's going to be a long process. We are playing a lot of good teams with a lot of size. We have some key injuries right now to some important players on our team, so we're looking to see what freshmen can play well. Other players have to step up and we had a couple of players do that."
 
On Losing First Two to Ranked Teams: "We got taught a lesson by two really good teams. We are going to take these back and get better and get smarter. We'll use this experience to move forward and be the best team we can be. We're trying to make that happen by Big Sky play. It's going to be fun to watch Oregon and Syracuse as the season goes along and to say we played them. Hopefully we get the opportunity again -- these are two NCAA Tournament teams."
 
On Opportunities: "We're playing against great teams and in great venues. I talk to our team about the opportunity they are being given at such a young age. We have freshmen out here playing that we thought might redshirt at some point. We want to make sure they are ready to go, but sometimes these freshmen need time to get better. At the same time, I like the fight we've had – we play hard. Some of the guys are playing different positions, some aren't even playing the positions they've played all year long. There are no excuses -- you have to come out here and play the game and put for the effort to try and win these games."
 
On Preseason: "Our entire non-conference schedule is tough and we play some really good teams. As we go through our season, it's getting us ready for the conference season. No matter how it turns out, when we start Big Sky play we'll be 0-0 and we have to be good then. We have a mature team with some great senior leaders and we will make sure our players understand exactly what this preseason means."
 
On Progress of Returning Players: "We have six of our top seven players back, and we look forward to getting all those guys on the same page. We've had some injuries early, which is a setback but it's giving our younger players a lot more reps than they usually would. But even with all that experience we're really young. We have three seniors who do a great job leading, and their roles will expand offensively as the season moves forward. We have some great young talent, and the experienced players are showing them how it works."
 
On His First Year as Head Coach: "The support has been great back home. Everybody and the athletic department was right behind us every single step of the way. It was a tremendous first year for me and I couldn't be happier. I want to thank everybody for believing in this team and being part of something special. I'm sorry we couldn't win the tournament and get to the dance, but we'll be back. We want everybody to support these players because they deserve it – they work their tails off on the court and in the classroom. Supporting them is huge to our team and means a lot. I'm excited about our future and our athletic department."
                     
On 20 Victories: "It's a big thing for our program to get to 20 wins. The guys deserve it and they did everything we asked them to do all season long. To be able to play for a championship is what you are trying to do when the season starts. Was cool and exciting about the whole postseason situation is that the Big Sky had six teams with 20 wins, and that's the most in 55 years. Being able to play against so many tournament-caliber teams got us prepared for the run we went on. We were 20 minutes from representing the Big Sky in the big dance."
 
On Peatling's Honorable Mention Accolade: "Mason had a monster conference season. He's a big reason we won 13 league games, and our win against Northern Colorado was a key in helping us finish third. He kicked everybody's butt on the boards that day -- he tried to outrebound them by himself."
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Eastern Falls to Fast-Starting Huskies 83-59
 
In a game which featured rosters dotted with talent from the state of Washington, the University of Washington Huskies used a fast start and hot shooting to upend Eastern 83-59 on Nov. 27 in a non-conference men's basketball game at Bank of America Arena in Seattle, Wash. Both teams sank 12 3-pointers, but it was Washington's early 24-6 lead and 26-4 advantage in points in the paint that led to the fifth victory in seven tries for EWU. The Eagles, who were led by the 15 points of Jesse Hunt, fell to 1-4 with the loss.  Eastern, which hadn't played since Nov. 17 when it beat UMKC (Missouri-Kansas City) 87-80 in Cheney, used an 11-0 run with two 3-pointers by Cody Benzel and another by Jacob Davison to cut the lead to seven in the first half and 35-25 at halftime. But Washington went on a 12-0 run in the second half to put the Huskies up by 24 and put the game away. Washington led by as many as 27 late in the game and had a 26-2 advantage in fast-break points. The Eagles made just two of its 13 shots (15 percent), but bounced back to make 30 percent in the first half. A stretch of 13-straight misses in the second half resulted in a 29 percent shooting night for the Eagles, while UW made 52 percent. Washington sank nine of its first 13 shots, and made 52 percent in each half. Eastern held UW leading scorer Jaylen Nowell to just eight points, but Dominic Green hit 7-of-10 3-pointers to lead the Huskies with a career-high 25 points. Green is a senior from Renton, Wash., and Nowell is out of Seattle's Garfield High School, while five other Huskies are from the state. Eastern has nine players on its roster from Washington. Senior Ty Gibson (Issaquah), junior Tyler Kidd (O'Dea/Skagit Valley CC) and true freshman Elijah Jackson (Chief Sealth) are Eagles from high schools in the Seattle area who have played this season.
 
 
Hunt's Career Night Leads Eagles Past Kangaroos 87-80 in 2K Empire Classic Consolation
 
Jesse Hunt put the Eagles on his back and it paid off. The senior scored 15 of EWU's 22 points down the stretch and Eastern beat the UMKC (University of Missouri Kansas City) 87-80 in overtime on Nov. 17 in the consolation game of the sub-regional of the 2K Empire Classic at Reese Court.  It was Hunt's second-straight double-double and fourth of his career. He doubled his previous career high of 16 and achieved a new career high with 12 rebounds. Hunt hit a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts, which also included two other baskets in the final 2:02 of regulation to provide most of EWU's offense down the stretch. He then scored eight of EWU's 18 points in overtime. Senior Ty Gibson scored 16 with a career-high eight boards for the Eagles, and sophomore Jack Perry chipped in 11. Eastern fell behind 67-66 with 30.4 seconds left and 69-66 with 10 ticks remaining, but Hunt's heroics saved the day for EWU, which made 5-of-6 shots in the overtime period compared to 3-of-7 for UMKC. The Eagles sank 46.2 percent of its shots from the field, compared to only 37.9 percent for UMKC. At the point EWU led 57-47, the Eagles had made nearly 50 percent for the game, but cooled off to 41 percent before Jesse Hunt's 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. Eastern was 5-of-6 in the extra period. Eastern also out-rebounded the Kangaroos 47-39.