­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (1-6/0-0 Big Sky) Thursday, Dec. 13 – at San Francisco ­– 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 – at Stanford ­– 4 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	Eastern games are on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir calls the play-by-play (Bob Castle at Stanford). Broadcasts 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 for USF; Pac-12 Networks for Stanford
­­­Webcast:	USF:  https://wccsports.com/watch Stanford: CLICK HERE http://watchbigsky.com or Pluto Channel 234 for EWU home games
Live Stats:	USF: CLICK HERE Stanford & 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, Jan. 8 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.

Finals week is over at Eastern Washington University, but there continue to be tests galore for the Eagle men's basketball team.
 
Eastern plays at San Francisco this Thursday (Dec. 13) against a Dons team that is currently 8-1 and received five votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll. The game at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center starts at 7 p.m. Pacific time.
 
Eastern follows that by playing at 4-4 Stanford of the Pac-12 Conference in a game that begins at 4 p.m. Pacific time on Dec. 15. Last season, in just the third game under Legans of his head coaching career, Eastern upset Stanford 81-67 on Nov. 14, 2017.
 
Eastern then returns home for the first of four-straight home games, starting Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 6:05 p.m. when EWU hosts South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are 8-3 and feature one of the nation's top players in 6-foot-9 senior forward Mike Daum, a two-time All-America honorable mention selection. They play twice more before taking on the Eagles.
 
The Stanford game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks. All three Eastern games will be carried live via radio on 700-AM ESPN and 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area, with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play (Bob Castle takes over the headset on Saturday when EWU plays Stanford). Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff.
 
Both USF and SDSU are ranked high in the Collegeinsider.com mid-major top 25 rankings, with the Jackrabbits currently 10th and the Dons 17th. Big Sky Conference rival Montana (5-3) is 19th, and Seattle (9-3) received three votes in the poll released Dec. 10.
 
 "San Francisco is playing unbelievable basketball, and then we play Stanford, who will have a bullseye on us after last year's game," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "Then we have a couple of home games to finish off our preseason schedule. We're playing the best teams around we can play and it's a lot of fun. I love this team and their fight, and they are going to continue to fight throughout the season."
 
Eastern has dropped its last three games, but in between the Eagles have received much welcome practice time in its own gym. The three games were played in a 12-day span and were all on the road – 83-59 at Washington on Nov. 27, 88-68 at Seattle on Dec. 1 and 74-67 at North Dakota Sate on Dec. 8. The next four games for the Eagles will come in a 21-day span, followed by the team's Big Sky Conference openers at home versus Weber State (Dec. 29) and Idaho State (Dec. 31).
 
The Eagles are looking for their first victory since splitting 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 the next day.
 
Senior Jesse Hunt had double-doubles in both games to earn all-tournament honors, and has added two more in the last three games. He's averaging 15.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game to lead the Eagles, with sophomore Jacob Davison averaging 10.4. Davison is coming off a career-high 26 points in the loss at North Dakota State.
 
Eastern has played without a pair of players – junior Mason Peatling and sophomore Steven Beo – the entire season thus far, plus Davison and senior Ty Gibson have also missed time.
 
"Maybe we'll get Mason back for the home games," added Legans. "We are just looking forward to getting all the way healthy and keep playing as hard as we can. I have to keep these players focused, that's my job. We have to keep them upbeat and happy, and be excited to go to practice and get better."
 
After the South Dakota State game, Eastern closes its pre-Christmas schedule by hosting Corban University at 2:05 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21. Corban replaced Walla Walla on EWU's schedule after the Wolves canceled their 2018-19 season on Oct. 24.
 
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).
 
 
 
Game/Season Notes
 
 
Jesse Hunt Averaging 15.9 Points and 8.7 Rebounds With Four of D0ouble-Doubles
 
Senior Jesse Hunt is coming off his fourth double-double in five games and sixth of his career, and is averaging 15.9 points and 8.7 rebounds on the season. Most recently, he sank 4-of-9 shots from the field and made 2-of-4 3-point shots to finish with 11 points and 11 rebounds in a 74-67 loss at North Dakota State. He has now had 13 career double-figure scoring performances in his career and six with 10 or more rebounds.
 
Hunt has been the catalyst for the Eagle on offense thus far through seven games, with shooting percentages of 53.2 percent overall and 50.0 percent from the 3-point range (14-of-28). However, the rest of the team is shooting at 32.1 percent, and just 25.6 percent from the arc.
 
Hunt had back-to-back double-doubles – including a 32-point outing in an EWU victory -- 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, and had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds at Seattle on Dec. 1.
 
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. In finishing with 32 points, 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 seven games as a starter this season for the 1-5 Eagles, he's averaging 15.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.7 blocks per game while making 53.2 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from the 3-point arc (14-of-28) and 56.5 percent from the line. He's played in 90 career games with 24 starts, and has averages of 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. He nearly had a double-double at Oregon on Nov. 9 when he finished with nine points and eight rebounds.

 
 Eastern-SDSU Game Part of the 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. Eastern's next home game versus South Dakota State on Dec. 18 is part of that series, as well as EWU's 74-67 loss at North Dakota State on Dec. 8.
 
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.
 
 
 
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.
 
Eastern opened the year by suffering a pair of season-opening losses to nationally-ranked opponents 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.
 
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.
 
 
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 are 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.

 
Series Notes
 
* The Eagles have played just seven games total versus their next four opponents, and five of those games came against one of those schools. Eastern has never played South Dakota State, and beat Stanford 67-61 last season in EWU's only all-time meeting versus the Cardinal. However, EWU has played five games against San Francisco, sporting a 3-2 record versus the Dons. Eastern has also played once versus Corban, but that came back on Dec. 15, 1987, when the school was then known as Western Baptist. The Eagles narrowly won in overtime 75-67 at Reese Court.
 
* Eastern's 3-2 all-time record against San Francisco includes a 96-90 victory two seasons ago in Cheney, and an 81-71 loss a year ago in San Francisco. The three prior meetings were in San Francisco, and Eastern lost 66-48 on Dec. 1, 1995, won 81-76 on Dec. 11, 2014, and won 81-77 on Dec. 1, 2015.
 
 
Looking Back . . . Despite Big Night by Bliznyuk and Furious Rally, Hot Start by USF Gives Dons 81-71 Win
 
Eastern won the second half with its best-scoring half of the season, but a hot start by San Francisco spoiled a huge performance by Bogdan Bliznyuk as the Eagles fell to the Dons 81-71 at venerable War Memorial Gym on Dec. 7, 2017. Eastern trailed by 26 in the first half, but rallied and out-scored the Dons 47-36 in the second half. Thanks to runs of 8-0 and 10-0 after intermission, the Eagles cut the lead to six on two occasions in the last 5:43 before the Dons held on for the win by making their last 10 free throws in the final minute. Bliznyuk scored 31 points and had 10 rebounds, while Mason Peatling scored 11 and Ty Gibson added 10 for the Eagles. True freshman Jack Perry, making the first start of his career, had six points and six rebounds. It was a tale of two halves, as USF sank 44 percent of its shots and made 7-of-9 (78 percent) of its 3-pointers in the first half, compared to 25 percent shooting by the Eagles on 1-of-7 (14 percent) from the arc. In the second half, Eastern held the Dons to 33 percent shooting and 1-of-5 (20 percent) treys. Eastern heated up to make 45 percent and 8-of-20 3-pointers for 40 percent. In the game, the Dons finished 39 percent from the field and 43 percent from the 3-point line, and EWU finished at 36 percent overall and 33 percent from long distance.
 
* In the meeting in Cheney on Nov. 27, 2016, Eastern made its last eight shots of the game to complete a comeback from a 15-point deficit in a 96-90 victory over USF as part of the Eastern Classic at Reese Court. Eastern, which made 55 percent of its shots from the floor, took its first lead of the game with 4:09 remaining. The Eagles closed out the win by making its last eight field goal attempts – including six 3-pointers – as well as its last six free throws. Ty Gibson, Cody Benzel, Felix Von Hofe and Sir Washington all hit critical threes down the stretch, and Washington had another key basket as well and a pair of assists and two free throws on his way to a career-high 21 points. The two teams combined for 31 3-pointers, with Eastern making 13 and the Dons sinking 12 of their 18 in the first 20 minutes. Six different Eagles made treys, and seven players had triples for USF. Bogdan Bliznyuk equaled his career high (at the time) with 32 points for EWU, and Von Hofe had 21 on 8-of-12 shooting from the field with five 3-pointers. Washington sank 7-of-10 shots from the field, both of his 3-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws, and also had six rebounds and three assists. Gibson came off the bench to finish with 10 points, making 2-of-3 3-point attempts and all four of his free throws in the final 12 seconds.
 
 
Looking Back . . . In One of Biggest Wins in School History, Eastern Defeats Stanford 67-61
 
The third time was the charm for first-year Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. In just the third game of Legans' short head coaching career, the Eagles pulled off one of the biggest victories in school history by beating Stanford 67-61 Nov. 14, 2017, at famed Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, Eastern made 11-of-25 3-point field goals compared to just 2-of-16 by the Cardinal. Runs of 12-0 before halftime and 9-0 after intermission helped the Eagles take the lead for good in the first half and hold a double-digit lead for most of the second half. Eastern made 8-of-14 free throws in the last 1:14 to survive a comeback attempt by the Cardinal and snap a 21-game losing streak versus Pac-12 opponents. Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk scored 23 points to lead the Eagles in scoring, and had five rebounds and a pair of assists. Ty Gibson sparked Eastern in the first half with 11 points, Jesse Hunt finished with 10 with eight boards and Jack Perry came off the bench to score seven. Seven-foot graduate transfer Benas Griciunas had his first double-figure rebounding performance as an Eagle with 10, and also chipped in six points. Eastern had a 12-0 run in the first half and 9-0 run in the second half that propelled them to the win. In the run before intermission, Gibson had a pair of 3-pointers and another basket to score eight of EWU's points. A 3-pointer by Bliznyuk with 9:52 left during the run gave Eastern the lead for good. Eastern led 19-13 with 8:13 left and 33-27 at halftime. After intermission, Eastern led just 33-31 before a 3-pointer by Griciunas and a pair of 3-point plays by Bliznyuk gave EWU a 42-31 advantage with 17:35 to play. Eastern didn't succumb to the pressure of leading a Pac-12 team on the road, and the 3-point shot was Eastern's friend down the stretch. Perry hit treys with 11:10 and 8:04 left in the second half to spark an 8-2 Eagle run, then Sir Washington hit one with 5:18 to play to keep EWU's lead at 10. The Eagles made eight free throws in the final minute of the game, but also missed six in the last 1:12 to keep Stanford's hopes alive. Bliznyuk sealed it by making all four of his in the last 10 seconds. Eastern's defense did its part as well, holding the Cardinal without a field goal from 6:35 to 1:56 in the second half during an 0-of-6 stretch for Stanford. For the game, Stanford made just 33.9 percent of its shots compared to 38.6 percent for the Eagles. Stanford had a slight 45-41 rebounding advantage, and also had three less turnovers than EWU.
 
 
 
More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .
 
On Upcoming Schedule: "Our players worked really hard on finals and got all their papers and reports in before we took off for this trip. This was actually the first road trip they didn't have study hall. We're headed to California and that's going to be a lot of fun for us because we have a lot of players from that area. We play at San Francisco and they are a really good basketball team. They've lost one game to a top 25 team, and I believe they will be in the top 25. I think they are the second-best team in the WCC. They have size, they have good guards and they make a lot of plays. They are coached really well and you have to be prepared for them. They really move the ball and have some experienced players on that team. Then we have Stanford which is another really good basketball team. They just took Kansas to overtime and could have won that game. I know they remember us going there and beating them last year. They'll be prepared and ready for us. Then we come back home for two home games which is going to be great – I can't wait to play at home in front of our own fans. But we play against a really good South Dakota State team which is in the top five in the mid-major polls right now and should be getting some votes for the top 25. Two of the next three we play are getting votes in the top 25 and those will be a lot of fun."
 
On NDSU Loss: "We fought defensively and did a good job. But you can't expect to win when you put a team on the line 27 times at their place and only get there yourself eight times."
 
On Jacob Davison versus NDSU: "Jacob is one of the better guards in the Big Sky. He's exceptional and can do a lot of things offensively because he's very skilled. He had a really bad wrist injury to start the season and injured his ankle, but he's starting to get back to full health. Now we have to get other players to step up with him."
 
On Shooting versus NDSU: "We got great looks, and all I can tell our team is that I believe in them. They are going to make these shots. We want great shots and we got them for our very good shooters. I'm going to keep believing in them. They are going to come back in the gym and will get some shots up. They just have to see the ball fall. We are running good plays to get or shooters shots."
 
On Other Individual Contributions versus NDSU: "Austin, for a true freshman, had a great game on the road. He made some big shots for us and did a lot of things defensively that really helped us out. We just have to get some other guys making shots. The name of the game is to make some shots and we have to get better at that. We shot 52 percent in the second half which is really good, but we also shot just 8-of-30 from three and that's not very good. We have to be better."
 
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 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 Has Hot-Shooting Second Half Before Falling at North Dakota State 74-67
 
With Shantay Legans coaching his 300th game as an Eagle, the EWU men's basketball team took a pair of leads in the second half before falling 74-67 to the Bison of North Dakota State on Dec. 8 in Fargo, N.D. Eastern's Jacob Davison scored a career-high 25 points for the Eagles, and senior Jesse Hunt had his fourth double-double in five games with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Luka Vulikic also had a solid all-around game with a career-high 10 assists to go along with seven points and three rebounds. North Dakota used a late 11-4 run to take the lead for good, and clinched the victory by making 6-of-6 free throws in the final 42 seconds. That spoiled a 52-percent shooting performance in the second half for the Eagles. Eastern had seven more field goals in the game than NDSU, but was out-scored from the free throw line 24-5. Eastern led early by as many as three, but Eastern couldn't overcome 30 percent shooting (9-of-30) in the first half and trailed 31-25 at halftime. But Eastern sank 53 percent in the second half to finish at 42.2 percent in the game (27-of-64). However, Eastern was just 8-of-30 from the 3-point stripe in the game for 26.7 percent. There were eight lead changes in the game, with the largest lead by either team a nine-point Bison lead in the first half.
 
 
Eagles Hang Tough But Fall at Seattle 88-68
 
Despite another big night by senior Jesse Hunt, Eastern fell to Seattle 88-68 on Dec. 1 in an annual clash of NCAA Division I rivals from within the state of Washington. In the team's second game in Seattle in five days, Hunt scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds as Eastern returned to face the Jim Hayford-coached Redhawks. Hunt had his fifth double-double of his career – third this season – in finishing 9-of-16 from the floor, 3-of-7 from the 3-point stripe and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Sophomore Luka Vulikic had a career-high 18 points for EWU to go along with three rebounds and a team-high three assists. Eastern sank 58 percent of its shots in the second half, but couldn't rally from a 14-point halftime deficit. The Redhawks actually used a 59 percent shooting half of their own to lead by as many as 20 with 11:07 in the second half. Eastern was out-shot 52 percent to 45 percent for the game, with the main difference coming in the first half. Eastern sank only 34 percent, including just 2-of-17 from the 3-point stripe. Seattle was at 46 percent in the first half, making 5-of-11 3-pointers. In the second half, Eastern was 3-of-11 from the 3-point stripe and 12-of-15 inside of it to finish at 58 percent. For the game, Eastern was 21-of-30 inside the 3-point arc for 70 percent, but was just 5-of-28 from long range for 18 percent.
 
 
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.