­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (16-13/11-5 Big Sky) March 1 – Southern Utah ­– Cheney, Wash. – 6:05 p.m. March 3 – Northern Arizona ­– Cheney, Wash. – 2:05 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir calls the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff
Internet Radio:	http://www.tunein.com  (search for Eastern Washington University)
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	None.
­­­Webcast:	All EWU home games and all Big Sky Conference games are available via Pluto TV and http://watchbigsky.com
Live Stats:	http://ewustats.com for all EWU home games.
Weekly Coaches Show:	Shows hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans take place Mondays at 6 p.m. at Barrelhouse Pub & Pizza in Cheney. They are aired live on 700-AM ESPN.

As impressive as the Eagles have been in the last 18 games, there is a great desire to right a wrong.
 
Seeking to maintain its position to receive a first-round bye in the upcoming Big Sky Conference Tournament, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team returns home to play its final two regular season games of the season versus Southern Utah on Thursday at 6:05 p.m. Pacific time and Saturday versus Northern Arizona at 2:05 p.m.
 
All of EWU's remaining regular season games and Big Sky Conference Tournament games will be available via http://watchbigsky.com via Pluto TV. In addition, all Eastern games are carried live on 700-AM ESPN and 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area, with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff and may also be heard via http://www.tunein.com (search for Eastern Washington University). A mobile phone app is also available via tunein radio.
 
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Eagles play a pair of teams they split with on the road earlier this season. Eastern beat NAU on the road 81-76 on Jan. 18, then lost two days later 66-62 in overtime at SUU. The Thunderbirds held EWU to its second-lowest point total in conference play this season and third fewest overall.
 
The Eagles are 16-13 on the season and 11-5 in the Big Sky, and have won 13 of their last 18 games after a 3-8 start. Southern Utah is 11-16 overall, 4-11 in the conference and 2-11 on the road this season. The Lumberjacks are 5-24 this year with records of 2-14 in the conference and 3-12 on opponent home courts (3-14 on the road including neutral site games) heading into their game at Idaho Thursday.
 
"This week can really lead us into the tournament with momentum," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "If we can defend our home court, we can be going into the Big Sky Conference Tournament on a six-game winning streak. That would be huge for us, just like it was the last two weeks to beat the top two teams. We just have to go out and play with everything we have to give ourselves a chance."
 
The Lumberjack game is Senior Day at EWU, and the Eagles will honor Bogdan Bliznyuk, Sir Washington and Benas Griciunas in pre-game ceremonies. Bliznyuk has earned the last two Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors, and four on the season.
 
"The good thing is our seniors have been playing great for us," said Legans. "Benas has stepped up and played well the last few games. Bogdan has been playing lights out, and Sir has been playing terrific. I'm going to miss these guys, and the younger players are understanding what it means to be a senior. It's an exciting time for those three seniors."
 
Now 9-1 at home, the Eagles are 55-10 (85 percent) at Reese Court in the past five seasons since 2013-14. However, the Eagles saw their 12-game home court winning streak snapped against Idaho on Jan. 12, having not lost at home since falling to Montana on Jan. 7, 2017.
 
The Eagles are coming off their first road sweep in two years to extend their winning streak to four games. As a residual effect of its current hot stretch, 11-5 Eastern is just a game away from second-place Idaho and Weber State, both at 12-4. The top four teams in the league standings receive first-round byes in the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
 
"I just want us to get a bye," added Legans. "If we can get all the way to second or third place with our schedule and all the injuries we've had, that would be terrific.
 
Eastern completed last week with a 74-69 victory at Idaho State, led by Bliznyuk with 17 points and a 3-pointer to give EWU the lead for good with 1:31 to play. Prior to that, Eastern registered a 75-70 victory at Weber State to snap a nine-game winning streak for the Wildcats, with Bliznyuk providing two free throws with five seconds left to clinch that win. The WSU victory came a week after EWU broke league-leading Montana's 13-game streak with a 74-65 win at Reese Court on Feb. 15.
 
Eastern's all-time leading scorer, Bliznyuk now has 2,013 points in his illustrious career to become only the fifth player in the 55-year history of the league to hit the 2,000-point mark. The record currently is at 2,102, with at least three games left to play for the Big Sky Player of the Year candidate. He didn't shoot any free throws versus ISU, so his streak of 65-straight, just eight from the NCAA single season record, remains intact heading into Thursday's game.
 
The Eagles are coming off a third-straight appearance in a national postseason tournament, and were 22-12 overall a year ago. Eastern finished 13-5 in the Big Sky to finish second behind regular season champion North Dakota, and then the Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament.
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
Bliznyuk Wins Back-to-Back League Honors after Back-to-Back Sweeps
 
As the mileposts pass, the milestones keep piling up for Bogdan Bliznyuk. The senior hit big late-game shots in a road sweep last week for the Eagles – and, by the way, went over the 2,000-point mark in his career – as he won his second-straight Big Sky Conference Ready Nutrition Player of the Week honor on Feb. 26.
 
Bliznyuk has now been honored four times by the league this season and six times in his career. That's one more than former Eagle legends Tyler Harvey and Venky Jois won in their careers, and one shy of the EWU record of seven set by 10-year NBA standout Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey won four times in the 2005-06 season to now share the record with Bliznyuk.

A native of Lutsk, Ukraine, who graduated in 2014 from Todd Beamer High School in Federal, Way., Wash., Bliznyuk led EWU to its first road sweep in two years. He averaged 22.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in victories over Weber State and Idaho State. He sank 19-of-35 shots in the two games and made both of his free throws, and also was 4-of-8 from the 3-point arc.
 
His trey with 1:31 left against ISU gave Eastern the lead for good in the 74-69 win, and his two free throws with five seconds left clinched a 75-70 victory over WSU to snap the nine-game winning streak of the Wildcats. Against WSU, Bliznyuk made 11-of-21 shots to finish with 27 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Versus ISU, he made 8-of-14 shots from the field and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. He hit the 2K mark at ISU when he scored a pair of baskets in the first 3:08 of the game to help EWU open an early 9-2 lead.
 
 
League Tournament Pairings Starting to Take Shape
 
The Big Sky Conference Tournament takes place March 6-10 in Reno, Nevada. The top four teams receive first-round byes and won't have to play until March 8 in the quarterfinals. Eastern could still finish as high as second in the league standings and as low as fifth. If the season were to end today, Eastern would be the No. 4 seed and play in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 8 at 2:35 p.m. Pacific time versus the winner of the game between fifth-seeded Northern Colorado and No. 12 seed Northern Arizona.
 
Entering Thursday's action in the Big Sky, Montana remains on top at 14-2, followed by Weber State and Idaho at 12-4, Eastern at 11-5 and Northern Colorado at 10-6. Besides EWU's and Idaho's remaining home games with Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, Montana hosts Weber State and Idaho State; Weber State also plays at Montana State; and Northern Colorado plays at Portland State and Sacramento State.
 
If Eastern forges a head-to-head tie for second or third with Idaho, the Vandals have a tiebreaker advantage over Eastern with a season sweep. But EWU has a tiebreaker advantage in a head-to-head tie with Weber State after winning the lone meeting against the Wildcats this season. If there was to be a three-way tie for second, Idaho would finish second (3-0 amongst tied teams), EWU would be third (1-2) and Weber would be fourth (0-2).
 
The Eagles also own the most realistic tiebreaker advantage over 10-6 Northern Colorado, which could capture fourth outright if it was to sweep this week and EWU was to get swept. Eastern has split this season with Northern Colorado, so a tie in the league standings would, at this point at least, favor the Eagles because the Bears were swept by Montana, a team EWU beat in their lone meeting. However, there are a pair of possibilities of a two-way tie for first, and a deadlock between UM and WSU would favor EWU (2-0 versus the tied teams, UNC 0-4), and a tie between UM and Idaho would favor UNC (1-2 versus the tied teams, UNC 2-2). A three-way tie for first between UM/UI/WSU combined with a UNC/EWU tie would give Eastern the No. 4 seed (2-2 versus the tied teams, UNC 2-4).
 
Eastern's clutch 75-70 victory over previously 12-2 Weber State and a 74-65 win over previously 13-0 Montana helped provide the tiebreaker advantages for EWU. If teams are tied in the league standings and have split their season series, the next tiebreaker would be against teams in descending order of finish in the league. Therefore, wins over the Griz and Wildcats in the only meetings between the two schools this season are almost as good as a two-game sweep. Eastern also won its lone meetings over Montana State (84-79) and Idaho State (74-69), but neither of those teams can now catch the Eagles in the league standings so those tiebreaker advantages become a moot point.
 
 
With 2,013 Career Points, 6-foot-6 Point-Forward Bogdan Bliznyuk is Just Six from No. 3 in League History
 
His assault on 2,000 points is complete, but Big Sky Conference Player of the Year candidate Bogdan Bliznyuk continues his climb towards the top of the league's all-time scoring list. Currently No. 5 in league history joining four other league legends with 2,000, Bliznyuk has at least three more games to leave his mark. He has already shattered EWU's career scoring record, and he's also broken an EWU record held by a former 10-year NBA veteran, and another mark held for 45 years.
 
The Big Sky Conference Player of the Year candidate now has 2,013 career points in 132 career games to rank fifth in league history, just four from moving into the No. 4 position and six from ranking in the top three. He hit the 2K mark in EWU's 74-69 road win at Idaho State when he scored a pair of baskets in the first 3:08 of the game to help EWU open an early 9-2 lead. His 3-pointer with 1:31 remaining gave Eastern the lead for good.
 
Currently ranking ahead of him are current Utah head coach Larry Krystokowiak from Montana with 2,017 points from 1982-85 and Bruce Collins from Weber State with 2,019 from 1976-80. Bliznyuk is just the third player since 2000 to crack the Big Sky's top 10, joining Weber State's Jeremy Senglin (2013-17) and Lillard. Senglin scored 2,078 points to rank only behind the record 2,102 Orlando Lightfoot from Idaho scored in three seasons from 1991-94.
 
If the Eagles play just the minimum of three games left this season and he maintains his average of 20.2 points per game, Bliznyuk would finish third in league history with 2,073 points. If Bliznyuk matches his 22.1 average in league games, he would finish with 2,079 to rank third and finish 23 behind the record of 2,102. Just 89 behind, he would have to average 30 points per game in those three games to break the record.
 
His rise to the top has been breathtaking, and it took him just 10 minutes against Montana on Feb. 15 to move from No. 9 to No. 6. He passed Steve Conner from Boise State with 1,927 from 1974-78, followed by No. 7 Steve Hayes from Idaho State with 1,933 from 1973-77, No. 6 Damian Lillard from Weber State with 1,934 from 2008-12 and eventually tied No. 5 Tanoka Beard with 1,944 from 1989-93.
 
Earlier this season, Bliznyuk broke the previous school record of 1,803 set by Venky Jois (2013-16). Bliznyuk broke the school record on Jan. 25 in a 95-71 victory at home versus North Dakota with a 3-pointer barely a minute into the game to give EWU a 7-2 lead. Eastern head coach Shantay Legans called a timeout so his accomplishment could be acknowledged, then the Eagles used the energy to open a 30-8 lead while making 12 of their first 15 shots.
 
With 40 points against Sacramento State on Feb. 1, Bliznyuk moved up to ninth in league history as he passed Montana State's Nate Holmstadt with 1,864 points from 1995-99. Bliznyuk moved up four spots on the Big Sky list against North Dakota on Jan. 25 to 11th in the 55-year history of the Big Sky, then moved into 10th one game later. Besides passing Jois, Bliznyuk passed the 1,810 points by Jim Potter from Idaho State from 1992-95, the 1,819 by Donn Holston from Idaho State from 1984-87, the 1,827 by Michael Ray Richardson from Montana from 1984-87 and the 1,841 by Tom Domako from Montana State from 1985-88.
 
On EWU's all-time listings, Ron Cox had 1,741 points from 1974-77 and held the school record for 39 years – about 14,300 days – until broken by Jois on March 3, 2016 in an Eagle loss. Thus, Jois owned the record for just 693 days. Against San Francisco on Dec. 7, Bliznyuk passed Irv Leifer (1,550 from 1942-47), who held the Eastern record for 30 years after playing for EWU from 1942-47. He then passed the 1,564 points of his former teammate Tyler Harvey (2013-15). Previously, Bliznyuk passed 10-year NBA veteran Rodney Stuckey (1,438 points from 2006-07) in EWU's first game of the season, and then Dave Hayden (1,461 points from 1970-73) against Washington.
 
 
Bliznyuk Also Owns EWU Records for Free Throws and Games Played
 
With 440 free throws made in his career, Bogdan Bliznyuk has also broken the record of 386 held by Rodney Stuckey, who played a total of 10 years with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers in the NBA. Bliznyuk broke the record when he was 13-of-13 from the line against Portland State on Jan. 4, and also made 16-of-16 versus Northern Arizona on Jan. 18 (Harvey holds the school and Big Sky records with a 20-for-20 performance). Bliznyuk currently ranks third in school history with 83.8 percent accuracy rate from the free throw line. He enters the Southern Utah game on March 1 having made his last 65 in a row – just eight from the NCAA record -- dating back to the second half of the North Dakota game on Jan. 31.
 
Bliznyuk has a school-record 1,456 field goal attempts, breaking the 45-year record on Jan. 18 against NAU when he moved past the 1,286 Hayden had from 1970-73. In addition, Bliznyuk has played in 132 games to surpass the previous record of 128 set by his former teammate Felix Von Hofe from 2014-17, and his 4,050 total minutes passed the record of 3,927 previously held by Venky Jois (2013-16). Von Hofe, now living back in Melbourne, Australia, was at EWU games on Jan. 25 and 27. Bliznyuk is ranked in the top 10 in school history in several other categories, and against Providence on Dec. 20 moved passed Eagle legend and former Big Sky MVP Alvin Snow (2015-17) into seventh in assists (Snow had 318 and Bliznyuk has a current total of 390 to rank fourth all-time at EWU).
 
This season, Bliznyuk has made 50.9 percent of his field goals (12th in the Big Sky) and 90.9 percent of his free throws (first in the Big Sky, eighth in NCAA Division I) to average 20.2 points (third, 41st nationally) through 29 games. He is also averaging 6.8 rebounds (sixth) and 3.9 assists (third) to rank as the only player in the league to be in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists. He now has two performances in his 132-game career of at least 40 points, 10 with at least 30, 40 with at least 20 and 94 scoring in double figures, including the school record scoring total of 45 set as a junior. He's had 10 or more rebounds 19 times and double figures in assists twice. He also ranks tied for seventh in school history with 40 points at Sacramento State on Feb. 1 when he sank 15-of-18 shots. Plus, he had the lone triple-double in school history as a sophomore. On seven occasions an Eastern player has flirted with a triple-double (within a combined total of three rebounds and/or assists), including two by Bliznyuk.
 
Bliznyuk has honored by the Big Sky for the third time this season and fifth time of his career when he won Ready Nutrition Player of the Week honors after leading EWU's home sweep over Montana (Feb. 15) and Montana State (Feb. 17). Bliznyuk made 8-of-13 shots to finish with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 74-65 victory over UM to snap the Grizzlies' 13-game winning streak. He then had a near triple-double in an 84-79 win over Montana State, finishing with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while making 9-of-17 from the field and all nine of his free throws.
 
He earned his second Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honor of the season and fourth of his career on Jan. 29. On a record-setting week when he became the school's men's basketball career scoring leader while also climbing five spots into the top 10 on the Big Sky Conference scoring chart, he led the Eagles to a weekend sweep over North Dakota (95-71) and Northern Colorado (67-65). He averaged 27.0 points on a sizzling 65.7 shooting percentage (23-of-35) from the floor, and also averaged 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per outing.
 
On Jan. 1, Bliznyuk was one of five players in the league named by HoopsHD.com to its mid-season All-Big Sky team. He was also selected on Dec. 19 as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week after a 30-point effort in an overtime loss at Wyoming and a near triple-double in a 28-point victory over CSUN. In two games he averaged 23.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. On Nov. 8, Bliznyuk was selected to the Lou Henson Award preseason Watch List by Colllegeinsider.com. The award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player, and the initial watch list featured 51 players from across the country.
 
Bliznyuk concluded his junior season with 701 points, becoming just the fourth player in school history to hit that mark (Jake Wiley, a senior on the 2017-18 squad, ranks fifth in school history with 694). A senior, Bliznyuk was a second team All-Big Sky Conference selection a year ago, and was the league's Freshman of the Year in 2014-15. He also earned second team All-District 6 honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He is formerly from Lutsk, Ukraine, and graduated from Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way, Wash., in 2014.
 
 The Eagles finished the season with five Big Sky Conference records and 14 EWU marks, most broken as the result of EWU's 130-124 triple-overtime victory over Portland State on Feb. 4. Wiley and Bliznyuk set the most intriguing record when both scored a school-record 45 points in that game versus the Vikings.
 
Bliznyuk has played in seven Big Sky Tournament games (5-2 record), with Bliznyuk averaging 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He scored 32 points with eight rebounds in the 2017 semifinals, and had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the quarterfinals.
 
Led by Bliznyuk, the Eagles in 2017-18 feature a team with size throughout their lineup. They were bolstered by the addition of 7-footer Benas Griciunas, a senior graduate transfer from UNC Charlotte. A 6-foot-6 point-forward, Bliznyuk was named to the preseason All-Big Sky team, and is one of 10 returning players to the Eagle roster. The Eagles return eight letterwinners from last year, including a trio of returning starters -- Bliznyuk, Mason Peatling and Luka Vulikic. The others are Cody Benzel, Grant Gibb, Ty Gibson, Jesse Hunt and Sir Washington, with Jacob Davison and Joshua Thomas returning as a 2016-17 redshirts.
 
 
Bliznyuk Has Made 65 Free Throws in a Row
 
The Eagles have been a solid free throw shooting team this season and are currently second in the league and ranked 21st in NCAA Division I (77.0 percent, as well as tops in league games only at 81.7 percent). Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk is leading the league and eighth nationally at 90.8 percent, including 69-of-70 (98.6 percent) in league games only to lead the Big Sky.
 
Bliznyuk enters action this week having made 65 consecutive free throws dating back to EWU's game at North Dakota on Dec. 31. There is no known record for EWU and the Big Sky, but the NCAA single season record is 73 set by Gary Buchanan from Villanova over a 21-game stretch in the 2000-01 season. The career record of 85 came between Feb. 15, 2001, and Jan. 18, 2003, by Darnell Archey from Butler during a 57-game stretch.
 
 
Eagles No. 39 in Nation in Fewest Turnovers
 
After a seven-game stretch to start league play in which EWU had between 11 and 20 turnovers in each game, the Eagles have returned to lead the league in fewest turnovers per game. The Eagles have allowed only 11.4 per game to rank 39th in NCAA Division I. Prior to the start of league play, the Eagles were averaging just 11.0 per game to lead the league, but had performances of 16, 20 and 17 in their first seven league games.
 
 
Benzel's 3-Point Percentage Ranks Fourth in the Big Sky
 
Junior Cody Benzel ranks fourth in the Big Sky Conference in 3-point shooting overall at 46.7 percent (63-of-135), including 48-of-101 (47.5 percent) in league games only to rank sixth. Benzel, whose career percentage of 44.1 percent is third-best in school history, also ranks fourth in league games only with an average of 3.0 treys per game. Benzel has averaged 2.3 3-pointers per game to rank seventh overall in the league, and is the fourth-leading scorer on the team with a 7.5 average (9.7 in league games only to rank third). This season, Benzel has had eight games in double figures (16 in his career) and a pair with at least 20. He has picked up his pace in conference play, averaging 9.7 after owning a 4.5 average during non-conference play when he made only 16-of-42 (38.1 percent) 3-point attempts. Benzel has scored at least 15 points in five of his last 13 outings, including a career-high 25 against Sacramento State on Jan. 6 and 21 against Portland State on Feb. 3.
 
Junior Ty Gibson has averaged 1.7 3-pointers per game to rank 15th in the league. One of the team's co-captains, Gibson is averaging 6.3 points per game and has scored in double figures nine times this season (15 in his career) to rank second on the team. As a team, Eastern is fourth in the league in 3-pointers per game (8.8) and fourth in percentage (.369). In league games only, Eastern is averaging 8.9 treys per game to rank third.
 
In individual field goal shooting, Bogdan Bliznyuk is 12th in the league at 50.9 percent, and is also third in scoring (20.2), third in assists (3.9) and sixth in rebounding (6.8). He's the only player to rank in the top three in the league in all three categories, both overall and Big Sky games only. Bliznyuk has an average of 4.4 assists in Big Sky games only to rank second in the league. Mason Peatling is sixth with an average of 1.1 blocked shots per game, and he has averaged 1.4 in conference play to rank fifth. His average of 7.2 rebounds per game in league games is seventh and his average of 5.4 overall is 17th.
 
 
With Four Double-Doubles, Peatling Back to Pre-Injury Form
 
Sophomore Mason Peatling has provided some big games since joining the starting lineup, and put together a stretch of three-straight double-doubles from Jan. 20 to Jan. 27. He had the fourth double-double of the season and of his career with 19 points and 13 rebounds in an 84-79 win over Montana State on Feb. 17, then scored 15 points with five boards against Weber State on Feb. 22. His point total against the Bobcats was his career high, and the Wildcat game was his ninth game of the season and 13th of his career scoring double figures. He has hit double figures in rebounding four times this season and in his career, with a EWU owning a 3-1 record when he has a double-double.
 
In a win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 27 he had 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, making 6-of-11 shots from the field and finishing with two blocked shots. Peatling had the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds in EWU's overtime loss at Southern Utah on Jan. 20, then had 11-11 versus North Dakota on Jan. 25.
 
For the season, Peatling has averaged 7.6 points in 25 games (21 as a starter), and has averaged 5.4 rebounds (17th in the Big Sky) and 1.1 blocked shots per game (sixth). His averages are 8.9 points, 7.2 rebounds (seventh) and 1.4 blocks (fifth) in conference play. In his 59-game career (38 as a starter), he's averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds with a total of 37 assists, 41 blocks and 32 steals.
 
Making his first start since Dec. 12 after missing four games because of a hand injury, Peatling embraced his return to the starting lineup on Jan. 6 against Sacramento State. It took barely over seven minutes for him to hit the double-figure mark, as he finished with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in 13 minutes of action. Prior to being sidelined with his injury, he scored a career-high 19 at South Dakota on Dec. 10 and had 11 points and six rebounds one game earlier at San Francisco.
 
 
Eastern 9-0 When it Makes 50 Percent from the Field
 
The Eagles have had 50-percent shooting performances in three of their last four games to improve to 9-0 this season when they hit that mark. Eastern made 65 percent in the second half versus Weber State on Feb. 22 to finish at 50.9 percent for the game. The Eagles made 56.3 percent against Montana on Feb. 15 and exactly 50 percent one game later versus Montana State. Eastern has had all nine of its 50-percent shooting nights in the last 17 games. Included was a season-best 57.1 percent performance against Sacramento State on Feb. 1 when Bogdan Bliznyuk made 15-of-18 shots on his way to a 40-point night. For the season, Eastern is now 14-2 when they out-shoot their opponents and 2-11 when they don't.
 
Eastern made significant shooting improvement since late December after starting the year making only 39 percent through nine games. The Eagles have improved that to 45.8 percent for the season. Eastern has had its top 16 shooting performances of the year in the last 20 games, and the team's three-point shooting has also improved from 30.2 percent after nine games to a current mark of 36.8. In league play, the Eagles have sank 48.5 percent of their shots from the field overall and 39.2 percent from the 3-point arc, and are third in the Big Sky with an average of 8.9 treys per game during league play.
 
Defensively, Eastern had its best performance of the season in holding Sacramento State to 54 points on 41.1 percent shooting from the field on Feb. 1 in a 20-point Eagle win. The Hornets made only 2-of-15 3-pointers, EWU's second-best defensive effort of the season behind the 2-of-16 performance by Stanford in EWU's 67-61 victory there on Nov. 14. In 16 league games thus far, the Eagles are holding opponents to 36.3 percent from the 3-point line and 44.3 percent overall, both ranking fourth in the league.
 
What Eastern accomplished in the first three months of the season, the reverse happened Jan. 18 and 20. For the first time this season, Eastern was out-shot at Northern Arizona on Jan. 18 and won a game. In the next game in an overtime setback to Southern Utah, the Eagles suffered their first loss when they've had a better shooting percentage. Eastern made 48.9 percent compared to 50.9 percent to the Lumberjacks, then made 40.0 percent against the Thunderbirds while holding them to 35.6 percent. Eastern also out-shot Idaho 40.7 percent to 39.7 percent on Feb. 9 but suffered a 66-62 setback, and beat Idaho State 74-69 on Feb. 24 despite getting out-shot 54.2 percent to 48.4 percent.
 
 
Rebounding Also Going Eastern Way in Last Four Games
 
The Eagles have won the rebounding battle in four-straight games, giving them a dozen times this season EWU has had an advantage on the boards. Eastern is 10-2 in those 12 games, and allowed ISU to finish with just one offensive rebound on Feb. 24 while winning the overall battle 32-26. Eastern had a 33-29 advantage one game earlier against Weber State after besting Montana State 47-39 and Montana 30-27 the previous week.
 
 
Punctuated by Performances Against Sac State, Balanced Minutes and Balanced Scoring are Key for Eagles
 
Eastern head coach Shantay Legans has gone to his bench often, continuing in league play what the Eagles started in the preseason while utilizing eight different starting lineups along the way. With eight different players scoring in double figures in two home games in early January, the Sac State game on Jan. 6 was the punctuation mark on EWU's balance this season. Eastern also had seven different players score at least 10 points in a home sweep over the Montana schools in February.
 
For the season, Eastern is averaging 24.4 points per game from its bench (709 total), compared to an average of 18.4 by its opponents (535 total). Ten Eagles are averaging between 13.5 and 34.7 minutes per game, and one other is averaging 8.7. For the season, Bogdan Bliznyuk is averaging a team-leading 20.2 points per game, but 10 others are averaging between 4.1 and 8.5.
 
Versus Sac State, 80 of Eastern's 82 points were scored by players not named Bliznyuk, Gibson and Hunt. Bliznyuk and third-leading scorer Ty Gibson combined for only two points in the first half and were scoreless in the second half. In addition, second-leading scorer Jesse Hunt didn't play because of a foot injury suffered the day before in practice and has essentially been out ever since. However, five other Eagles did score in double figures, with all five of them entering with season scoring averages of between 4.5 and 5.4 points per game. Those five had entered the game with just a collective total of nine double-figure scoring performances in EWU's first 16 games of the season. Eastern had career-high performances from starter Cody Benzel (25 on 7-of-10 shooting from the 3-point stripe) and substitute Benas Gricinunas (16), as well as 14 points from true freshman Jack Perry, 12 by sophomore Mason Peatling and 10 by senior Sir Washington.
 
All 11 players who were available against Providence on Dec. 20 scored to contribute toward EWU's season-best output of 94 points, and each had at least one rebound. Against Cal State Northridge on Dec. 17, five players scored in double figures as the Eagles at the time had their best shooting percentages (.516 overall and .500 from the 3-point stripe), as well as a season-high 22 assists. Five different Eagles had at least three assists, and three Eagles had at least six rebounds.
 
Eastern had a season-high 40 bench points in a 21-point win versus Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 22, jumping out to a 19-point lead in the first half and leading 39-16 at intermission. Eastern led by as many as 28 in the second half and no less than 19 in the final minutes in the 83-62 win. That helped give EWU a 39-point turnaround in two games, having lost to Georgia State by 18 points two days earlier on Nov. 20 in its MGM Resorts Main Event opener.
 
 
Graduate Transfer Griciunas Has Six Games in Double Figures
 
Eastern's eight newcomers this season include Lithuanian seven-footer Benas Griciunas, a graduate transfer who came to EWU with 59 games of NCAA Division I experience. He put together a string of three-straight double-figure performances in February, including a 14-point effort in EWU's 74-65 win over previous league unbeaten Montana on Feb. 15. He made all six of his shots in that game, and was 5-of-5 with 10 points against Portland State on Feb. 3. Including a 10-point effort at Idaho on Feb. 9, Griciunas sank 16 of 22 shots for 72.7 percent in that three-game stretch.
 
He had his first double-figure scoring performance as an Eagle with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field in EWU's 83-62 win over Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 22, and matched it with 16 against Sacramento State on Jan. 6 when he was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field with five rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
His best scoring performance while at UNC Charlotte was 14 points and his best as a freshman at Auburn was eight. He had 12 rebounds once while playing for the 49ers. He unofficially opened his Eastern career by scoring 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field in EWU's exhibition victory over Portland on Oct. 29. He had a trio of 3-pointers and also had nine rebounds. He followed that with four points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in his Eagle official Eagle debut on Nov. 10 against Walla Walla.
 
A total of 13 Eagles played in EWU's opener versus Walla Walla, and Griciunas was one of four newcomers to see action. The others were redshirt freshman Jacob Davison and true freshmen Richard Polanco and Jack Perry. Brendan Howard, Kim Aiken Jr., and Tanner Groves are redshirting the season, as well as BYU transfer Steven Beo and walk-on Tyler Kidd. Head coach Shantay Legans also announced in February that point guard Luka Vulikic (planter fasciitis) will redshirt as an injury hardship after playing in Eastern's first eight games but none since Dec. 3.
 
 
Trio of Newcomers Contributing Significantly, Including Two as Starters
 
True freshman Jack Perry has started EWU's last 22 games, and is coming off performances of 15 points against Idaho State with a career-high five 3-pointers, and a career-high eight rebounds at Weber State on Feb. 22. The ISU game was his sixth double-figure performance of the season, and he had 11 points and five assists against Montana State on Feb. 17. He had a 14-point, six-assist effort in EWU's 82-67 win over Sacramento State on Jan. 6, and had his first two first double-figure scoring performances of the season with 13 at South Dakota on Nov. 10 and 17 two nights later at Wyoming when he also had a season-high seven assists. On the season he's averaging 6.4 points and 2.7 assists per game while making 44.4 percent from the field and 40-of-99 3-pointers (40.4 percent. His clutch 3-pointer with 15 seconds left helped clinch EWU's 81-74 win over Portland State on Jan. 4, then he hit another clutch trey with 1:06 left in EWU's 81-76 victory against Northern Arizona on Jan. 18.
 
Redshirt freshman Jacob Davison made the first start of his career at Seattle on Dec. 3 and started seven-straight games. He is now coming off the bench and has averaged 6.1 points on the season. He had a 17-point performance at Weber State on Feb. 22, and has scored in double figures three times in his last seven games. He had his best scoring game in more than two months in finishing with 12 against Sacramento State on Feb. 1, then had another dozen (all in the second half) three games later against Montana on Feb. 15. Those performances were his most since scoring 15 at Utah on Nov. 24 when he had his third double-figure scoring performance in a four-game span. He came off the bench to score 20 against Georgia State on Nov 20, and had 11 one game earlier versus UNLV.
 
And true freshman forward Richard Polanco has provided an offensive boost, averaging 8.7 minutes and 4.1 points in the 25 games he's played. He's scored in double figures three times this season and has made nearly half of his shots from the field (38-of-81 for 46.9 percent) and 72.0 percent of his free throws (18-of-25).
 
 
Senior Sir Washington Averaging 8.0 Points in Conference Play
 
Four-year letterwinner Sir Washington has picked up his scoring pace in the Big Sky Conference season. After averaging only 4.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in the 12 preseason games he played, the senior has averaged 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in conference play. He sank only 30.4 percent of his shots overall (17-of-56) in the preseason, but has made 41.9 percent (44-of-105) of his field goals and 28-of-40 free throws (70.0 percent) in conference play thus far. His pair of free throws with eight seconds left gave EWU a 67-65 win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 27, in a game in which is also had a key tip-in and defensive rebound in the final three minutes.
 
Scoring at least 10 in five of EWU's league games, he had a 12-point effort at Portland State on Feb. 3 in which he also had four rebounds and three assists. Now with 20 double figure performances of his career, he had a season-high 15-point performance in an overtime loss at Southern Utah on Jan. 20. He ranks eighth in school history with 116 career games played (25 as a starter) while averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
 
 
Making His Return Versus Montana, Junior Jesse Hunt Has Made Most of Five Starts
 
Playing for the first time in more than a month, Jesse Hunt logged six minutes against Montana on Feb. 15 in his first action in 10 games before aggravating a foot injury in that game. Although head coach Shantay Legans didn't rule out a return this season, he said Hunt may miss the rest of the season after posting big scoring and rebounding numbers before injuring his foot in practice on Jan. 5.
 
Before his injury in January, he 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.
 
Hunt scored a career-high 14 points and had eight rebounds in his first start of the season against CSUN on Dec. 17, then had his second double-double of the season with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Providence three days later. He equaled his career high with 16 points at Northern Colorado on Dec. 29 when he also had a career-high four blocked shots and eight rebounds in a career-high 29 minutes of action. He played 29 minutes at North Dakota and finished with 16 points and eight boards, then had 11 points and four rebounds in just 16 minutes because of foul trouble against Portland State.
 
For the season, Hunt is averaging 20.4 minutes, 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and has nine blocked shots, while making 50.0 percent of his shots from the field and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. In his 80-game career (17 as a starter), Hunt has averaged 12.2 minutes, 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and has 29 blocks.
 
 
Honored Academically Within Past Year, Eagles Post 3.43 GPA in Fall Quarter
 
Despite a road-heavy second half of the quarter for the Eagles, EWU basketball players posted a collective 3.43 grade point average in the fall.  "This is very impressive, especially considering the amount of days we were on the road this quarter," praised Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "Our guys work hard, and our coaches and administration do a great job of making sure they have all the support they need."
 
In the offseason, the Eastern men's basketball team was honored with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award announced last summer. It was the fourth consecutive year EWU has won that award. In addition, a trio of players – including returning senior forward Bogdan Bliznyuk – were honored on the NABC Honors Court.
 
The team award was won by 209 colleges and universities for having a team cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and above for the 2016-17 season. Teams in NCAA Division I, II, II and NAIA Division I and II were eligible. Eastern and Gonzaga were the only NCAA Division I schools in the state of Washington to be honored, and were joined by Central Washington from NCAA Division II and Northwest College from the NAIA. Eastern, Idaho State and Montana were the only Big Sky Conference schools to be recognized.
 
Players on EWU's 2016-17 team included Academic All-America nominees Ty Gibson and Jesse Hunt, as well as their fellow Big Sky Conference All-Academic selections Jacob Wiley (Big Sky MVP), Bogdan Bliznyuk (second team All-Big Sky), Mason Peatling, Mario Soto and Luka Vulikic. Other members of the squad included Julian Harrell, Felix Von Hofe, Sir Washington, Cody Benzel, Michael Wearne, Grant Gibb and Geremy McKay, with Jacob Davison and Joshua Thomas redshirting.
 
Besides Bliznyuk, former Eagles Julian Harrell and Mario Soto were selected on the Honors Court. Recipients of the award must be a varsity player, and academically a junior or senior while earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher.
 
An Academic All-America candidate, Bliznyuk is from Lutsk, Ukraine, and graduated in 2014 from Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way, Wash. He is a marketing major at Eastern, and currently has a 3.31 grade point average at EWU. A three-time member of the Big Sky All-Academic team, Bliznyuk is one of five returning players who earned that honor in the 2016-17 season. The others are Gibson, who has a near-perfect 3.99 GPA, Hunt (3.62 GPA), Peatling (3.94 GPA) and Vulikic (3.41 GPA).
 
 
Home Games Cherished in Second-Toughest Preseason in 31 Years
 
With just three home games in the preseason, the first season at the helm has been road-heavy and a challenging one for Shantay Legans and his first team, with 10 of 13 preseason games away from home. In fact, the only time in 31 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Eastern has had a more road-heavy preseason schedule was in the 1988-89 season when EWU played 11 of 14 games away from home. That team was 1-10 away from home and 3-11 overall heading into conference play (EWU finished 8-22 overall and 5-11 in the league).
 
Seven of EWU preseason losses were on the home court of its opponents, which finished their pre-conference schedules 69-27 (72 percent) on the season and 50-6 (89 percent) at home. The Eagles recorded a huge win at Stanford (67-61 on Nov. 14) and barely lost at Wyoming (93-88 in overtime on Dec. 17). After 36-straight days without a home game, Eastern returned to Reese Court where the Eagles had won 84 percent of their games (46-9) in the previous four years since the 2013-14 season.
 
This season is also just the second time in school history EWU has played three Pac-12 Conference opponents in the same year, with 2011-12 the other season and included losses to Oregon, Washington State and UCLA. In the 2017-18 season, Eastern will play eight opponents who played in national postseason tournaments last season, including five in the non-conference portion of EWU's schedule.
 
Three Pac-12 Conference opponents and a stretch of 36-straight days without a game at home were the task EWU took on. Three other teams in NCAA Division I also have such a streak:
39 – Penn (Nov. 18 vs. PSU-Brandywine; Dec. 27 vs. Delaware State)
39 – Harvard (Nov. 12 vs. UMass; Dec. 21 vs. Boston University)
37 – New Mexico State (Dec. 12 vs. vs. Eastern New Mexico, Jan. 18 vs. Seattle U.)
36 – Eastern Washington (Nov. 10 vs. Walla Walla; Dec. 17 vs. CSU-Northridge)
 
In all, Eastern has played teams from 10 different conferences this season, with all but two of its games versus NCAA Division I opposition. Seven opponents won at least 20 games a year ago – Georgia State, Utah, San Francisco, South Dakota, Wyoming, North Dakota and Weber State. Utah and South Dakota advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Georgia State advanced to the College Insider Tournament (CIT) and San Francisco and Wyoming joined EWU in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The other three postseason opponents came from the Big Sky Conference – North Dakota in the NCAA Tournament and Idaho and Weber State in the CIT.
 
Eastern's long road stretch was rare, but not unprecedented in 110 years of basketball at Eastern. The 10 games (2-8 record) without a home game is the second-longest stretch, ranking only behind the 1988-89 team which played 11-straight away from home (1-10) while going from Dec. 3 to Jan. 12 without a home game. That team went 39 days without playing at home and the 1981-82 squad had a stretch of 37 days (5-4 in nine games away from home). This year's team went 36 days – Nov. 10 to Dec. 17 – without playing at home at Reese Court, where the Eagles are 46-9 (84 percent) in the last four-plus years (since the 2013-14 season). Since joining NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, Eastern has had eight month-long stretches without a home game, and prior to that had seven known such streaks.
 
The Eagles began their road trip against the University of Washington in Seattle on Nov. 12 – two days after playing at home on Nov. 10 versus Walla Walla. The first leg of EWU's road stretch included 4,432 airline miles, while the other trips in the road stretch included 3,449 air miles. That's a total of 7,881 air miles, not including ground travel and a bus trip to and from Seattle for the game versus the Redhawks.
 
 
1,000 Broadcast Milestone Reached Dec. 3 by Broadcaster Larry Weir
 
Long-time Eastern Washington University radio announcer Larry Weir called his 1,000th Eagle men's basketball or football game on Dec. 3 in EWU's game at Seattle. He was the 2015 and 2016 State of Washington Sportscaster of the Year, and was honored at Eastern's home game versus Providence on Dec. 20.
 
Weir recently concluded his 27th season as the football voice of the Eagles and is in his 25th calling men's basketball for EWU, whose games are broadcast on 700-AM ESPN. Through the Dec. 3 game, Weir had missed just 27 out of 706 men's basketball games, calling a total of 679 to go along with 321 out of a possible 322 football games. Through Feb. 24, his total is at 1,020 games via radio (he called EWU's game versus Montana State on 2/17/18 on TV, not radio).
 
Weir first began calling games in the 1991-92 season, and the only football game he missed in that span was a 2005 playoff game at Northern Iowa when he was broadcasting Eastern's basketball games in Alaska. Weir is in his 25th season calling men's basketball action for the Eagles (from 1991-2009 and again from 2012-present). Weir's tenure has included calling games coached by seven men's basketball coaches and five in football. The 2017-18 season marks his first year working with EWU coaches Aaron Best in football and Shantay Legans in basketball.
 
 
Now in Cheney, Basketball Coaches Show Are Mondays
 
Featuring a new location, the next Eastern Washington University basketball coaches show take place Mondays throughout the season at 6 p.m. Pacific time and will be broadcast live on 700-AM ESPN.
 
The public is invited to attend the live shows, which are now taking place at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in Cheney, Wash., just a few blocks from the EWU campus. They begin at 6 p.m., and feature head men's basketball coach Shantay Legans, host Larry Weir and other special guests, including women's head coach Wendy Schuller.
 
Barrelhouse is located at 122 College Ave. in downtown Cheney, and is owned by Mike Lyons. The restaurant features specialty pizzas, calzones and other appetizers, as well as a large variety of draft beer and a full bar. It also has a large assortment of televisions tuned to each day's top sporting events.
 
 

 
Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Not Having to Play in Big Sky Tournament First Round: "I just want us to get a bye. If we can get all the way to third place with our schedule and all the injuries we've had, that would be terrific. The most important thing is to get a bye so we can get there early, relax and get accustomed to the court, timing and being in Reno. The younger players have been stepping up, but they need to learn how important games in the tournament are. Being able to go watch the other games on Tuesday and see how hard the other teams are playing is huge. The season is over after the end of that tournament for most of the teams, so everybody has to be able to step up and understand how hard you have to compete. I know our older players are going to tell them, but it's important to be able to watch that first day and see other teams play lights out. That's why this is the best sport around, especially at this time of year. March Madness is great and fun to be a part of. I'm lucky to be the coach of this team."
 
On ISU Win: "I keep saying it, but it's a team effort. I'm excited about the outcome of this game, the way we are playing and the way our freshmen are stepping up. Our players did a great job and played great under the circumstances of being on the road in an environment where it's tough to win. That was another tournament-type of game. We got up and they battled all the way back in it. We had to make some tough plays at the end of the game to win it, and that's exactly how you need to play at the Big Sky Tournament. You have to make big plays at the right time."
 
On What Victory & Sweep Means: "It's huge for us. We're on a pretty good streak, and it's our first road sweep of the season and in the last couple of years. That means a lot. We are going into that last weekend battling for the fourth or third spot, and we are battling for a bye. It's everything to get that bye. Our team is playing hard and they understand what we are playing for. We can't have the kind of lapses we had in the second half, or else we are going to get stung. We almost got beat, but we felt we had the better team. Idaho State came out on senior night and played great."
 
On Weber State Win: "Our guys fought through everything. They followed the game plan to a T and we had some exceptional step-ups by our freshmen. But everybody contributed when they got on the floor, and that's exactly what you need to beat teams like this. It was a huge game for our team and a huge game for our program. It always comes back to the preseason, and that crazy road schedule we had early. They bought in and believed in it, and it made them tougher for games like this."
 
On Bliznyuk: "It's Bogdan's show. He takes what the defenses give him and doesn't force shots. Weber State did a great job of not letting us shoot threes, but you have to pick your poison with us. We have 50-percent shooters out there, and we came in here and shot 65 percent in the second half. That's a huge number on the road against this team. If you have a superstar willing to make the extra pass instead of trying to get to 2,000 and break the Big Sky scoring record, he knows the game is going to come to him. His teammates have so much trust in him and get him the ball when he's open. He's doing a great job of facilitating, and he got guys open shots tonight. He is exactly what a player and student should be. He's unbelievable. He's great."
 
On Jesse Hunt Aggravating Foot Injury Versus Montana: "I care more about his health than anything else. We want to get him healthy for next year and not have any more setbacks. But if he gets healthy, he feels like he's 100 percent, the doctors and trainers say okay, and we all talk about it, then we'll let him play again. But I'm thinking about sitting him out the rest of the year."
 
On EWU Free Throw Shooting: "Our guys do a good job getting in the gym on their own and shoot a lot of free throws and 3-pointers. They have to put the work in. We don't work on free throws much at practice. They take pride in being the best free throw shooting team in the Big Sky. We are having the right guys shooting the free throws I guess. Bogdan just has the knack to go get the ball. He loves free throws – he loves points I guess."
 
On Montana Win: "Our guys stepped up – it was a full team effort. They played with passion and energy, and it was fun watching them play. I told the team before the game that it's a player's game – there aren't too many X's and O's we were going to do. We were going to use the high ball screen and go make plays. That was what we did the last four minutes of the game and Jacob Davison made some huge plays down the stretch."
 
On Bliznyuk's Scoring Record: "His historic accomplishment is a true testament to his character, drive and work ethic. And that's not to mention he is also a great student, with a 3.31 GPA. As our team's captain, he is a great role model and ambassador for the EWU men's basketball program and our University. I couldn't be more proud."
 
On Development of Players in His Program: "Development is important, and it's important for our recruits to see that. A lot of players have talent. The way we play we give players freedom for creativity on the offensive end. When you get a player as creative as Bogdan or Jake Wiley, they are talented but sometimes you just need to give them the confidence. We want to make sure we are a place where we are always providing encouragement. When Bogdan came here he wasn't a great 3-point shooter, but he is now – guys can't leave him early. Tyler Harvey came as just a catch-and-shoot guy, but he left being able to put the ball on the floor. We have a lot of young coaches and we like to get in the gym with them as much as our 20-hour limit allows us. We have built a culture of guys working on their game together, and working in the gym is important. They go really hard and focus, and that's what we've been building for the last four or five years."
 
On Bliznyuk: "He comes out and works hard every day, is the last guy in the gym and always encourages his teammates. I haven't ever heard him say anything negative toward another player – he's always uplifting. We have freshmen and sophomores who have seen how he's done it. He's had some great mentors along the way and he's taken things from everybody, and now he's given back to all his teammates."
 
On Bliznyuk Being a Coach on the Floor: "It makes it easy, especially for my first year. I told him, 'Thank you for getting us this job, because if you weren't so good for four years I wouldn't have it.' There is a lot of trust here in him – he has the rights to call plays. He's a captain and a leader, and for me it means a lot to have so much trust in him. He helps everything – defensively, offensively and options for us to run on offense. He's huge for us – he's like another coach on the floor."
 
On Sir Washington: "Sir is stepping up as a senior. He is playing with a lot of composure and freedom and has confidence. That is what we need. He has been playing super hard."
 
On Cody Benzel: "He's been playing great. The thing that got him into the starting lineup and his minutes up is his defense. He's been doing a great job defending the other team's best shooters. He came out and took defense to heart, and wanted to show us he could defend. Since then he's been playing great basketball and has helped us out tremendously both offense and defense. He's been on fire since then."
 
On Jack Perry: "I'm on him the whole game to talk more and to lead more, but he's a freshman and he's learning. But when he gets these open looks, he's a great shooter and a smart player. He gets guys involved and he's a great defender. He's more of a pass-first guy, but I don't mind if he shoots 10-15 shots because he's that good of a shooter. We're lucky to have him. He does a lot of things right and his father is a good coach back in Australia. Jack comes battle-tested and it's great having him. He is confident every time he's on the court and he understands exactly what is going on. It's like having another coach out there, and he's doing everything the right way. We have a lot of different options we can go with."
 
On Strength of League: "There are lot of good coaches, and recruiting is starting to pick up and they are getting good players from all over the world. It's a tough league because every team has three or four really tough players and are well-coached. There are a lot of skilled players and the depth of the league is wild."
 
On Captains: "Bogdan and Ty are our captains and they keep our team level-headed – not too high and not too low. They keep us steady, and it makes it easy to coach with them on our team."
 
On Bliznyuk's Abilities: "Bogdan has been the personification of what we want our EWU program to look like. He is the perfect student-athlete and deserves all the accolades he receives. He shows that hard work and determination pays off. We talked about it before the season started that he was going to be double-teamed and he has to make sure he's making the pass. He's making the pass and that's exactly what we're looking for. He's doing a great job of leading our players, getting them in the huddle and talking to make sure we are doing everything the right way. He's a great captain."
 
On Academic Honors: "This is just a testament that we are more than just a talented basketball team. It also shows that academics are the highest priority for our student-athletes at Eastern Washington. I am proud of our players for finishing the year strong in the classroom, and setting an example for the incoming student-athletes."
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* The Eagles are 9-5 all-time against Southern Utah (5-1 in Cheney, 4-4 in Cedar City), but had its eight-game winning streak snapped with a 66-62 overtime loss on Jan. 20, 2018. The Eagles have triumphed in the last five home meetings since losing the first game in Cheney in the series by a 70-68 score on Dec. 21, 1993. The Thunderbirds joined the Big Sky in the 2012-13 season and EWU is 8-2 versus them since then.
* Earlier this season in Cedar City on Jan. 20, 2018, Eastern came up just short of a road sweep when the Eagles lost 66-62. Bogdan Bliznyuk finished with a team-leading 18 after entering the game needing 19 to tie and 20 to break EWU's all-time scoring record. He played just 27 minutes because of foul trouble, but fellow senior Sir Washington stepped up to finish with a season-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Sophomore Mason Peatling had his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Neither team scored in the final 2:22 of regulation as the game was knotted at 54 heading into overtime. The Thunderbirds hit their first two shots of overtime and was 4-of-6 in the extra period, while EWU was 3-of-7 in OT. The Eagles struggled at the 3-point line at 19 percent (4-of-21), but was efficient inside the arc and finished at 40.0 percent overall. Eastern's defense held SUU to 35.6 percent shooting, but the Thunderbirds were able to make 11-of-28 3-point shots for 39.3 percent.
* The last time the teams played in Cheney, Bogdan Bliznyuk and Jacob Wiley scored 21 points each as Eastern beat Southern Utah 83-68 Jan. 21, 2017, at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Eight Eagles scored and four had 3-pointers as the Eagles were dominating in the first 20 minutes of the game and opened a 47-22 lead at halftime. Eastern led by as many as 30 points in the second half before settling for the 15-point victory. Eastern had a 52 percent shooting night and held Southern Utah to 36 percent while blocking 10 Thunderbird shots. In the first half alone, Eastern's defense held the Thunderbirds to 24 percent shooting and a 6:35 stretch without a field goal. At the time, the 22 points SUU scored equaled the second-fewest EWU has allowed in a half this season. Bliznyuk and Wiley stuffed the stat sheet, with Bliznyuk finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds and equaling a career high with five steals. Wiley also had nine rebounds to go along with five assists, four blocks and a steal. Felix Von Hofe hit 4-of-8 3-point attempts to finish with 12 points. Luka Vulikic had six points and five rebounds, and equaled his career high with three assists. Mason Peatling chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson both hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored six points.
 
* Eastern has won 10 of the last 13, but trails in the all-time series versus NAU 32-37 (10-23 in Flagstaff, 20-12 in Cheney, 2-2 neutral). The only meeting before Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I was an 84-80 NAU victory on Dec. 20, 1969, in Fresno, Calif. In the 2016-17 season Eastern won in Cheney 84-62 before falling in Flagstaff 76-61. In the 2015-16 season, Eastern won three games versus NAU, including a 74-52 victory in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Eastern has won the last six meetings in Cheney dating back to a 73-69 loss on Jan. 15, 2010.
* Earlier this season in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Jan. 18, 2018, an 18-0 first half run helped open an early 28-point lead and the Eagles led start-to-finish and edge Northern Arizona 81-76. Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk made all 16 of his free throws and scored 28 points, while true freshman Jack Perry and junior Ty Gibson hit big baskets in the last 1:06 to help EWU win for the sixth time in its last eight games. The Eagles, who didn't practice the day prior because of travel delays leaving Spokane, were fresh in the first half, but had to hold on for dear life after that. The Eagles used an 18-0 run – all on 3-pointers by five different players – to jump out to an early 29-7 lead. The Eagles led by as many as 28 in the first half and 21 at halftime, but Northern Arizona roared back. The lead was down to 12 less than four minutes into the half and by single digits just a few minutes after that. But the Eagles never gave up their lead, as Bliznyuk made 10-of-10 free throws in a 6 1/2-minute stretch. Perry hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:06 left to put the Eagles up by four, then Gibson sank a reverse layup – only EWU's second 2-point field goal of the half -- with 28 ticks left. Bliznyuk closed out the win with four free throws in the final six seconds. Junior Cody Benzel made five 3-pointers to finish with 16 points, and Eastern sank 15-of-23 3-pointers in the game for a season-high 65.2 percent. Eastern had 10 in the first half alone as EWU came just five from the school record of 20. Perry added 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers and also had three steals, three rebounds and a pair of assists.
* In the previous meeting in Cheney on Jan. 19, 2017, It was raining points again for Jacob Wiley, as he poured in 30 points to lead Eastern past NAU 84-62. Wiley made 14-of-16 shots from the field and both of his free throws, and also had eight rebounds, four blocked shots and a steal. Thanks to Wiley's dominating performance, Eastern out-shot the Lumberjacks 54 percent to 40 percent for the game, and had a season-high 58 points in the paint. The Lumberjacks had only 16 points in the paint, a season low for an EWU opponent this season. Eastern led for less time in the first half than NAU (7:42 to 8:25), so a 37-31 halftime lead was far from comfortable for the Eagles. But EWU came out on fire in the second half and used a 13-2 run to open a 50-35 lead with 16:17 remaining. Eastern led by as many as 25 before finishing with the 22-point win, its largest versus a NCAA Division I opponent at the time. Mason Peatling finished with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals while making 5-of-8 shots from the field. Jesse Hunt added six points, three rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Luka Vulikic made all four of his shots and chipped in nine points. Cody Benzel contributed six points in the first half.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Big First Half Leads Eastern Past Idaho State for Fourth-Straight Win
 
Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk went over the 2,000-point mark in his career and finished with a game-high 17, but three other Eagles scored in double figures as EWU beat Idaho State 74-69 on Feb. 24 in Pocatello, Idaho. True freshman Jack Perry made a career-high five 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, redshirt freshman Jacob Davison scored 11 and junior Cody Benzel had 12 in the second half to help Eastern hold onto fourth place in the league standings. Eastern led by 13 at halftime and 15 early in the second half, but Idaho State came back to take a 69-68 lead with 2:01 left. But a 3-pointer by Bliznyuk with 1:31 gave EWU the lead for good, and a trio of free throws down the stretch by Davison and Perry helped EWU secure it first road sweep in two years. Idaho State made 16 3-pointers two days earlier in an 86-83 win over Idaho, but EWU held the Bengals to 2-of-7 shooting from the 3-point arc in opening a 13-point lead at halftime. The Bengals sank 8-of-12 in the second half, but the Eagles still finished with 11 treys compared to 10 for ISU. For the fourth-straight game, Eastern won the rebounding battle, allowing ISU to finish with just one offensive rebounds while winning the overall battle 32-26. The Eagles had just six turnovers against Idaho State, enabling the Eagles to have a 62-48 advantage in field goal attempts.
 
Eagles Upset Wildcats 75-70 to End Long Winning Streak for Second Week in a Row
 
Senior Bogdan Bliznyuk did his part with 27 points, including a pair of game-clinching free throws with five seconds left, as the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team picked up a key, 75-70 road win over Weber State Thursday (Feb. 22) in Ogden, Utah. Redshirt freshman Jacob Davison had a big game with 17 points, and Mason Peatling added 15 for the Eagles, who are now 6-30 all-time in Ogden. Eastern made all eight of its free throw attempts in the last 1:57 to close out the win after a pair of 9-0 runs overcame an eight-point deficit. In a seven-minute stretch, EWU held Weber State to 1-of-12 shooting from the field. The win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Wildcats, a week after snapping league-leading Montana's 13-game streak with a 74-65 win at Reese Court on Feb. 15. Eastern trailed by eight in the second half when Bliznyuk scored all nine points in a 9-0 run. After the Wildcats hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead, Eastern followed with another 9-0 run to lead 56-49 with 7:43 to play. A basket by Bliznyuk gave Eastern the lead for good at the 9:02 mark. Eastern out-shot the Wildcats 50.9 percent to 42.6 percent, and out-rebounded the Wildcats 33-29. Eastern sank 65 percent of its shots in the second half.