­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (3-2/0-0 Big Sky) Tuesday, Nov. 26 – Belmont ­– 6 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	EWU games are on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff.
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Basketball-s308823/?_branch_match_id=723936718277085088
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	None, but webcast via Pluto TV Channel 534
­­­Webcast:	https://bigskyconf.com/sports/2015/11/19/WatchBigSky.aspx
Live Stats:	EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. (subject to change) and is aired live on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM. That show will be radio only, but the show on Dec. 10 and every week starting Jan. 6 will take place live at 24 Taps Burgers & Brews in Spokane (825 W. Riverside). CLICK HERE for a complete schedule.

 There won't be an 82-point winning margin this time around when the Eagles finally play at Reese Court again.
 
Playing at home for the first time since a 107-25 thrashing of Portland Bible College three weeks ago, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team faces a powerful Belmont University squad this Tuesday (Nov. 26) at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.
 
Tipoff is 6:05 p.m. Pacific time in a game broadcast on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, via the web at tunein.com and via mobile phone app, with pre-game coverage starting a half-hour prior to tipoff. Larry Weir serves as the play-by-play broadcaster. Fans can also watch the broadcast via Pluto TV channel 534 or via https://bigskyconf.com/sports/2015/11/19/WatchBigSky.aspx.
 
"We want to try to win all our games at home," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans, whose team is 21-5 at Reese Court in his two-plus seasons at the helm. "We have to come in and play hard to protect the home court. It is great, and a lot of fun for us to bring a team like Belmont into our place. It's going to be awesome."
 
Although the Bruins are 4-2 on the season, Eastern has nearly matched that with a 3-2 record through five games. Eastern is coming off a 90-74 road win at High Point, marking EWU's first victory in the Eastern time zone since knocking off Indiana 88-86 in Bloomington, Ind., on Nov. 24, 2014.
 
Four players scored in double figures in the victory, including a break-out game by true freshman point guard Ellis Magnuson with 12 points and eight assists. The trio of Kim Aiken Jr., Jacob Davison and Mason Peatling combined for 53 points, 15 rebounds, seven steals, seven assists and three blocked shots.
 
Belmont was 27-6 overall a year ago and won the Ohio Valley Conference title with a 16-2 record. The Bruins received an at-large bid as a No. 11 seed to the NCAA Tournament. Belmont beat Temple 81-70 in the "First Four" and then fell to Maryland 79-77 in the first round.
 
"They are a really good ball club," said Legans. "They can do a lot of things, and they play similar to the way that we play. They shoot a lot of three's and they have some really good players out there that can make some really good plays. We have to do a good job of defending the three-point line."
 
Casey Alexander is in his first season as head coach, and guided the Bruins to a four-game winning streak sandwiched between losses on Nov. 6 to Illinois State (79-72) and Nov. 23 against Saint Louis (60-55). He inherited 6-foot-11 sophomore Nick Muszynski, who averaged 14.7 points and 5.8 rebounds last season. Two other sophomores, guard Grayson Murphy and 6-8 forward Caleb Hollander also return. Murphy averaged 9.6 points and 4.4 rebounds last season, and Hollander averaged 7.0 points and 4.5 boards.
 
Through six games though, 6-3 sophomore guard Adam Kunkel is Belmont's leading scorer with a 19.2 scoring average while making 24-of-51 3-point shots for 47.1 percent. Muszynski is averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, and Murphy is chipping in 10.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and a team-leading 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals. Tyler Scanlon, a 6-foot-7 senior graduate student, is averaging 8.5 points. Junior guard Nick Hopkins is averaging 7.8 and Hollander is averaging 3.0 points.
 
A pair of Eastern players are averaging in double figures thus far, led by the 17.4 average of Davison and the double-double by Aiken of 14.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Davison scored 25 in the Seattle win on Nov. 9, 26 versus Boston College and 19 against High Point.
 
Aiken had 19 points and five rebounds against High Point, but prior to that had a string of three-straight double-doubles. He had 11 points and 19 rebounds against the Redhawks in which EWU used an 11-1 run in the second half to overcome a nine-point deficit. Aiken followed with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds at Saint Louis, then had 17 and 13, respectively, at BC.
 
Forward Mason Peatling, one of just two Eagle seniors on this year's team, is averaging 9.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks. The other senior, guard Tyler Kidd, has come off the bench to average 7.4 points and 2.4 assists.
 
This will be EWU's third game in a seven-day span, having never played Boston College, High Point or Belmont before. Following a break for Thanksgiving, Eastern's next game is at Washington on Dec. 4.
 
 
More on the Gotham Classic
 
Eastern is playing four games this November – including a home game against Belmont -- as part of the Gotham Classic, which is presented by the Gazelle Group. More information on the event is available at: http://www.gazellegroup.com/main/gotham.
 
Besides EWU and Belmont, other teams include Saint Louis, Boston College and High Point. The Eagles appeared in the 2015 Gotham Classic, and in recent years have participated in several other events hosted by the Gazelle Group.
 
Eastern's four games in the tournament are highlighted by a home game versus Belmont on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Located in Nashville, Tenn., the Bruins finished 27-6 a year ago and received an at-large bid as a No. 11 seed to the NCAA Tournament. Belmont beat Temple 81-70 in the "First Four" and then fell to Maryland 79-77 in the first round.
 
As part of the Gotham Classic, EWU will also play at Saint Louis on Nov. 13, Boston College on Nov. 20 and High Point on Nov. 23 in games that will take the Eagles to Missouri, Massachusetts and North Carolina.
 
Highlighting the Gotham Classic will be a Nov. 27 matchup between Boston College and Saint Louis in Chestnut Hill, Mass. That game will mark just the fourth time that the Eagles and Billikens will meet, and the first time since a 62-51 Saint Louis win on Nov. 24, 2011 in Anaheim, Calif. The Billikens lead the series, 2-1. In the 2018 Gotham Classic, Notre Dame defeated Duquesne, 67-56, in the Showcase Game.
 
Schedule of Games
(Records: Saint Louis 3-0, Belmont 2-1, Boston College 2-1, EWU 1-2, High Point 0-4)
Nov. 13 – at Boston College 53, High Point 33
Nov. 13 – at Saint Louis 80, Eastern Washington 62
Nov. 16 – Belmont 100, at Boston College 85
Nov. 18 – at Belmont 90, High Point 51
Nov. 20 – at Boston College 72, Eastern Washington 68
Nov. 20 – at Saint Louis 67, High Point 55
Nov. 23 – at Saint Louis 60, Belmont 55
Nov. 23 – Eastern Washington 90, at High Point 74
Nov. 26 – Belmont at Eastern Washington
Nov. 27 – Saint Louis at Boston College
 
First played in 2012, the Gotham Classic features five teams from across the country in one of the most competitive events of its kind. In eight short years, the tournament has attracted the likes of Syracuse, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Louisville, Memphis, Davidson, Pittsburgh, NC State, and West Virginia, among a host of other prominent programs.
 
 
Eagles Play Five NCAA Tournament Teams From a Year Ago in 2019-20
 
The Eagles will once again be road-tested, but December's miles will be significantly less. While November is highlighted by long road trips, December features two short trips against a pair of NCAA Division I powerhouses and a trio of home games for the Eagles and their 2019-20 schedule.
 
Eastern will play 11 non-conference opponents – including five at home – prior to the start of its Big Sky Conference schedule on Dec. 28. All but two of the opponents are NCAA Division I foes.
 
"We ​have a great preseason schedule coming up this year," said Legans. "In November​, we get to travel all over the country and test ourselves against some high-level programs. ​We return home in December ​and get over a month where we don't leave the state of Washington, which will help us get some extra practices in and help keep our guys fresh. ​We'll have five home games ​in that span to provide Eagle Nation a great opportunity to come see what we have."
 
In the second game of the season on Nov. 9, Eastern played at Seattle (74-66 win) in what has become an annual game against the Redhawks and former EWU head coach Jim Hayford. Eastern will play at Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 4, and three weeks later will take on Gonzaga on Saturday, Dec. 21. While EWU has played the Huskies three times in the last six seasons, EWU hasn't played the Bulldogs since Nov. 11, 2011.
 
Both the Huskies and Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the 2018-19 season, with the Huskies finishing 27-9 overall and 15-3 in the Pac-12 Conference. Gonzaga was 33-4 and a perfect 16-0 in the West Coast Conference.
 
""It is something that the fellas really like, and we finally get to play against Gonzaga," Legans said of the challenges ahead. "I know Mason (Peatling) has been wanting to do that since he has been here. Our fans have wanted us to play those games, and it's a lot of fun. It's also a great recruiting tool."
 
Three other teams EWU faces this season advanced to the Big Dance, including Saint Louis (23-13/10-8 Atlantic 10 Conference), Belmont (27-6/16-2 Ohio Valley Conference) and Montana (26-9/16-4 Big Sky). Advancing to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament were Seattle (18-15/6-10 Western Athletic Conference) and Southern Utah (17-7/9-11 Big Sky).
 
 "It is going to be challenging, but at the same time we will be able to test ourselves," he continued. "Last year we had the same type of schedule but with some injuries early. This year I'm hoping we stay healthy and see what we can accomplish against some of these bigger schools. I think that we can challenge those opponents and give them good games, and our players are really looking forward to them. "
 
In all, Eastern faces nine non-conference foes from eight different leagues who combined for a 191-108 record (.666) a year ago, and were a collective 96-56 (.632) in their respective leagues.
 
"We go on the road recruiting and talk about our schedules and who we are playing," said Legans. "We're playing Washington, Gonzaga and Seattle, and we are always trying to get Washington State on the schedule."
 
The Eagles opened the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with a home game versus Portland Bible College (3-20) of the Pacific Christian Athletic Conference, and won handily 107-25. The Eagles then played at Seattle on Nov. 9 and won that 74-66 before playing four games in the Gotham Classic. After losing 82-60 at Saint Louis, Eastern was edged 72-68 by Boston College (14-17/5-13 Atlantic Coast Conference). Eastern then picked up a 90-74 win at High Point (16-15/9-7 Big South) on Nov. 23 before hosting Belmont on Nov. 26, with both of those games also a part of the Gotham Classic.
 
The Washington game follows, then EWU plays a trio of home games -- Dec. 8 versus former Big Sky member North Dakota (12-18/6-10 Summit League), Dec. 13 against Multnomah (15-15/6-12 Cascade Collegiate Conference) and Dec. 17 versus Nebraska Omaha (21-11/13-3 Summit League).
 
The non-conference schedule concludes with the game at Gonzaga, followed by the team's Big Sky opener at Weber State on Dec. 28. Eastern's Big Sky home opener is versus Portland State on Jan. 4.
 
"We want to try and play every team in the state of Washington, and stay in the Northwest," said Legans. "At the same time, we want to be able to play other schools. We are going to play against a good ACC team, Boston College. They recruit well and they play against some of the best teams in the country. St. Louis was in the NCAA Tournament last year, and that game will give us a great idea of where we are going to be this year. We are really going to push ourselves, and I think we have a good chance in some of these games to take the win. We also have Belmont at home, and they play really good basketball."
 
Eastern's conference schedule was announced last winter. The Big Sky Conference Championship, which will take place in Boise, Idaho, for the second year of a three-year agreement, is scheduled for March 11-14, 2020 at CenturyLink Arena.
 
"There are a lot of changes with the coaches and the programs," said Legans of his third tour of the Big Sky as a head coach. "At the same time, the teams in the Big Sky are very tough. They know how to play against you and it's going to be a lot of fun. There are a lot of teams that are up in the air at this point. Southern Utah has a lot of their guys back, and Montana and Weber State are looking good. Idaho has a lot of players that people haven't seen -- they have had a lot of changes but they have potential to be very good. Idaho State has a new head coach coming in, and Ryan Looney has been very successful in the Northwest and in California. So, all in all, it's going to be a lot of fun to see where we stack up against some of these teams in the Big Sky."
 
After EWU started the season 1-9, Mason Peatling returned from a toe injury and Eastern was 15-9 the rest of the season to finish 16-18. Eastern was just 1-3 to start league play, but then won 13 of its final 19 games of the season after most of its injury woes subsided, but the Eagles did play the final 10 games of the season without All-Big Sky guard Jacob Davison.
 
"Our players are healthy to start the year and we've set high goals and expectations for ourselves," added Legans. "I ​couldn't be more excited for ​the season to get rolling."
 
 
Eagles Selected by Coaches to Win Big Sky Conference Title
 
The postseason is a long way off, but the coaches in the Big Sky Conference think the Eagles are the preseason pick to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. The league's head coaches selected Eastern as the preseason choice to win the Big Sky title in the 2019-20 season, the league office announced Oct. 17. The Eagles were picked third in the media poll, which was also announced.
 
Eastern was also picked to win the title by both the coaches and media in the 2002-03 season, then finished as the runner-up in the league (regular season and tournament) and advanced to the NIT Tournament. In 2003-04 when they won the first of their two Big Sky Tournament titles, the Eagles were picked second in both polls. The success that year resulted in EWU being picked first in both polls in 2004-05, but EWU slipped to 8-20 overall and 5-9 in the league. In 2014-15, when EWU also advanced to the NCAA Tournament, EWU was picked second by the coaches and third by the media.
 
With three starters back and eight total letterwinners returning, Eastern has the ingredients to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
 
"It's great to be recognized, and we've put in a lot of hard work," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "I've been here 11 years and this may be the first time we've been picked first – that's a great accomplishment in itself. Our players have done an unbelievable job of getting better each year. Our coaching staff gets them ready and prepared, and our guys play with a lot of confidence. I think that's what the other coaches have seen in some of our players."
 
Eastern received eight of 11 first-place votes cast by the coaches, and had 96 total points. Montana, with the other three first-place votes and 87 total, was picked to finish as the runner-up, with Weber State a close third with 86 points. Last season, for the second-straight year, Montana beat Eastern in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"Our team wants it a lot, but you can say that about every team in the country," Legans said. "We all want to get to the NCAA Tournament, and sometimes you have to be lucky to get there. We've gotten to the championship game but have fallen short, losing to Montana both times. Getting there is a great accomplishment and it's something we do think about. We just have to get better as the season progresses and have the depth we need when we get to the conference tournament."
 
In the media poll, Eastern was third with 330 points and received nine first-place votes, just behind Montana with 354 points (13 first-place votes) and Weber State with 345 (12). Northern Colorado was fourth with 275 points and a pair of first-place tallies.
 
Southern Utah, which advanced to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament a year ago, was picked to finish fourth by the coaches and fifth by the media, with UNC fifth in the coaches poll. The next six teams were all the same in both polls – Portland State, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Idaho State and Idaho.
 
"The Big Sky schedule is most important for us," added Legans, whose team started the season 1-9 a year ago before going 12-8 in the league to finish at 16-18 on the season. "You lose one game in the Big Sky Tournament and you aren't going to the NCAA Tournament. Your goal is to try to play your best basketball in the three or four games you play in the tournament. You have to make sure you are ready for that."
 
 
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* Eastern has never played Boston College, High Point or Belmont, but will play the first-ever meetings against those schools in a seven-day span from Nov. 20-26.
 
 
Eagles Face Eight Different Leagues in 2019-20 Season
 
In all, Eastern faces nine non-conference foes from eight different NCAA Division I leagues who combined for a 191-108 record (.666) a year ago, and were a collective 96-56 (.632) in their respective leagues.
 
Eastern picked up a win at Seattle University in its opener on Nov. 9, helping EWU improve to 19-16 all-time versus current teams in the Western Athletic Conference (12-13 since EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season). Versus Seattle, Eastern is 16-11 overall and 9-8 as a DI member.
 
Following an 80-62 loss at Saint Louis, the Eagles are now 1-2 all-time versus the Billikens, and are 2-3 against teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference – all with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
The Eagles lost at Boston College on Nov. 20 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and just the fourth ever against a current team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (all as DI member). Eastern lost to Pitt, Virginia Tech and Syracuse (just last season in 2019) in those other three games.
 
Eastern follows that by playing its first-ever meetings against High Point and Belmont, with EWU now owning a 2-0 all-time record versus current Big South Conference members after a 90-74 win over the Panthers. A 75-61 win over Winthrop on Nov. 16, 2002, was EWU's other win over a Big South opponent. The Eagles are 3-5 versus the Ohio Valley Conference (3-3 as a DI member).The last meeting versus an OVC member was on Nov. 22, 2017, when Eastern beat Eastern Kentucky 83-62 in the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas, Nevada (Eastern finished 3rd in the Middleweight Bracket).
 
The University of Washington of the Pac-12 Conference is EWU's next opponent, and the Eagles are 1-15 all-time versus the Huskies with an 11-game losing streak. Eastern hasn't beaten them since Dec. 14, 2002, and is 13-87 all-time versus the Pac-12 (3-45 as a member of DI). Eastern snapped a 21-game losing streak versus the Pac-12 with a 67-61 victory at Stanford on Nov. 14, 2017.
 
Former Big Sky member North Dakota is next, and EWU is 5-7 all-time against the Fighting Hawks (4-6 as DI member). That game, as well as EWU's first-ever meeting against Omaha on Dec. 17, is now part of the Big Sky Conference Versus Summit League Challenge Series.  Eastern is 10-16 all-time versus that league, with all of the meetings coming with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
Eastern concludes its non-conference schedule against Gonzaga, a powerhouse team EWU is 52-81 against all-time (5-34 since EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season). The Eagles have lost the last 24 meetings in the series dating back to the last Eagle victory on Jan. 8, 1990 by a 70-55 score at GU. The last time the two teams played came on Nov. 11, 2011, and Eastern fell to the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs 77-69 in the first game of the EWU coaching career of Jim Hayford. Eastern is now 52-50 all-time versus current members of the West Coast Conference, including a 23-64 mark since moving to Division I.
 
 
Eastern in Second Year of Four-Year Big Sky Versus Summit League Challenge Series
 
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 began during the 2018-19 season.
 
Each school will play one home game and road contest against separate schools from the other league during each of the four seasons. Big Sky schools participating are Eastern, Montana State, Montana and Idaho. The Summit is represented by North Dakota State, North Dakota, Omaha and South Dakota State.
 
Eastern fell to both North Dakota State (74-67) and South Dakota State (74-64) in the 2018-19 season. Entering the 2019-20 season, the Big Sky is 4-4 in the eight games played in the challenge series.
 
2018-19 (Big Sky 4-4 versus Summit) -- at North Dakota State 74, Eastern Washington 67; South Dakota State 74, at Eastern Washington 64; at Montana State 81, North Dakota 76, at Omaha 89, Montana State 65; Montana 85, at South Dakota State 74, at Montana 60, North Dakota State 53; Omaha 89, at Idaho 80, Idaho 67, at North Dakota 54.
 
2019-20 -- North Dakota at Eastern Washington (Dec.8), Omaha at Eastern Washington (Dec. 17), Montana State at North Dakota State (Dec. 16), South Dakota State at Montana State (Dec. 5), Montana at Omaha (Dec. 21), North Dakota at Montana (Dec. 6), North Dakota State at Idaho (Nov. 26), Idaho at South Dakota State (Dec. 21).
 
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.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Fast Start and Breakout Game for Ellis Magnuson Helps Eagles Beat High Point 90-74
 
After scoring just four points in his first four collegiate games, it was a due time for Ellis Magnuson to have a breakout game. Magnuson was one of four players in double figures, helping Eastern jump out to a 15-2 lead and beat a High Point University team coached by Tubby Smith 90-74 on Nov. 23 at the Millis Center in High Point, N.C. Magnuson scored 12 points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers after entering the game 0-of-7 as a collegian. The 2019 graduate of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, has started all five games for Eastern, which is 3-2 thus far. High Point fell to 0-6. Besides his 12 points, Magnuson also finished with eight assists and three steals. Junior Jacob Davison and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. each scored 19 to lead EWU, and senior Mason Peatling was the fourth player in double figures with 15 to go along with a team-leading eight rebounds. Magnuson hit 4-of-6 shots in the game, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point line. Aiken added five rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocked shots, and Davison also had three thefts. The Groves brothers combined for 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench, with sophomore Tanner Groves finishing with eight points and three boards, and true freshman Jacob Groves making his first appearance as an Eagle and scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds. Eastern out-shot the Wildcats 47 percent to 33 percent, including 54 percent to 24 percent in the first half when EWU led 41-35. A 10-0 run in the second half helped the Eagles lead by as many as 22 in the second half after leading 41-35 at halftime.
 
 
Valiant Effort as Eastern Edged 72-68 by Boston College in Battle of Eagles
 
The Eagles – the EWU kind – had a gutty effort three time zones away. Eastern took a pair of leads with inside of four minutes left, but couldn't pull out a huge upset Nov. 20 and fell 72-68 to Boston College from the Atlantic Coast Conference at the Conte Forum. Eastern traveled all the way to Massachusetts to play its first-ever meeting against the BC Eagles as part of the Gotham Classic. Junior Jacob Davison led the way for EWU by finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds and three steals after scoring just two points a week earlier at Saint Louis. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. had his third-straight double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Eastern took its first lead early in the second half at 46-45, then secured another with 3:44 remaining on a 3-pointer by Aiken and yet another with 1:58 to play on a trey by true freshman Tyler Robertson. But BC responded just 17 seconds later with a 3-pointer of its own by Jay Heath, then closed out the game by making five free throws in the last 24 seconds, with EWU's final points coming on a 3-pointer by Davison with 10 seconds left. Eastern allowed a BC offensive rebound and a turnover in the final seconds, and was unable to get off a potential game-winning or game-tying shot. Eastern trailed early 12-0, but came alive with a 10-0 run mid-way through that half that was fueled by Davison. He scored all 10 of EWU's points, and his dunk with 7:27 remaining pulled EWU to within 21-19. The Eagles made four 3-pointers the rest of the half, including one by Davison to knot the score at 28 and give him 13 tallies for the half. Eastern trailed at intermission 33-31. Early in the second half, Davison hit another 3-pointer to give EWU its first lead of the game at 46-45. Boston College regained a six-point lead, but Casson Rouse scored all six of his points in a 6-2 Eagle run to cut the lead to two. Eastern eventually took back the lead twice with Aiken's 3-pointer and Robertson's big shot. Eastern held its own against the bigger foe, and actually had more offensive rebounds than BC (13-9) while being out-rebounded by just two (42-40). However, EWU was just 3-of-6 at the free throw line compared to 19-of-26 for Boston College, which had three fewer field goals than the EWU Eagles.  Davison scored his 26 points on 10-of-25 shooting from the field, making 5-of-13 3-point attempts. Aiken also made five 3-pointers on 11 attempts, and was 6-of-14 overall from the field. He also had a pair of steals. Robertson came off the bench to hit 3-of-4 shots and finished with eight points, and Rouse added six. Senior Tyler Kidd chipped in seven points and had a team-high five assists, with senior Mason Peatling finishing with four points, four rebounds and three assists while playing just 29 minutes before fouling out.
 
 
Eagles Can't Keep Up With Hot-Shooting Billikens in 82-60 Loss
 
Their rebounding kept up, but the Eagles couldn't keep up with the hot shooting of the Billikens. Eastern suffered its first loss of the season, getting out-shot 57 percent to 30 percent in a non-conference game at unbeaten Saint Louis Nov. 13 in St. Louis, Mo., in a Gotham Classic Game at Chaifetz Arena. The Billikens of the Atlantic 10 Conference had a stretch of 12 makes in 13 attempts spanning halftime, and turned a six-point lead into a 19-point lead early in the second half. Saint Louis, which made only 1-of-12 free throws in the first half, led by as many as 28 and trailed by no less than 14 the rest of the way. At one point in the second half, Saint Louis had made 21 of 24 shots for 88 percent. Eastern's rebounding was impressive in the loss, finishing with 40 compared to the 41 of one of the top rebounding teams in NCAA Division I. A year ago, the Billikens were 17th in rebounding margin (plus 6.5 per game), 10th in total rebounds (39.6 per game) and fifth in offensive boards (13.7). The Eagles forced 18 turnovers, but also had 18 themselves. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. paved the way with his second straight double-double with 13 rebounds and 13 points. Senior Mason Peatling finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists, and senior Tyler Kidd came off the bench to score 10. Junior Jack Perry had three assists, and sophomore Tanner Groves made all four of his shots to finish with nine points and a pair of boards. Aiken, who was coming off the fourth-best rebounding effort in school history, had the sixth double-double of his career with 13 points and 13 boards after finishing with 19 rebounds and 11 points at Seattle on Nov. 9. He now has six performances in double figures in rebounds as an Eagle, and 11 with at least 10 points. He made 5-of-15 shots from the field against Saint Louis, and also had three steals, three assists and a blocked shot. The Eagles had a tough shooting half in the first 20 minutes, making just five of their first 23 shots to fall behind 24-14. Eastern made its last three of shots in the half, but the Billikens finished with a stretch of six-straight makes and took a 36-24 lead at halftime. After a miss to open the second half, Saint Louis had another stretch of six-straight makes to open a 56-35 lead with 12:22 to play. A basket by Aiken and 3-pointers by Casson Rouse and Tyler Kidd helped cut the margin to 14, but that was the closest EWU would get the rest of the way.
 
 
Big Second Half Leads Eastern Past Redhawks 74-66
 
Eastern used a 11-1 run in the second half to erase a nine-point deficit and went on to beat the Jim Hayford-coached Seattle University Redhawks 74-66 on Nov. 9 at the Redhawk Center on the SU campus in an annual clash of NCAA Division I rivals from within the state of Washington. Junior Jacob Davison led the way with 25 points, and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. equaled the fourth-best rebounding performance in school history with 19 to go along with 11 points. Senior Tyler Kidd and Aiken each scored nine second-half points, and Davison had 13. Davison made 8-of-17 shots from the field, including 3-of-6 from the 3-point arc, and also had five rebounds and a pair of steals. Aiken hit 4-of-16 shots and missed all nine of his 3-point shots, but his 19 rebounds were the most by an Eagle since 2013 as he finished with his fifth career double-double. Only performances of 28, 22 and 21 boards rank ahead of him in Eastern history. Kidd finished with 13 points of 5-of-7 shooting from the field and also had five rebounds. Senior Mason Peatling played only 22 minutes because of foul trouble, but finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Aiken had 14 boards after intermission, as Eastern trailed at halftime 36-30 but out-scored the Redhawks 44-30 after that. Eastern was behind 41-32 early in the second half and were shooting at less than a 30-percent clip when the Eagles came alive. Eastern knotted the score at 45 at the 11:15 mark, then used an 11-1 run to turn a one-point lead into a double-digit advantage with 5:42 to play on a 3-pointer by Peatling. Davison scored six points in the run, and Kidd chipped in a layin. The Eagles held Seattle without a field goal for nearly five minutes, from 10:54 to the 4:59 mark. Eastern led by as many as 12 with three minutes to play, then made five free throws in the last 1:54 to hold on for the win. Eastern sank just 39 percent of its shots for the game, but was at 57 percent in the second half and out-rebounded Seattle 25-15 in the second half. Seattle made only 29 percent in the first half and 35 percent for the game. The Eagles have played Seattle at least once every season since 2009, and are 16-11 all-time versus the Redhawks. Hayford spent six seasons as EWU's head coach, with current Eagle head coach Shantay Legans serving on his coaching staff all six seasons. Meetings in the past two years have yielded an 84-64 Seattle victory two years ago and an 88-68 Redhawks win a year ago.
 
 
Eagles Open 2019-20 Season With 107-25 Victory
 
The Eagles jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half and never looked back as Eastern opened its 2019-20 season with a 107-25 victory over Portland Bible College on Nov. 5 at  Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Six players scored in double figures for the Eagles, led a double-double by sophomore Tanner Groves. True freshman Ellis Magnuson had an Eastern freshman record with 11 assists in his debut as both an Eagle and as a starter, equaling the 11th-most all-time. Junior Jacob Davison led the Eagles with 15 points, with redshirt freshman Casson Rouse and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. each finishing with 14. Sophomore Tanner Groves had his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and redshirt freshman Michael Meadows had 10. Senior Mason Peatling chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. It was Eastern's 75th game in school history of scoring at least 100 points, with the 107 ranking in a tie for 21st all-time. Eastern led 14-0 early, as the Wildcats didn't score their first points until the 13:15 mark and their first field goal at 11:55. Later, EWU used a 7-0 run to open a 28-8 lead, then late in the half scored 17 unanswered points to take a 52-12 halftime lead. The Eagles held PBC 4:28 without scoring during that stretch. Davison led the Eagles with 11 points in the first half, and Magnuson had seven of his assists. Rouse, who scored all 14 of his points in the second half after not playing in the first 20 minutes, sank four early 3-pointers after intermission to help put the Eagles up 73-14. The Eagles led by as many as 84 with 3:02 left. Eastern finished the game forcing 34 turnovers, leading to a 53-2 advantage in points off turnovers. Eastern also had a 58-6 lead in points in the paint, 39-0 in fast-break points, 57-16 in bench points and 16-0 in second-chance points. EWU sank 55.1 percent of its shots from the field compared to just 14.3 percent for PBC.
 
 

Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Quick Start at High Point: "The way we started off was great and that's what propelled us to the win. In our first couple of games, excluding the Portland Bible College game, we have been off to slow starts. We have been on the road and flying all over the place. The guys played tough and hard and understood exactly what we needed to do. They knew exactly how important having a great start here would be. We didn't want to give this team any false confidence. Watching them play, I felt we were the better team, but I think we're better than everybody. I think that we were better than Boston College, but that's just what I think. When we play our best basketball I think that we can beat everybody."
 
On Ellis Magnussen: "He's a very good basketball player, and he is going to be very good for us down the road. He was great for us against High Point. He is an extremely hard worker -- he gets in the gym every morning and every night. He and Kim Aiken are always getting into the gym, and you always like to see those guys that work hard to see it pay off. He's a freshman point guard, and I believe that is the hardest position, especially playing for me. I'm really hard on point guards. Anyone who's been around me knows that the big guys can mess up, but the point guards have to be really good and mentally tough. He is a very mentally tough kid, and he will be a great player. He's going to break a lot of records here and had eight assists. He might have had more if guys didn't miss some shots. He sees the floor well."
 
On Bench Play Versus High Point: "We had other guys step up. Jacob Groves played in his first game all season long, and that gave us a spark. He is all of 6-foot-7 and he is still growing. You get to see he and his brother on the court together. His brother played good, but he got into foul trouble. Jacob will keep coming along and he will be good. At one point we had five freshmen on the court at one time. That's fun to have out there so you can see the future of your program. For us the future is right now with Mason, Jacob, and Kim. As we keep pushing forward though, it is great to see those guys out there playing and pushing hard."
 
On High Point Free Throws: "We gave a team 37 free throws, and credit them for getting there 37 times. Referees have a hard job with the way we play. We are physical. We play up and down. We push the ball. It's a hard game, though we weren't very hard to referee today. We shoot a lot of threes, but we drive the ball to the basket very hard. It's hard though, and the players need to understand. When we play on the road, sometimes were not getting refereed the same as when we are at home. When you see that, the guys need to understand, and stop complaining about the referees. I need to help them out, and I need to do a better job, because they are following my lead. So I need to be better about not getting on the referees as much, especially on the road. We just need to get in, play as hard as we can, and get out with a win."
 
On Boston College Loss: "You feel for our guys because we came out here and played a great game. We came out and played hard and tough and I'm proud of that. We battled hard on the boards with a bigger team, and had 13 offensive boards to their nine. We just have to play smarter – our strength is as a smart basketball club, and we haven't played smart offensively the last two games. Defensively we did a sound job, but we have to slow some guys down in certain situations."
 
On Davison & Aiken: "Those two players are very dynamic offensive players – they are both good shooters. They are going to get their shooting percentages up – it's early in the season. They will figure out where they are going to get their shots, and as we move forward for the season it's going to be good for those two guys and Mason too.
 
On Freshmen Robertson & Rouse at BC: "They played great and we rely on those two guys, and Tyler Kidd came in did some solid things and made some plays in crunch time. You want guys to step up guys in games like this. Mason got two quick fouls early and couldn't play at the end because he fouled out. Then they got a rebound in a free throw and it starts to snowball. We have to play better in certain situations and we didn't, but I was proud of the way Tyler and Casson played."
 
On Saint Louis Loss: "We didn't play particularly well on the offensive end – we have to get better. But our heads are held high and we played tough and battled. When you lose by only one on the glass against a team like this, that is huge for us. You have to play through the tough times and we didn't play as well offensively as we need do to win this game."

On Defense at SLU: "When you don't see the ball going in for the opponents, you are playing good defense. We came out and stopped them on 18 of their first 24 possessions. But we didn't follow the game plan defensively after that, and that's what happens. We got spaced out against a team that doesn't shoot the three well, and we wanted to give them some open looks and protect the paint. But we didn't protect the paint great and gave them 34 points. That is the lowest for them this season, but we didn't want to give them that many. We didn't do a good job in the second half, and we have to make sure our guys know what we want to do defensively for an entire game. These guys will.
 
On Effort at Seattle: "If you don't get efforts like that you don't win games. This win was huge and it was a long time coming. It was well-deserved by our team – we were playing our first road game and this team is healthy. We rebounded the ball in the second half which is important, and we limited them at the 3-point line. It's an exciting time. We are so happy to play the way we did. If Eagle Nation watched this game they would be proud of this team, and the fight we will give every single night."