League pride is on the line Sunday (Dec. 8) at Reese Court.
The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team hosts the North Dakota Fighting Hawks from the Summit League at approximately 3:30 p.m. that day in the second game of a Reese Court doubleheader. The EWU women's team faces Northwest Christian in the first game at 1:05 p.m., and the men's game follows 30 minutes after the conclusion of that contest.
The men's game will be aired live on radio 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.
The UND game begins a three-game homestand for EWU, which also hosts Multnomah (Dec. 13) and Nebraska Omaha (Dec. 17) prior to the team's non-conference finale at No. 9 Gonzaga on Dec. 21. League play begins at Weber State on Dec. 28.
The Eagles are coming off a 90-80 loss at Washington, a game in which Eastern led 10-1 early and was within striking distance for much of the game despite a 20-point deficit in the second half. Although head coach
Shantay Legans lauded his team's effort, he thought the Eagles were capable of pulling off an upset of the No. 22/23 Huskies.
"We have to do a better job, but we're going to learn from it," said Legans. "The fight and toughness in this group is good. Our guys stuck with it and fought. They are learning how to do things, and we are just trying to get our team right. We are trying to get the best product we have ready for Big Sky play. That's the end goal, but you want to win games like this.
"You want to play a team like UW and give them a fight," he continued. "You also want to win. You can't be too happy with losing by 10 – you want to win no matter who you play against. Our guys and coaching staff are disappointed. We just have to come back and be better prepared for North Dakota."
Sunday's game is part of the second round of games in the Big Sky Conference versus Summit League challenge series. The four-year series involving four teams from each league 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.
So far, EWU is 0-2 in the series, losing on the road at North Dakota State (74-67) and at home versus South Dakota State (74-64) a year ago. The Big Sky was 4-4 in the eight games played in the challenge series last season and 0-1 this year thus far, with South Dakota State playing at Montana State (Dec. 5) and North Dakota at Montana (Dec. 6) prior to EWU's game Sunday.
North Dakota is 4-5 on the season heading into Friday's game versus the Grizzlies. The Fighting Hawks fell 97-66 on Nov. 13 at Gonzaga – a team EWU plays on Dec. 21. Otherwise, EWU and UND have no common opponents thus far, with North Dakota's last game a 58-56 loss against Campbell on Dec. 1 and its last win 80-68 over Georgia Southern on Nov. 30.
Like EWU, three players average in double figures for the Fighting Hawks, led by averages of 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game by 6-foot-9 Filip Rebraca. He is a sophomore from Serbia shooting 62.8 percent from the field, and has had five double-doubles thus far. He had a season-high 24 points with 10 rebounds versus Milwaukee last month.
He is joined by Marlon Stewart with a 14.1 average and De'Sean Allen-Eikens at 13.2 per game. Stewart also is averaging 4.2 assists and has made 12-of-36 3-point shots thus far. Stewart scored 20 points in each of the last two games, with a combined 17 rebounds and five assists. Allen-Eikens scored 18 in the win over Georgia Southern.
"Division I teams are always hard to play against, and coaches at this level are very good," Legans said of the Fighting Hawks, who are led by first-year head coach Paul Sather. "They get their teams prepared and do the right things, and figure out how to get their team to play its best. It's going to be a lot of fun to go out there, represent Eastern and try to get a win. We want to try to get these next three at home."
Eastern's 4-3 start was its best since beginning the 2015-16 season with an 8-2 mark. A year ago during an injury-plagued season, the Eagles began the year 1-9.
Game Notes
Trio of Eagles Averaging in Double Figures
The Eagles thus far are 2-0 at home and 2-3 on the road, having won at Seattle University 74-66 on Nov. 9. Eastern also picked up a 90-74 road win at High Point on Nov. 23, marking EWU's first victory in the Eastern time zone since knocking off Indiana 88-86 in Bloomington, Ind., on Nov. 24, 2014.
A trio of Eastern players are averaging in double figures thus far, led by the double-double by sophomore
Kim Aiken Jr. of 15.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is coming off a career-best 26-point effort at Washington on Dec. 4, and thus far has four double-doubles this season. His last came in an 87-85 win over Belmont on Nov. 26 when he scored eight of EWU's last 12 points and had four defensive boards in the final 44 seconds to finish the game with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He had 19 points and five rebounds against High Point on Nov. 23, but prior to that had a string of three-straight double-doubles. He had 11 points and 19 rebounds against Seattle 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 Boston College.
Next is the 15.8 average of junior
Jacob Davison, who scored 25 in the Seattle win on Nov. 9 and had a team-high this season of 26 versus Boston College on Nov. 20. He scored 12 at Washington.
Forward
Mason Peatling, one of just two Eagle seniors on this year's team, is averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 blocks. He had a season-best 17-point outing versus Belmont, but is also averaging 3.4 fouls per game with three disqualifications. Peatling was sidelined a year ago with a foot injury when the Eagles were just 1-9, but since then Eastern is 19-12 (15-9 last year, 4-3 this season). The other senior, guard
Tyler Kidd, has come off the bench to average 7.4 points and 1.9 assists, including 12 points versus UW.
Eastern's youth movement has also been impressive, with true freshman
Ellis Magnuson and redshirt freshman
Casson Rouse cracking the starting lineup. Magnuson has started all seven EWU games and has averaged 5.3 assists and 4.7 points per game. He scored only four points in EWU's first four games, but had 12 and 13 in back-to-back wins against High Point and Belmont. He had nine assists versus Belmont, eight versus High Point and Washington, and 10 in his collegiate debut versus Portland Bible College.
Rouse has chipped in 7.4 points while making 13-of-32 3-pointers (40.6 percent), and sophomore
Tanner Groves has come off the bench to average 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. His brother, true freshman
Jacob Groves, has 14 points and seven rebounds in the three games he has played – the first two in victories against High Point and Belmont.
True Freshman Ellis Magnuson Earns Honor from College Sports Madness
True freshman
Ellis Magnuson is already living up to the high expectations of his head coach. The point guard protégé of
Shantay Legans was selected by College Sports Madness as its Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for his performance in EWU's win over mid-major powerhouse Belmont last Tuesday (Nov. 26) in Cheney.
A 2019 graduate of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, Magnuson scored 13 points and had nine assists in the 87-82 win over Belmont, which was ranked ninth entering the game in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major top 25 poll. He made 5-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line, and equally distributed his production with six points and five assists in the first half, and seven points and four assists in the second half in which EWU out-scored the Bruins 47-40. Belmont was 27-4 a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but EWU's win dropped the Bruins to 4-3.
That was just his sixth game as a collegian, and so far this season he has started all seven EWU games and has averaged 5.3 assists and 4.7 points per game thus far. Magnuson was the
USA Today Idaho 5A Player of the Year in his senior season when he led the Lions to the State 5A title and a 24-3 record. He averaged 15 points, six assists and two steals per game over his last two years in the program.
Magnuson had his breakout game just three days earlier when Eastern jumped out to a 15-2 lead and beat High Point on the road on Nov. 23 in North Carolina. Magnuson scored 12 points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers after entering the game 0-of-7 as a collegian. Besides his 12 points, Magnuson also finished with eight assists and three steals.
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 was 4-4 in the eight games played in the challenge series and 0-1 this year thus far.
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 (Big Sky 0-1 versus Summit) -- North Dakota State 70, at Idaho 53 (Nov. 26), South Dakota State at Montana State (Dec. 5), North Dakota at Montana (Dec. 6),
North Dakota at Eastern Washington (Dec. 8), Montana State at North Dakota State (Dec. 16),
Omaha at Eastern Washington (Dec. 17), Montana at Omaha (Dec. 21), 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.
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 was 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 registering a huge 87-82 triumph over Belmont on Nov. 26, with both of those games also a part of the Gotham Classic.
A 90-80 loss to Washington – then ranked 22nd in NCAA Division I by Associated Press and 23rd by the coaches followed. Eastern then 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 – ranked ninth in both polls on Dec. 2 -- 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."
A Look at Returning Eagles in 2018-19
Entering his third season at the helm, Eastern head coach
Shantay Legans is dreaming of a year of health for his Eagle squad. An injury-plagued season in 2018-19 ended with a second-straight appearance in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game for the Eagles, and four of the main players from that squad return. Eastern had its fourth-straight season with 10 Big Sky wins or more and a sixth-straight year with a winning league record. Eastern is 65-29 in Big Sky play in those six years for a .691 winning percentage.
Senior
Mason Peatling is back after earning second team All-Big Sky honors for the Eagles, with junior
Jacob Davison earning third team accolades despite missing the last 10 games with an ankle injury. Both were among the six players chosen league-wide as preseason All-Big Sky selections for the 2019-20 season.
Peatling averaged 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a year ago, and was also selected to the Big Sky All-Tournament team after averaging 20.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in three games while sinking 62.9 percent of his shots from the field. He missed EWU's first nine games with a toe injury, and his return turned out to be the turning point of the season for the Eagles. Once he returned, Peatling was EWU's leading scorer in nine of the 22 games he played (13-9 record), and also led in rebounds eight times. An honorable mention All-Big Sky selection as a sophomore, as a junior he was seventh in league-only statistics in scoring (15.3), fifth in shooting (58.6 percent) and fourth in rebounding (7.2), but didn't rank among the overall league leaders (a player must play in 75 percent of a team's games to be ranked). Peatling scored at least 20 points three of his last four games, including 20 with seven rebounds in a 77-61 victory over Southern Utah (3/15/19) in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. One game earlier versus Montana State (3/14/19) he had a career-high 28 points with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots for his third double-double of the season and eighth of his career. In his now 94-game career (72 as a starter), Peatling has averaged 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds with a total of 90 assists, 67 steals and 74 blocks to rank ninth in eighth in school history (one from ranking seventh and five from sixth). He has hit double figures in scoring 37 times in his career thus far, and has had at least 10 rebounds 10 times. He now has eight double-doubles in his career with a record of 7-1.
Until an ankle injury on Feb. 16 forced him to miss the last 10 games, Davison had been the hottest player for the Eagles if not the entire Big Sky. He averaged 23.8 points in his last nine outings, including the seventh-most points in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 to help him earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors. Davison started 19 of the 22 games he played, and finished with averages of 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play, which would have ranked fifth in the Big Sky if he had played enough of EWU's games to qualify (75 percent). Besides missing the last 10 games, wrist and ankle injuries kept Davison out of the first two games and preseason practices. In his now 63-game career (33 as a starter), he's averaged 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists while sinking 45.7 percent of his shots from the field, 36.4 percent from the 3-point stripe and 77.4 percent of his free throws.
Peatling and Davison are joined by sophomore
Kim Aiken Jr., who averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots with a pair of double-doubles in his first postseason experience to join Peatling in earning Big Sky All-Tournament accolades. Aiken ended his redshirt freshman season with an average of 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing as a sub off the bench in 19 of the 30 games he played (11 as a starter). A candidate for Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors, Aiken averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in Big Sky Conference play, including 11.6 and 7.7, respectively, in the last 10 games as a starter as an injury replacement for
Jacob Davison. He had three double-doubles, 11 blocked shots and 10 steals in those 10 games, shooting at a 46.1 percent clip from the field with 17 3-pointers. Thus far in his 37-game career (18 as a starter), he is averaging 8.2 points and 5.9 rebounds with eight career double-doubles (5-3 record).
Eastern's third returning starter is point guard
Tyler Kidd, who averaged 12.0 points and 3.8 assists as a junior college transfer in the 2018-19 season. Kidd ranked 23rd in the Big Sky with an average of 12.0 points per game during league play, plus averaged 3.8 assists to rank seventh. Kidd came off the bench in the first 12 games he played (he did not play in three), but started all 19 games since Jan. 10. He averaged 9.9 points and 3.1 assists overall, while scoring in double figures in 16 of the last 24 games (none in the first seven games he played). Overall, he was ninth in the league in assists (3.1), ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.423, 41-of-97) and 11th in free throw percentage (79.5 percent, 66-of-83). In league games only, Kidd was ninth in free throw shooting (81.2 percent, 56-of-69). So far in his 38-game career (19 as a starter), he's averaged 9.4 points and 2.9 assists per outing.
Jack Perry started 11 of 32 games in his sophomore season in 2018-19 and averaged 4.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Perry is currently just off EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 38.9 percent. He's played 70 total games as an Eagle (41 as a starter) and has averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Sophomore
Tanner Groves contributed 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds with 18 blocks as a true freshman, and thus far in his 35-game career (three as a starter) he's averaged 3.7 points, 2.6 boards and has 21 blocks.
In all, Eastern returns eight letterwinners while losing four. Eastern's 18-player roster in 2019-20 is rounded out by six newcomers, a trio of 2018-19 redshirts and a transfer who had to sit out most of last season with an injury.
Series Notes
* North Dakota is a former Big Sky Conference member, and EWU is 5-7 all-time against the Fighting Hawks (4-6 as DI member). Eastern has won the last three meetings in Cheney, and four of the six meetings overall. The Eagles are 1-5 in Grand Forks.
* The two schools first met on Dec. 4, 1981, and EWU won 81-72 during Eastern's rise from NAIA to NCAA Division I. The following season, the year before EWU moved to DI, North Dakota won 75-71 on its home court. Eastern is 10-16 all-time versus the Summit League, with all but the first two meetings against UND coming with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I.
* Eastern hasn't played North Dakota since Jan. 25, 2018, when the two teams last met in a Big Sky Conference game. The last 10 games have been league counters.
1/25/18 W North Dakota* 95-71 H
12/31/17 W North Dakota* 77-64 A
2/9/17 L North Dakota* 86-95 A
2/11/16 W North Dakota* 95-85 H
1/2/16 L North Dakota* 71-79 A
1/24/15 W North Dakota* 102-80 H
3/1/14 L North Dakota* 67-69 A
1/30/14 L North Dakota* 61-73 H
3/2/13 L North Dakota* 74-78 H
1/17/13 L North Dakota* 47-65 A
12/11/82 L North Dakota 71-75 A
12/4/81 W North Dakota 81-72 H
Looking Back . . . Eastern Washington 95, North Dakota 71 (1/25/18)
Senior
Bogdan Bliznyuk broke the Eastern career scoring record and finished a near triple-double of 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, as EWU used big runs in each half to beat North Dakota 95-71 on Jan. 25, 2018, at Reese Court. Bliznyuk needed just two points to break EWU's all-time scoring record, and achieved it 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. North Dakota pulled within eight early in the second half, but EWU used a 14-0 run to pull away. Bliznyuk didn't score in the run, as four Eagles scored in double figures and nine different players scored. Besides taking over the EWU scoring lead, Bliznyuk moved up four spots into 11th on the Big Sky all-time list after making 12-of-15 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 3-point field goals.
Cody Benzel made 5-of-9 3-pointers to finish with 15 points, and
Sir Washington had 11 points, making a pair of 3-pointers and adding five rebounds and three assists.
Mason Peatling had his second-straight double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and also had a pair of blocked shots.
Jack Perry chipped in nine points and six assists,
Ty Gibson scored nine and
Jacob Davison had seven tallies and five rebounds. Eastern made 15-of-36 3-pointers for 42 percent against UND. The Eagles sank 52.8 percent overall, compared to 45.1 percent for the Fighting Hawks. Eastern out-rebounded North Dakota 37-26 and had just six turnovers.
Looking Back Further . . . Eastern Washington 77, North Dakota 64 (12/31/17)
In Grand Forks, N.D., 12 unanswered points by
Bogdan Bliznyuk in the second half helped Eastern to a 77-64 road victory over North Dakota on Dec. 31, 2017, for EWU's first-ever victory in Grand Forks, N.D. The win snapped a seven-game road losing streak for the Eagles, and extended a five-game losing skid overall for the Fighting Hawks, the defending Big Sky regular season and league champions. Eastern held UND without a field goal for nearly eight minutes in a pivotal juncture in the second half that helped the Eagles take an 18-point advantage with 3:21 to play. Bliznyuk scored 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line in a game of runs. He made all six of his shots in the first half when EWU opened a 42-28 halftime lead thanks to runs of 7-0, 7-0, 7-1 and 12-0. He single-handedly turned a three-point lead into a 15-point bulge with his 12-0 scoring spurt late in the second half.
Jesse Hunt scored 16 points for the third consecutive game, and
Sir Washington had his first double figure scoring game of the season with 12.
Cody Benzel chipped in five points and career highs with five rebounds and four steals. The Eagles out-shot the Fighting Hawks 54 percent to 43 percent, and had season-highs with 21 turnovers forced, 15 steals and 28 points off turnovers.
Schedule Notes
Eagles 1-27 Versus Ranked Teams
Two games in a five-game stretch in December are expected to be versus ranked opponents, with Washington ranked 22nd in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the Coaches Poll (both released on Dec. 2) when the Eagles played the Huskies on Nov. 4 (a 90-80 UW victory). Gonzaga, EWU's opponent Dec. 21 in Spokane, is currently ranked ninth in the two polls.
Games in the 2019-20 season versus Oregon and Syracuse were Eastern's 27th and 26th games versus ranked opponents, and EWU is now 1-27 after losing at Washington 90-80 on Dec. 4. Eastern head coach
Shantay Legans remembers well the only time the Eagles defeated a ranked opponent back in 2001. He was in Haas Pavilion that night on Nov. 15, 2001, when Eastern beat 10th-ranked St. Joseph's 68-67 at the BCA Classic in Berkeley, Calif. The next night, Eastern lost to 56-27 to host Cal, whose starting point guard was Legans. He had five points, an assist and a rebound in 20 minutes of action versus EWU.
In the 2014-15 season Eastern lost 77-68 to No. 22 SMU on Nov. 22, 2014; 81-77 to No. 17 Washington on Dec. 14, 2014; and then 84-74 to No. 22 Georgetown on March 19, 2015. Before that, EWU lost 82-65 to No. 15 Connecticut on Dec. 28, 2013, and 77-69 on Nov. 11, 2011, to a Gonzaga team ranked 23rd in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches' polls. The Gonzaga game was the head coaching debut at Eastern for Jim Hayford
.
Eastern lost to Washington 98-72 on Nov. 16, 2010, and 86-57 to Gonzaga on Nov. 30, 2010, in EWU's other recent games against nationally-ranked teams. Washington was ranked 17th by Associated Press and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, and Gonzaga was 24th by the coaches.
In the 2009-10 season, the Eagles fell 94-52 to Gonzaga on Dec. 28, 2009. The Bulldogs were ranked 22nd by ESPN/USA Today, but were just out of the top 25 at No. 26 by Associated Press. The 2008-09 season was the first time since 2002-03 that Eastern did not play a nationally-ranked team. The Eagles played 12 such games in the five seasons before that.
Eastern's list versus nationally-ranked teams includes three games in the 2004-05 season alone as well as three the year before. Seven of the games came under former head coach Mike Burns and five others came under Ray Giacoletti from 2000-2004.
12/21/19 vs. #?? Gonzaga
12/4/19 vs. #22/23 Washington – L, 80-90
11/9/18 vs. #14 Oregon – L, 47-81
11/6/18 vs. #16 Syracuse – L, 34-66
12/20/16 vs. #17 Xavier – L, 56-85
11/17/16 vs. #21 Texas – L, 52-85
3/19/15 vs. #22 Georgetown – L, 74-84
12/14/14 vs. #17 Washington – L, 77-81
11/22/14 vs. #22 SMU – L, 68-77
12/28/13 vs. #15 Connecticut – L,65-82
11/11/11 vs. #23 Gonzaga – L, 69-77
11/30/10 vs. #24 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 57-86
11/16/10 vs. #17 Washington - L, 72-98
12/28/09 vs. #22 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 52-94
12/5/07 vs. #3 Kansas - L, 47-85
11/9/07 vs. #10 Washington State - L, 41-68
12/15/06 vs. #22 Oregon - L, 74-100
11/24/06 vs. #16 Washington - L, 83-90
12/19/05 vs. #8 Gonzaga - L, 65-75
12/16/05 vs. #11 Washington - L, 74-91
12/28/04 vs. #14 Arizona - L, 45-79
12/21/04 vs. #13 Gonzaga - L, 70-83
12/5/04 vs. #14 Washington - L, 56-89
3/19/04 vs. #3 Oklahoma State - L, 56-75
12/31/03 vs. #16 Gonzaga - L, 49-70
11/21/03 vs. #14 Oklahoma - L, 59-69
11/15/01 vs. #10 St. Joseph's - W, 68-67
11/25/00 vs. #4 Michigan State - L, 61-83
1/21/85 vs. #10 DePaul - L, 50-72
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 followed 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. After beating Belmont 87-82, the Eagles are 4-5 versus the Ohio Valley Conference (4-3 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 was EWU's next opponent, and the Eagles are now 1-16 all-time versus the Huskies with a 12-game losing streak after the 90-80 loss. Eastern hasn't beaten them since Dec. 14, 2002, and is 13-88 all-time versus the Pac-12 (3-46 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 but two (the first two meetings versus UND) 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.
More on the Gotham Classic
Eastern played four games in November – including a home game against Belmont (an 87-82 Eagle win) -- 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 also played at Saint Louis on Nov. 13, Boston College on Nov. 20 and High Point on Nov. 23 in games that took the Eagles to Missouri, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Eastern beat High Point (90-74), but fell to Saint Louis (82-60) and BC (72-68).
Highlighting the Gotham Classic was a Nov. 27 matchup between Boston College and Saint Louis in Chestnut Hill, Mass., which was won by SLU 64-54. In the 2018 Gotham Classic, Notre Dame defeated Duquesne, 67-56, in the Showcase Game.
Schedule of Games
(Records: Saint Louis 4-0, EWU 2-2, Belmont 2-2, Boston College 2-2, 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 –at Eastern Washington 87, Belmont 82
Nov. 27 – Saint Louis 64, at Boston College 54
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.
Recent Game Recaps
Fast Start for Eagles, But 22nd-Ranked Huskies Win 90-80
The Eagles certainly got the attention of the Huskies, and it began with a 10-1 start. Eastern gave No. 22/23 Washington everything it could handle for 15 minutes on Dec. 4, but UW pulled away in the second half for a 90-80 win at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Sophomore
Kim Aiken Jr. paved the way for Eastern with a season-high 20 points, including a 3-pointer with five minutes to play in the first half and knot the score at 33 after a start which saw the Eagles lead 10-1. However, Washington scored 14 of the last 16 points in the first half, and then opened up a 20-point lead in the second half. Junior
Jacob Davison chipped in 12 points and senior
Tyler Kidd came off the bench to also score 12 for EWU. Aiken scored his 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from the 3-point stripe, as he eclipsed the 24 he had against Southern Utah on Feb. 2, 2019. The rest of the team, however, was 20-of-51 (39.2 percent) overall and 4-of-20 (20.0 percent) from the arc. Davison led the Eagles with eight rebounds and two steals, and also joined Rouse in finishing with four assists. True freshman
Ellis Magnuson had a team-high eight assists. Turnovers played a big part in the loss for EWU. Seventeen Eagle turnovers led to 19 Washington points – a season high for a team versus EWU this season – with 12 UW points off nine EWU turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. Eastern also missed 10 of their 22 attempted free throws, including a 3-of-10 performance in the first half. Washington was 29-of-36 at the line. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 10-1 lead, with
Casson Rouse sinking a pair of 3-pointers as EWU sank its first four shots. But a 10-0 Husky run wiped out the lead, and then the rest of the half was a battle. There were four three ties and four lead changes and EWU trailed 47-35 at intermission. Eastern was within 12 with 11:12 remaining in the game when the Huskies provided a dagger with a 13-5 run to open a 20-point advantage at the four-minute mark. But EWU's 43.3 percent shooting overall and 31.3 percent shooting from the 3-point stripe (10-of-32) was too much to overcome.
Eastern Pulls Away Late to Beat Belmont 87-82
In the definition of a team win, Eastern sank its final 10 free throws in the last 4 1/2 minutes to help the Eagles defeat a powerful Belmont University squad 87-82 on Nov. 26 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Playing at home for the first time since a 107-25 thrashing of Portland Bible College three weeks earlier, Eastern led for just 8:40 of the game, but was able to take the lead for good with 3:58 to play with an 8-0 run.
Kim Aiken Jr., scored eight of EWU's last 12 points on his way to his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Six Eagles scored in double figures, as all nine players who saw action scored and had at least one rebound. Senior
Mason Peatling led the Eagles with 17 points, and true freshman point guard
Ellis Magnuson, redshirt freshman
Casson Rouse, sophomore
Tanner Groves and junior
Jacob Davison also scored in double figures. Peatling scored his 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, and also had five rebounds and a pair of steals. Groves came off the bench to score 14, hitting 6-of-12 shots and grabbing four boards. Magnuson had 13 points and nine assists in just his sixth game as a collegian, and Rouse and Aiken each finished with 11. Rouse added four assists and three rebounds, and Aiken had 11 rebounds and a pair of steals. Davison was EWU's final player in double figures with 10, but also scoring were
Jacob Groves (Tanner's younger brother) with five and
Tyler Kidd and
Tyler Robertson with three apiece. Eastern sank 13-of-17 free throws in the game and had 10 3 pointers despite getting out-shot 53 percent to 51 percent and out-rebounded 35-32. Eastern held the Bruins to nine 3-pointers on 24 attempts for 37.5 percent in the game. Eastern trailed early 7-0, but clawed back to knot the game at 40 just before halftime. Eastern took a 68-65 lead in the second half on a basket by
Tanner Groves, then the game was tied at 75-all when Peatling made a pair of free throws. That started an 8-0 run that included a basket by Aiken with 3:58 to play to take the lead for good. Aiken also made two free throws with 3:18 left, two with 12 seconds remaining and the icing on the cake with a pair with 3.8 ticks on the clock. A missed front end of a one-plus-one free throw opportunity by the Bruins helped set-up the final four charity shots for Aiken.
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.
Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .
On North Dakota: "They don't have the size and length of Washington, but at the same time they are going to want to win. They have a good ballclub and have a good new coach. We have to be ready to go to protect our home court, and we have to come out flying on all cylinders. We want to play one of our best games of the year. We have a three-game home stretch, which we don't have very often at Eastern. We're excited about that."
On Washington Loss: "We're disappointed to lose to UW, but you just have to keep getting better. We competed – I thought it was a winnable game. We appreciate the hospitality of the University of Washington and got to play a great game, but I thought we left some points out there and had too many fouls. We have be smart, and make sure our guys know how important it is to have them stay on the court and not get into foul trouble too early."
On Belmont Victory: "Our team came in and took advantage of our opportunity to play a team like that here at home. Belmont is a very well-coached team and a good basketball club. But tonight was our night – we played well and we played hard. We followed the game plan to a tee. We did a good job and our assistant coaches did a remarkable job of getting our team prepared. We came out with a win in front of a good crowd during a holiday week. We appreciate them coming out and the atmosphere was awesome. The last minute was surreal – it was loud in here, jumpin' and fun. It was a team effort."
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 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 (Robertson) and Casson played."
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."
