­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (8-15/6-6 Big Sky) Saturday, Feb. 16 – Northern Colorado – 2:05 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 – Idaho – 4:15 p.m. (approx.) all times Pacific
Radio:	Eastern games are on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir calls the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Eagles-Sports-Network-s273711/
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	The Idaho doubleheader will be televised live regionally by SWX.
­­­Webcast:	http://watchbigsky.com or Pluto Channel 234 for EWU home games.
Live Stats:	http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next scheduled show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. (no shows on Feb. 11 because of the weather and no show on Feb. 18 because of games that day). Shows are aired live on 700-AM ESPN and take place live at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in Cheney.

Trying to snap a two-game losing streak but extend a home winning streak, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team returns home for a pair of games, including Saturday (Feb. 16) versus Northern Colorado in a game that starts at 2:05 p.m. Pacific time. The Eagles then face Idaho the following Monday (Feb. 18) in a President's Day doubleheader with the Eagle and Vandal women's teams. The women begin at 2:05 p.m., with the men's game starting at approximately 4:15 p.m. or 30 minutes prior to the conclusion of the women's contest.
 
The Idaho double header will be televised live regionally on SWX. All Eastern games are carried live via radio on 700-AM ESPN and 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area, with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff.  Fans can also watch the webcast of all league games via PlutoTV and at http://watchbigsky.com.
 
Both of EWU's foes this week are at opposite end of the league standings, and faced off against each other on Thursday (Feb. 14) in Moscow. The Bears won that game 75-47, and are second in the league with an 11-3 record and are 17-8 overall. The Vandals are just 1-12 in the Big Sky and 4-20 overall, and haven't won since beating EWU 74-71 on Jan. 3 in Moscow.
 
Both the Vandals and Eagles were swept last week on the road at Montana. Eastern was edged 74-66 by the Bobcats and 75-74 by the Grizzlies, while Idaho fell by 41 to Montana (100-59) and lost by 14 to the Bobcats (86-72). The sweep knocked Eastern from fourth to sixth in the league standings.
 
Following Thursday night's action, Montana is in sole possession of first in the league standings at 11-2. Northern Colorado (11-3) is right behind the Grizzlies, followed by Weber State (9-5), MSU (9-5), Southern Utah (7-7) and EWU (6-6), with Sacramento State (5-8), Portland State (5-8), Idaho State (5-9) and Northern Arizona (5-9) right behind the Eagles. Staying at the top of the league standings is important because the top five teams in the league gain a first-round bye in the Big Sky Conference Tournament March 13-16 in Boise, Idaho.
 
Eastern has still won five of its last eight games, and picked up its first road win this season on Jan. 26 when it won at Sacramento State in overtime (94-92). After the UM loss, EWU is 1-12 on opponent home courts but will enter Saturday's game 7-3 at Reese Court with a five-game winning streak.
 
 "Our team will get some rest," Legans said of the week ahead after playing four games in an eight-day span. "We'll go back to the drawing board and face Northern Colorado, which is another really good club. I feel confident in our team, and they are understanding exactly what it takes to win. I'm looking forward to neutral site games in the tournament."
 
The Bears beat EWU 75-63 in Greeley on Jan. 7, and have registered road wins at Montana State, Idaho State and Northern Arizona since then. In fact, UNC is 8-4 on the road this season and 8-2 at home (0-2 on neutral courts), and also beat Sacramento State and Portland State on the road to open league play.
 
Senior guard Jordan Davis leads the Big Sky in scoring, and has averages of 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Bodie Hume (11.0) and Jonah Radebaugh (10.4) also averaging in double figures. Northern Colorado is allowing 68.8 points per game overall, and has the best average in league games only at 64.9 per outing.
 
Idaho is led by guard Trevon Allen, who is averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He scored 25 in the first meeting versus the Eagles. Idaho also has guard Cameron Tyson (13.0) averaging in double figures, with 6-8 forward Jared Rodriguez (9.9) close to it.
 
Sophomore Jacob Davison has been the hottest Eagle as of late, averaging 25.3 points in his last seven outings since scoring 11 versus Montana on Jan. 10. He's made 53.7 percent of his shots in those games, making 19-of-42 3-point attempts (45.2 percent) and 28-of-35 free throws (80.0 percent). He's also averaged 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals. He had the seventh-most points in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4, and has team-leading averages of 15.3 points on the season and 19.0 in league play.
 
 Eastern returns seven total letterwinners from the 2017-18 team, including four starters. However, the Eagles lost the Big Sky and EWU all-time leading scorer in Bogdan Bliznyuk, who was the league MVP and an honorable All-America selection last year after finishing with 2,169 points in his career.
 
The Eagles closed the 2017-18 season with a 20-15 record in their 35th season as a member of NCAA Division I after finishing 13-5 in the league during their 31st season as a member of the Big Sky. Eastern made its fourth-straight national postseason appearance when the team competed in the 2018 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
 
 
 

Game/Season Notes

 
 
Shooting Percentages Skyrocket in During League Play
 
Look no further than shooting to understand the reversal of fortunes for the Eastern Washington men's basketball team. Eastern is 8-1 when making at least 45.0 percent of its shots from the field and 0-14 when it doesn't, and EWU was victorious in its lone two games in which it has sank at least 48 percent of its shots. The Eagles had their top two shooting nights of the season versus Montana on Jan. 10 when they made 52.9 percent of their 3-pointers (9-of-17) and 48.0 percent overall, then a week later made a season-best 57.9 percent from the field against Montana State. Below is a breakdown of EWU's shooting and won-lost records as the season has progressed.
 
Through Non-Conference Play (2-9) . . . 38.1 percent (30.5 percent from the 3-point line) / opponents 46.5 (38.5)
Through First 15 Games (3-12) . . . 38.9 percent (30.9) / opponents 47.2 (39.5)
Last Eight Games (5-3) . . . 47.3 (40.9, 79-of-193) / 45.6 (36.4, 64-of-176)
For the Season (8-15) . . . 41.7 percent (34.0) / opponents 46.6 (38.4)
 
 
Eagles Have Used 11 Different Starting Lineups
 
Now that Mason Peatling is back and Tyler Kidd has solidified his starting role, the Eagles are no longer tinkering with their starting lineup. Eastern used its fifth starting lineup in seven games when the Eagles beat Montana 78-71 on Jan. 10, and EWU has used a total of 11 different lineups this season. Kidd made his first start of his EWU career and was joined in the starting lineup by Peatling, Jesse Hunt, Jacob Davison and Cody Benzel. That unit has essentially been used ever since and is now 3-3 this season. However, on Feb. 2 versus Southern Utah and Feb. 4 against Northern Arizona, redshirt freshman Tanner Groves made the first starts of his career as an injury replacement for Peatling. Hunt has started a team-high 23 games this season, Davison has started 18 of 21, Peatling has started all 11 he has played and Benzel has started 15 games and come off the bench in eight others.
 
 
Davison Continues Scoring Surge, Including 41 on Feb. 4
 
It's safe to say that Jacob Davison is living up to the potential his coach has witnessed for a long time. The sophomore scored 62 points in two games – including the seventh-most in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona – to earn Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Feb. 5 by the league office. He followed that with a team-high 24 points versus Montana State on Feb. 7 and 23 against Montana two days later.
 
Davison, who is a 2016 graduate of Cantwell-Sacred Heart High School and is from Long Beach, Calif., became just the ninth player in Eastern's basketball history to score at least 40 points in a single game. He's scored at least 19 points in his last seven outings, with a total of 177 of EWU's 548 points (32 percent) and a 25.3 average per game. Eastern is 4-3 in those games as he's made 53.7 percent of his shots while making 19-of-42 3-point attempts (45.2 percent) and 28-of-35 free throws (80.0 percent). He's also averaged 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals.
 
Davison is now averaging a team-leading 15.3 points per game on the season to rank sixth in the Big Sky, and is fourth in the league in free throw shooting at 81.9 percent (59-of-72). In league games only, he is up to fourth in scoring (19.0) and ninth in free throw shooting (79.6 percent; 39-of-49).
 
He's scored at least 20 points in eight Eastern games (nine in his career), with 14 performances in double-digits (24 in his career). In his 55-game career (25 as a starter), he's averaged 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists while sinking 46.3 percent of his shots from the field, 36.9 percent from the 3-point stripe and 82.8 percent of his free throws (120-of-145).
 
Davison missed EWU's first two games in 2018-19 because of wrist and ankle injuries, but returned to play versus Green Bay and UMKC on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17, respectively. He had an 11-point performance in his season debut, then scored eight points and had two assists in the next game. He had 26 points at Portland State on Jan. 24, sinking 10-of-21 shots with three 3-pointers. He scored 23 with three assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots versus Montana State on Jan. 19. He scored what was then a career-high 25 points versus North Dakota State on Dec. 8, sinking 11-of-19 shots from the floor with a trio of 3-pointers. He had 20, with four 3-pointers, five rebounds and three assists, against South Dakota State on Dec. 18.
 
Davison played significantly as a redshirt freshman a year ago. He made the first start of his career at Seattle on Dec. 3 and started seven-straight games. He came off the bench in the last 21 and averaged 7.1 points on the season. His debut season ended with seven points, a career-high four steals and three rebounds in EWU's loss to Utah Valley in the College Basketball Invitational. He scored 41 points and had 14 rebounds in three Big Sky Tournament games, including 16 in both the semifinals and championship game. He scored in double figures seven times in his last 13 games, including 14 points in EWU's regular season finale versus Northern Arizona and 17 at Weber State on Feb. 22. He scored 15 at Utah on Nov. 24, 2017, when he had his third double-figure scoring performance in a four-game span. He came off the bench to score 20 against Georgia State on Nov 20, 2017, and had 11 one game earlier versus UNLV.
 
 
Peatling is Back and Averaging 16.3 points in League Play Thus Far
 
After missing EWU's first 10 games with an injury – and two more at mid-season -- Mason Peatling  has been EWU's leading scorer in five of the 11 games he has played since (5-6 record), and has also led in rebounds five times. An honorable mention All-Big Sky selection a year ago, Peatling is averaging 16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks in 10 league games thus far, and 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks overall. He's shooting at a 57.1 percent clip on the season, making 7-of-14 3-point attempts (50.0 percent) and 24-of-36 free throws (66.7 percent). In league games only, he's eighth in the league in scoring, fourth in shooting (58.4 percent) and fifth in rebounding, but won't rank among the overall league leaders until later this season (a player must play in 75 percent of a team's games to be ranked).
 
Peatling had 16 points and seven rebounds against Montana on Feb. 9, and before that had an eight-point, 10-rebound effort at Montana State on Feb. 7. He had his first double-double of the season versus Sacramento State when he had 17 points and 13 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting before fouling out after playing just 25 minutes. One game earlier he had a 15-point performance at Portland State in which he sank 7-of-10 shots from the field and grabbed eight rebounds before fouling out. He had one of six double-figure performances for the Eagles on Jan. 10 when the Eagles beat preseason favorite Montana 78-71 at Reese Court in Cheney. He sank 6-of-8 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throws in just 20 minutes because of foul trouble to finish with a team-high 17 points.
 
Versus Northern Colorado on Jan. 7 he finished with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, plus had nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two assists. He made his season debut as a starter versus Corban in a 92-73 Eagle win on Dec. 21. He played 18 minutes and finished with four points on 2-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists.
 
He followed that with a career-high 25 against Weber State in an 84-72 loss, making 9-of-17 shots from the field with a trio of 3-pointers made in four attempts. He also had six rebounds – five on the offensive end – and a pair of assists. He eclipsed his previous high of 19 versus South Dakota and Montana State in the 2017-18 season. Peatling then scored 16 in a 65-55 win over Idaho State. He was 7-of-9 from the field and also had eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots against ISU. He had a key three-point play with 2:53 left to give EWU its biggest lead of the game at the time.
 
In his 76-game career (54 as a starter), he's averaged 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds with a total of 63 assists, 57 blocks and 53 steals. He hit double figures in scoring 12 times in 2017-18 and 24 in his career thus far, and has had at least 10 rebounds eight times in his career, twice this season and six during his sophomore season. He now has six double-doubles in his career after having five in the 2017-18 season.
 
Peatling put together a stretch of three-straight double-doubles in January of 2018 after re-joining the starting lineup mid-way through the season. He had the fourth double-double of the season and of his career with 19 points and 13 rebounds in an 84-79 win over Montana State on Feb. 17, 2018, then had his fifth with 11 points and 10 boards in Eastern's regular season finale versus Northern Arizona. His point total against the Bobcats was his career high at the time, and Eastern was 4-1 when he had a double-double.
 
He closed his sophomore campaign with five points, five rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal against Utah Valley in College Basketball Invitational. In three games in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, he scored 30 points and had 17 rebounds and four blocked shots. In a win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 27, 2018, he had 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, making 6-of-11 shots from the field and finishing with two blocked shots. Peatling had the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds in EWU's overtime loss at Southern Utah on Jan. 20, 2018, then had 11-11 versus North Dakota on Jan. 25, 2018.
 
Making his first start since Dec. 12 after missing four games because of a hand injury, Peatling embraced his return to the starting lineup on Jan. 6, 2018, against Sacramento State. It took barely over seven minutes for him to hit the double-figure mark, as he finished with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in 13 minutes of action. Prior to being sidelined with his injury, he scored a career-high 19 at South Dakota on Dec. 10, 2017, and had 11 points and six rebounds one game earlier at San Francisco.
 
For the season, Peatling averaged 7.7 points in 31 games (26 as a starter), and averaged 5.6 rebounds (17th in the Big Sky) and 1.2 blocked shots per game (fifth). His averages were 8.7 points, 7.4 rebounds (seventh) and 1.5 blocks (fourth) in conference play.
 
 
Named to HoopsHD.Com Mid-Season All-Big Sky Team, Jesse Hunt Averaging 14.0 Points and 8.6 Rebounds With Eight Double-Doubles
 
Senior Jesse Hunt has had had four 20-point outings this season, with eight double-doubles to give him 10 in his career. Recently he was selected to the HoopsHD.com mid-season All-Big Sky team after leading the Eagles in scoring and rebounding during the preseason.
 
He is currently averaging 14.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists on the season. He is second in the Big Sky in rebounding, 11th in scoring and eighth in assists. Hunt has shooting percentages of 48.9 percent overall (12th in the Big Sky) and 45.6 percent from 3-point range (third; 36-of-79).
 
He has opened league play with averages of 12.4 points (23rd), 9.3 rebounds (second) and 3.3 assists (10th) in 12 games. In league games only, he is third in the Big Sky in 3-point accuracy (48.6 percent; 17-of-35). He has had 24 career double-figure scoring performances in his career to go along with 13 performances with 10 or more rebounds.
 
His 10th career double-double came on Feb. 9 at Montana when he finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Montana, and two games earlier in a win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 he finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Hunt led the Eagles with 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in EWU's 94-92 overtime win at Sacramento State on Jan. 26, making 8-of-12 shots overall and 4-of-6 from the 3-point stripe. His rebounding total equaled the eighth-most in school history and exceeded by two his previous high. He also led the team in assists with six, blocks with one and steals with one.
 
He had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in an 85-81 win against Montana State, and 15 rebounds and eight points in a 78-71 victory over Montana on Jan. 10. He finished with eight points and career highs of 12 rebounds and eight assists while going against South Dakota State All-American Mike Daum on Dec. 18. In addition, Hunt scored 27 points in a December outing versus Stanford, making 9-of-15 shots from the floor and finishing with four rebounds.
 
Hunt had back-to-back double-doubles – including a 32-point outing in an EWU victory -- to earn All-Tournament honors at the Cheney Sub-Regional of the 2K Empire Classic Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. He then followed that performance by leading the Eagles with 15 points at Washington on Nov. 27, and had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds at Seattle on Dec. 1.
 
He scored 15 of EWU's 22 points down the stretch en route to his second-straight double-double and give the Eagles an 87-80 victory over the University of Missouri Kansas City on Nov. 17 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. In finishing with 32 points, he doubled his previous career high of 16 and achieved a new career high with 12 rebounds. Hunt hit a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and his efforts also included two other baskets in the final 2:02 of regulation to provide most of EWU's offense down the stretch. He then scored eight of EWU's 18 points in overtime. He sank 12-of-16 shots from the field with a trio of 3-pointers, and also had four assists.
 
"Jesse was there and knocked down the shot," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans on his team getting to overtime. "Our guys spaced the floor and Jesse came up big. Jesse had a great game. For he and Ty (Gibson) to get 20 rebounds between them was huge."
 
One game earlier in a semifinal loss to Green Bay, Hunt finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, plus had three assists and a pair of blocked shots. In the two games, he averaged 23.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shots per game, while making 65.5 percent of his shots overall (19-of-29), 4-of-6 from the 3-point stripe and 5-of-9 free throws.
 
Hunt has played in 106 career games with 40 starts, and has averages of 5.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
 
 
League Schedule Features 20 Games for the Third Time in League History
 
As expected, the 2018-19 schedule of games in the Big Sky Conference for the Eagles will have a few twists and turns. It includes 20 league games for the first time since the 2013-14 and 2012-13 seasons. Those were the only years in the league's 55-year history the schedule has included 20 conference games.
 
The departure of North Dakota left the league with 11 members, making for a challenge in scheduling 20 games for each team in a span of 11 weekends. Travel partners – such as Idaho paired with EWU – were retained as much as possible, but the "lone wolf" is always prevalent when scheduling an odd amount of teams.
 
Most notably, Eastern will play four games on Monday, including three at home at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.  The Eagles will also host Montana and Montana State in back-to-back games, but those will come nine days apart. However, the good news for the Eagles is that their road travel schedule is as good as could be expected. The lone Monday road game is at Northern Colorado -- four days after the Eagles play at nearby local rival Idaho.
 
"Scheduling 11 teams in a 20-game schedule is definitely a difficult task," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "But we are pleased with how it came out for us. It's definitely different playing on Mondays, but we'll embrace the challenges and fight to win the league title."
 
The Big Sky Conference Championship, which will take place in Boise, Idaho, for the next three years, is scheduled for March 13-16, 2019 at CenturyLink Arena.
 
 
Brackets Set for Big Sky Tourney in Boise
 
The move from Reno to Boise has also resulted in a change in the brackets for the 2019 Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships presented by My Place Hotels. Tickets and lodging for the event are available now at: http://BigSkyinBoise.com.
 
The tournaments are set to take place March 11-16 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. Eastern's women's team could start as early as Monday, March 11, while the men wouldn't begin play until Wednesday, March 13, at the earliest. The women's tournament will be held March 11-15, while the men's championship will take place March 13-16. The tournament champions will receive automatic berths to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
 
For the fourth-straight season, all Big Sky members will compete in the conference tournament with the field featuring 11 teams for both the men and women in 2019. The top five teams in the final regular season standings will earn a bye to the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Championship. The six-day event will be held in the state of Idaho for the first time since 1994 when former Big Sky member Boise State served as the championship host.
 
The three first round games of the Big Sky women's championship will start Monday afternoon before four quarterfinal matchups follow on Tuesday for the women. A five-game Wednesday slate features a trio of men's first round games, leading up to the women's semifinals in the evening. 
 
The men's tourney continues Thursday with the quarterfinals. Friday's action consists of the women's championship game, which will air on Eleven Sports, while the men's semifinals follow that night. The week-long event wraps up Saturday with the men's championship game on ESPNU at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
 
CenturyLink Arena is a 5,300-seat facility located in downtown Boise that has been the home of the Idaho Steelheads hockey team since opening in 1997. The arena hosts an average of 100 events annually and has welcomed over 5.5 million attendees in 20 years. It also hosts numerous concerts, trade shows, and conventions each year. CenturyLink Arena is attached to the Grove Hotel, Boise's only four-diamond hotel.
 
The 2019 championship will be the fourth neutral site basketball championship in the Big Sky's history after holding the event in Reno, Nevada, the previous three seasons.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Big Sky Conference, follow us on Facebook at /BigSkyConf or on Instagram and Twitter @BigSkyConf. Fans can also follow Big Sky men's and women's basketball on Twitter, @BigSkyMBB and @BigSkyWBB.

 
Next Basketball Coaches Show on Feb. 25
 
Basketball Coaches Shows take place at Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza in downtown Cheney throughout the 2018-19 season. Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza is located at 122 College Ave. in Cheney, and the public is always invited to attend the shows live. Remaining shows are on 2/25, 3/4 and 3/11 (if travel to Big Sky Tournament permits). There are no shows on 2/4 and 2/18 because of EWU games those days, plus the 2/11 show was canceled because of inclement weather.
 
The shows begin at 6 p.m. and will feature men's head coach Shantay Legans, with special guests including head women's coach Wendy Schuller. Players and assistant coaches from both the men's and women's programs will be featured on the shows.
 
Hosted by veteran Eagle radio play-by-play announcer Larry Weir, the shows may be heard on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, tunein.com and via Tunein's mobile phone app (search for Eastern Washington). EWU football and men's basketball games may also be heard via those methods.
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
 * The Eagles are 12-12 all-time versus UNC (9-3 in Cheney, 3-9 in Greeley), with the first meeting taking place on Dec. 20, 1971, when Eastern beat the Bears 76-68 in Greeley, Colo. Since then, all of the meetings have been with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I (since 1983-84), starting in the 2006-07 season when the Bears became a Big Sky Conference member. Eastern has won three of the last five meetings and six of the last nine. The Eagles won in Cheney 67-65 on Jan. 27, 2018, less than a month after losing in Greeley 88-75. The teams met just once in the 2016-17 season and EWU won that 70-44 in Greeley.
 
* Earlier this season in Greeley, Northern Colorado sank 64 percent of its shots to open a 19-point lead at halftime and held-off the Eagles in a Big Sky game Jan. 7 at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. Eastern had a 14-2 run in the second half to cut into a Bears lead that had ballooned to 58-34 with 11:04 left in the contest. Eastern cut the lead to a dozen with 4:52 left, and five more times after that. But the Bears never relinquished its double-digit lead and closed out the game with a basket and two free throws by Jordan Davis, who finished with a game-high 30 points. Mason Peatling led the Eagles with 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Jesse Hunt chipped in 12 points and five boards, and Tyler Kidd came off the bench to spark the Eagles with 10 points and four assists. Eastern had carved out an early 11-10 lead with 13:41 left in the first half. But EWU was out-scored 35-15 the rest of the half, including a 23-7 run by UNC in the final seven minutes to give UNC a 45-26 advantage at intermission. The Eagles were out-shot 52.1 percent to 39.3 percent. The Bears made 9-of-24 3-point attempts for 37.5 percent, compared to a 4-of-13 performance by the Eagles at 30.8 percent. Eastern out-rebounded UNC by one (32-31) and had one more turnover as well (13-12).
 
* Last year in Cheney, a trio of Eagles combined for 52 points and came up with key plays down the stretch as the Eagles beat Northern Colorado 67-65 on Jan. 27, 2018. Senior Sir Washington sank a pair of free throws with eight seconds left to break a 65-all tie, as UNC missed six of its last eight shots. Washington, who finished with nine points, also came up with the key rebound with 13 seconds remaining on a potential go-ahead attempt by UNC's Andre Spight, who also missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that could have won it. All-time EWU leading scorer Bogdan Bliznyuk led the way with 26 points as he moved into the top 10 in Big Sky Conference history. He scored seven points in a 10-0 run midway through the second half that turned a deficit – EWU's last of the game – into a seven-point advantage with 8:11 to play. Sophomore Mason Peatling had this third-straight double-double, finishing with 17 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and two blocked shots. He also took a key charge with 1:10 with the game knotted at 65. Featuring 11 ties and six lead changes, the game was a battle for third place in the conference standings. The Eagles sank just 4-of-13 shots from the 3-point stripe, but scored 42 points in the paint – its second-best performance of the season and best against a NCAA Division I foe. Bliznyuk and Peatling combined for 15-of-29 shooting from inside the 3-point stripe. The Eagles made only 34.5 percent of their shots in the second half and 43.9 percent in the game, but held UNC to 31 percent after intermission and 37 percent for the game.
 

* In the 11 meetings since Idaho re-joined the Big Sky Conference in the 2014-15 season, EWU is 6-5 but the average winning margin for the winning team is just 5.9 points (total of 65). Included was a Vandal sweep in 2017-18 and an EWU sweep in 2016-17. Last season EWU fell 66-64 in Moscow after losing 58-51 earlier in the year at home. The year before, EWU won 69-62 in Moscow and 77-67 in Cheney. But Eastern lost the previous two meetings, 77-73 in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Big Sky Conference Championships in Reno, Nevada, and a 66-62 setback in Moscow on Feb. 27, 2016. Until losing at home 58-51 earlier in the 2017-18 season, the Eagles had won their last three games at Reese Court versus the Vandals.
* Since 1996 when Idaho first left the Big Sky Conference, the two schools have now played 25 times, with Eastern winning 14 of them. Idaho leads the all-time series 57-29. Since EWU became a NCAA Division I member in the 1983-84 season, EWU is 17-36 against Idaho (9-15 home, 7-17 away, 1-4 neutral).
 
* Earlier this season in Moscow, the Eagles had a trio of impressive stretches, but Eastern couldn't come all the way back from a 22-point deficit and fell 74-71 to Idaho Jan. 3 in Moscow, Idaho. Eastern had a run of 16-9 to start the game and 11-2 to start the second half, then had its most impressive run in the final four minutes. The Eagles fell behind 70-56 with 4:48 to play, but a 15-4 run pulled EWU within 74-71 with 47 seconds remaining. Eastern had a chance to tie, but junior Mason Peatling missed a 3-pointer with five seconds left and then EWU couldn't get another shot off after collecting an offensive board. In EWU's final 15-4 rally, senior Ty Gibson, senior Jesse Hunt and junior Tyler Kidd each hit key 3-point baskets, as well as two-point buckets by Kidd, Luka Vulikic and Jacob Davison.  Peatling led Eastern with 17 points, plus had six rebounds and four assists. Hunt had 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Hunt entered the game with four double-doubles on the season and five in his career. Gibson had his second-straight double-figure scoring performance, finishing with 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the 3-point stripe. Senior Cody Benzel had 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line. Idaho sank 58 percent of its shots in the second half, leading to a 50.0 percent night for the Vandals. Idaho also sank 10-of-19 3-pointers (52.6 percent) compared to 10-of-31 (32.3 percent) for the Eagles. Eastern shot at a 40.7 percent clip for the night. Trevon Allen paced Idaho with 25 points, hitting 3-of-4 3-point shots. Idaho had a run of 34-7 to end the half and open a 20-point halftime lead it never relinquished. The Vandals led by as many as 22 before EWU rallied with an 11-2 run to pull within 11 with 16:07 left. Idaho quickly regained a 16-point lead and held a double-digit advantage for the next 10 minutes.
 
* Last season in Cheney, Eastern jumped out to a 20-6 lead but fell 58-51 to Idaho on Jan. 12 at Reese Court to end EWU's 12-game home court winning streak. The Eagles held Idaho to 58 points, equaling the fewest EWU had allowed to an opponent at that point of the season. Idaho sank just 40.8 percent of its shots, including only 2-of-9 3-pointers in the second half (22.2 percent). However, after sinking eight of its first 13 shots from the field to jump out to the early 14-point lead, Eastern finished at just 36.4 percent from the field for its lowest percentage since Dec. 7. Eastern's 51 points were its fewest since scoring 50 in a loss to Georgia State in November. Most notably, Idaho held Bogdan Bliznyuk scoreless for 32:12 of the game after he scored nine of EWU's first 20 points. He also contributed six rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Mason Peatling chipped in eight points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots, and Jack Perry also scored eight with two assists and three rebounds. Juniors Ty Gibson and Cody Benzel each scored six points, but combined to go just 4-of-14 from the field overall, including 4-of-13 from the 3-point stripe. Gibson also had five rebounds and four assists. The Eagles got off to a hot start, opening leads of 10-1 and 20-6, but they couldn't sustain it. The Eagles made eight of their first 13 shots, but then just 12-of-42 after that for 29 percent. Eastern led 34-33 with 15:27 left in the game on a 3-pointer by Gibson, but the Vandals followed with a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to take a 43-36 advantage. A 7-0 Vandal run and a five-minute scoreless stretch for the Eagles helped Idaho open an 11-point bulge at the 2:21 mark, and EWU could get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
 
* The meeting on Jan. 10, 2015, in Moscow was EWU's first-ever league victory over the UI, and was the first league meeting between the schools since Feb. 17, 1996. The Vandals rejoined the Big Sky Conference in the 2014-15 season after previously competing in the league from 1963-1996, winning tournament championships in 1980, 1981, 1989 and 1990. Eastern began playing in the Big Sky in 1987-88, and won the tourney title in 2004 and again in 2015. In those previous nine seasons of co-existence in the Big Sky, the Vandals won all 18 league meetings between the two schools, as well as the Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship game in 1990 won 65-62 by the Vandals on a shot at the buzzer by Ricardo Boyd. In all, Idaho had won 22-straight against the Eagles, who went nearly 14 years between victories (1/15/86 to 11/29/99).

  

 

More Player Notes

 
Eastern Duo Climbs EWU Three-Point Charts
 
Senior guards Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson have both played in more than 100 games for the Eagles, with current totals of 124 (fourth in school history) and 119 (eighth) games of experience, respectively. Jesse Hunt is right behind with 106 games played.
 
Both Benzel and Gibson are three-point threats -- Benzel ranks fourth in school history with 184 3-pointers and Gibson is 10th with 138. Benzel is tied with Marc Axton on EWU's all-time leaders list (184 from 2002-05). Benzel is shooting at a 39.8 percent clip from the 3-point arc to rank 14th all-time at EWU and Gibson is just out of the top 16 in school history with 38.4 percent accuracy. Sophomore Jack Perry is currently 12th on the percentage list at 40.4 percent.
 
Benzel has started 42 games in his career, averaging 14.7 minutes and 5.0 points (6.6 as a junior and 5.6 thus far as a senior) per game. He had his third performance in his career of 20 points or more when he finished with 23 in a 92-73 victory over Corban on Dec. 21. He sank 7-of-13 3-pointers to equal his career high, and came just two points from his best scoring output as an Eagle of 25 points. He also had a pair of steals.
 
Gibson has started 47 career games and has a 4.4 scoring average (6.3 as a junior and 3.6 this season) in an average of 17.4 minutes per game. After playing sparingly in EWU's first two games because of an injury, he scored 12 versus Green Bay and 16 against UMKC on back-to-back nights at home in December. He scored eight points in his next game, but had only seven points in the next seven games and was mired in a 1-of-14 slump shooting 3-pointers heading into EWU's second conference game of the season versus Idaho State on Dec. 31. But he responded with his first double-figure scoring performance since Nov. 17, finishing with 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the 3-point stripe and making both of his free throws. He followed that with another trio of 3-pointers to finish with 11 points at Idaho on Jan. 3, and had nine points with a trio of 3-pointers at Montana on Feb. 9.
 
Add in BYU transfer Steven Beo, and the Eagles will have four proven top-notch shooters in the league. Beo played in 31 games as a freshman for BYU in 2016-17 after averaging 27.7 points as a junior and 26.7 as a senior at Richland (Wash.) High School. He made his Eagle debut at San Francisco on Dec. 13 and made 1-of-2 3-point attempts, and then started his first game as an Eagle on Dec. 18 versus South Dakota State. Sidelined much of this season with an injury, he has played in three games thus far, making 1-of-3 treys in an average of 6.7 minutes per game.
 
Benzel and Gibson, as well as forward Jesse Hunt, were named to the NABC Honors Court for the 2017-18 school year. Gibson is majoring in professional accounting, and has a 3.99 GPA at EWU after graduating from Issaquah (Wash.) HS in 2015. Benzel is a 2014 graduate of Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash., and has a 3.19 GPA as a marketing major. Hunt has a 3.57 GPA as a management major, and is formerly from Australia and graduated from Sir Francis Drake HS in California in 2015. Gibson and Hunt have also all earned Big Sky All-Academic.
 
Eastern had a 3.54 grade point average as a team in fall quarter of 2018, with a current accumulative team GPA of 3.61.
 
 
Like Davison, Perry is a Sophomore Who Played Significantly as Freshmen Last Season
 
Sophomore Jack Perry started EWU's last 27 games as a true freshman in 2017-18, and scored in double figures in four of his last nine games. So far in 2018-19 he has started 11 of 21 games and has averaged 4.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. His 40.4 percent accuracy from 3-point range in his career currently ranks 12th on EWU's career leaders list. He's played 56 total games as an Eagle (39 as a starter) and has averaged 5.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Against Montana on Jan. 10 in a 78-71 Eagle win, Perry hit all four of his 3-point attempts to finish with 12 points.
 
As a freshman, he had a career-high 18-point performance against Northern Arizona on March 3, 2018, in which he made a career-high six 3-pointers in nine attempts, then followed that with 14 points in EWU's quarterfinal win in the Big Sky Tournament. He also had a 15-point performance against Idaho State on Feb. 24, 2018, with five 3-pointers, and a career-high eight rebounds at Weber State one game earlier on Feb. 22. On the season he averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists per game while making 45.1 percent from the field and 56-of-130 3-pointers (43.1 percent to rank sixth in the Big Sky). His clutch 3-pointer with 15 seconds left helped clinch EWU's 81-74 win over Portland State on Jan. 4, 2018, then he hit another clutch trey with 1:06 left in EWU's 81-76 victory against Northern Arizona on Jan. 18, 2018.
 
 
Five Eagles Made Eagle Debuts Versus Syracuse
 
Four Eagles, including redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr. as a starter, made their collegiate debuts when Eastern played at Syracuse on Nov. 6. For Aiken, it was the first start of his career in his Eagle debut, finishing with five points. Aiken, however, scored just 19 points in the next 10 games he played until coming off the bench to score a season-high 11 on 3-of-5 shooting from the field with a pair of 3-pointers in a 78-71 victory over Montana on Jan. 10, 2019. He scored eight more on 3-of-3 shooting from the field against Montana State on Jan. 19. Then, helping fill-in for injured starter Mason Peatling, Aiken made 8-of-10 shots from the field and 4-of-5 from the 3-point stripe to finish with 24 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of steals in an 82-79 win over Southern Utah on Feb. 2. One game later, he had nine boards, two points and two blocked shots versus Northern Arizona.
 
Coming off the bench in EWU's season opener were redshirt freshman Tanner Groves and true freshmen Elijah Jackson and Austin Fadal. All three scored their first points and had their first rebounds of their careers as Eagles, as did junior college transfer Tyler Kidd. A redshirt last season after transferring from Skagit Valley Community College, Kidd made 3-of-8 shots from the field – including 3-of-5 3-pointers – to finish with a team-high nine points. He also had a pair of rebounds, an assist and a steal. Against Oregon one game later, Groves and Jackson both made their first 3-pointers as Eagles.
 
Besides Aiken, the rest of EWU's starting lineup against Syracuse included seniors Ty Gibson and Jesse Hunt, as well as sophomores Luka Vulikic and Jack Perry. Eastern played without three players – Mason Peatling, Jacob Davison and Steven Beo – plus Gibson played just eight minutes after suffering an injury in the first half. Gibson did not play versus Oregon and was replaced in the lineup by Cody Benzel, who finished with a team-high 16 points.
 
Kidd has continued to provide a spark for the Eagles – first off the bench and now as a starter. He is averaging 11.4 points and 4.2 assists in league play (8.5 and 3.0 overall), while scoring in double figures in nine of the last 13 games. In league games only, Kidd is sixth in the league in assists (4.2), fifth in free throw shooting (87.5 percent, 35-of-40) and 27th in scoring. He had a season-high nine assists in an 82-64 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 4. Kidd scored a career-high 20 points with four assists in EWU's 94-92 overtime win at Sacramento State on Jan. 26, and had 17 against Montana State on Jan. 19. He scored 12 in EWU's league opener against Weber State on Dec. 29 and had 10 versus Northern Colorado on Jan. 7. In his first start as an Eagle, he scored 13 points with five assists and four rebounds in a 78-71 win over Montana on Jan. 10, 2019.
 
Groves had his first career double-double against Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 while making his second-straight start as an injury replacement for EWU leading scorer Mason Peatling. The 2017 graduate of Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, making 6-of-10 shots from the field. His previous high for points was six at Oregon on Nov. 9, his previous high for boards was six versus Corban on Dec. 21 and his previous high for blocks was one on five occasions.
 
Aiken averaged 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds as a high school senior in the 2016-17 season, and scored 1,730 points (18.4 per game) and had 1,038 rebounds (11.0) in his career. Groves earned All-State honors while at Shadle Park and averaged 18.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocked shots as a senior. Kidd earned all-defensive honors in the Northwest Athletic Conference and averaged 14.1 points as a sophomore at Skagit Valley Community College.
 
Jackson is out of Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, earning All-Metro League honors as a senior, then winning the long jump and triple jump at the 2018 State 3A Championships. He had high school bests of 23-6 in the long jump, 46-4 3/4 in the triple jump and 6-6 in the high jump. Those marks would have all placed in the top 12 at the Big Sky Conference Championships in 2018.
 
Fadal averaged over 18 points and six assists in his high school career, but a knee injury in December of his senior season ended his high school career. He then played one season at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona where he was one of the eight finalists nationwide for the National Prep Hoops Offensive Post-Graduate/Prep School Player of the Year.
 
 
Vulikic Back After Injury-Shortened 2017-18 Season
 
Sophomore Luka Vulikic started Eastern's first eight games at point guard in the 2017-18 season before a foot ailment resulted in him redshirting. He's back in the 2018-19 season and in 20 games played (14 as a starter) he has averaged 5.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He scored 18 in his first five games (3.6 average), but has had four double figure scoring performances since then, and did not play versus Corban on Dec. 21.
 
He scored a career-high 18 points against Seattle on Dec. 1, sinking 7-of-12 shots from the floor and 4-of-6 free throws. His previous career high was 12 set twice, including Nov. 22, 2016, versus Seattle when he also had 11 rebounds. He had a career-high 10 assists at North Dakota State on Dec. 8. In his 60-game career (44 as a starter), Vulikic is averaging 4.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
 
In the eight games he played in 2017-18, he averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in an average of 25.6 minutes per game. That came after a freshman season in which he started 22 of 32 games and averaged 2.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists.
 
A bout of planter fasciitis plagued the Serbian, and it was announced in February of 2018 that Vulikic would redshirt as an injury hardship. He scored in double figures three times in the eight games he played, scoring 10 points each versus Walla Walla (11/10/17) in the team's opener, at Washington (11/12/17) and then Utah (11/24/17). He had a career-high seven assists versus the Utes in a game he also had five rebounds.
 
 
Eagles Add Trio as Letter of Intent Signees
 
Eastern signed in November a trio of players – including the brother of a current member of the team – to letters of intent to attend EWU and play basketball for the Eagles next year. The players signed include 6-7 guard/forward Jacob Groves, whose brother Tanner Groves is a redshirt freshman for the Eagles. Jacob is currently a senior at Shadle Park High School in nearby Spokane, Wash., and Tanner graduated from the school in 2017. The other players signed are 6-6 guard/forward Tyler Robertson from Melbourne, Australia, a member of his country's Australian national youth teams, and Abdullahi Mohamed, a 6-foot-8 power forward from West Seattle High School.
 
Groves averaged over 16 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior at Shadle Park, making 60 percent from the field overall and 47 percent from the 3-point stripe. He scored a season-high 26 points and hit six 3-pointers in a 53-51 win over Kellogg (Idaho) High School.
 
 "Jacob has continued to improve his long-range shooting stroke, and he is growing into his 6-7 frame," said Legans. "He's a home-grown student-athlete, and it will be very exciting to see Tanner and Jacob play side-by-side for the Eagles over the next few years."
 
A 3.8 student in high school, he has volunteered at the Washington Family Ranch and participated in highway clean-ups. He intends on majoring in education at EWU and has an interest in becoming a physical education teacher. His parents are Randy and Tara Groves, and he also has another brother named Dylynn.
 
 "He's also had great success in the classroom and community," added Legans. "He has had a terrific career at Shadle Park and has made great strides while showing tremendous growth as a player. He has a very unique combination of size and skill, and has a great shooting touch that gives him the ability to become a prolific 3-point threat in the Big Sky. His skill level on the court, combined with his IQ and toughness, is going to make him a major contributor."
 
 "Having Jake join his brother Tanner here at EWU next year is going to be a great fit, both on the floor and in the locker room," Legans said. "We've had some amazing shooters from Spokane lately with Parker Kelly and Cody Benzel, and Jake fits that mold perfectly. He is one of the best shooters in the state and with his size, that should translate very well to the college level."
 
Robertson played on his country's FIBA U18 team last summer, and has been part of the State and National high performance programs since 2014. He helped Australia national teams win championships at the 2017 U17 Oceania Championship and the 2018 U18 Asia Cup, while helping Australia qualify for the World Championships in 2019. Robertson also played on a team representing the state of Victoria for four years, helping the team win a silver in 2015 (as vice-captain) and gold in 2016, 2017 (as captain) and 2018. He'll be with the team as well in February of 2019.
 
"Tyler is going to be a tremendous addition to our family," said Legans. "He is joining a long line of Aussies from Melbourne in our program and will make his mark as an exceptional playmaker and shooter. His size, skill, and versatility is going to make him a matchup nightmare in our league."
 
Robertson has played 12 years of club basketball starting when he was 6-years-old. He played five years for the Dandenong Rangers, the same club several other Eagles have played on in the past, including current Eagle Jack Perry. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 he played in the Victorian Youth Championship League for Dandenong, serving as team co-captain in 2018. He played in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2017 & 2018 for Dandenong under the coaching of Darren Perry.
 
His school team has won the Champions Cup the past four years as the top team in the state of Victoria. He played for Rowville Secondary in 2015 and with Box Hill Senior Secondary in 2016, 2017 & 2018. The 2017 Box Hill team won the Australian School Championship.
 
Mohamed averaged over 15 points and nine rebounds per game as a junior at West Seattle, and was also a factor on the defensive side of the ball. He was born and raised in West Seattle, and will graduate in 2019.
 
 "We are excited to welcome Abdul to the program," said Legans. "Some of the best players in EWU history have come from West Seattle and we're excited to have a one of Abdul's caliber come play here. Abdul has big goals both on and off the basketball court and will fit right in with our culture."
 
"Abdullahi has an extremely high basketball IQ, which is why he is going to fit in perfectly with our family here at Eastern Washington," said Legans, who has begun his second year at the helm of the Eagles program. "His skill level on the court, combined with his intelligence and toughness, is going to make him a major contributor in the years to come. Abdullahi has also set his goals high in academics."
 
He enjoys volunteering with neighborhood children, and has a 3.0 grade point average. He tutors his classmates and teammates in math and science, and hopes to major in engineering at EWU.
 
"Abdullahi excels on and off the court, and has consistently done well in the classroom," added Legans. "He is known as a leader on the court, but his ability to lead off the court and set an example in the classroom has been most impressive. Abdullahi has very lofty goals for his future and has said how he wants to rebuild East Africa and bring stability to that country by providing youth with tools to further develop its economy."
 
His parents are Bashir Mohamed and Burhan Farah, and he has three brothers (Abdirahim, Ahmed and Yusuf), and a sister (Fatuma), who he closely mentors in basketball as well. His father has been in Somalia for the past 2 1/2 years taking care of his elderly mother. Abdullahi's mother works three different jobs to provide for her family, and also makes a huge impact on the African community in Seattle public schools.
 
 
 

More Team Notes

 
Eastern Picked Fourth in Big Sky Preseason Polls
 
Montana is the consensus favorite, but the Grizzlies are just one of several league championship contenders Eastern will face in the 2018-19 season. The Eagles were picked to finish fourth behind defending champion Montana, Weber State and Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference preseason polls announced on Oct. 18 by the league office. Eastern received 261 votes in the media poll to trail Northern Colorado by 19, and were 67 tallies ahead of Montana State. The coaches had Eastern seven points behind UNC and eight points ahead of No. 5 Portland State.
 
"The Big Sky will be good again – it's really talented from top to bottom," said second-year EWU coach Shantay Legans. "So it's going to be a fight for us."
 
Montana was a unanimous choice to repeat as champs, receiving 33 of 35 first-place votes in the media poll and all but one of the votes cast by the coaches. Picking up the other first-place votes and ranking second in both polls was perennial Big Sky power Weber State.
 
"Montana is the favorite because they have most of their players back," said Legans. "And Weber State is also bringing back some guys and has some good, young players coming in. Northern Colorado should be right at the top again, and Montana State has Tyler Hall so they'll be a challenge."
 
Big Sky foe Montana won't the only league favorites the Eagles will face. In their respective preseason polls in their leagues, Oregon (Pac-12) and South Dakota State (The Summit League) have been picked to win titles. Syracuse (Atlantic Coast Conference) under veteran head coach Jim Boeheim will be among the favorites after its run to the NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16" a year ago.
 
 
Big Sky Conference Preseason Rankings
 
Media Poll (Rank – Team – Points): 1. Montana - 383 (33); 2. Weber State - 346 (2); 3. Northern Colorado – 280; 4. Eastern Washington – 261; 5. Montana State – 194; 6. Idaho – 192; 7. Portland State – 189; 8. Idaho State – 176; 9. Southern Utah – 128; 10. Sacramento State – 115; 11. Northern Arizona – 46. First place votes in parenthesis
 
Coaches Poll (Rank – Team – Points): 1. Montana - 100 (10); 2. Weber State - 90 (1); 3. Northern Colorado – 70; 4. Eastern Washington – 63; 5. Portland State – 55; t6. Montana State – 53; t6. Southern Utah – 53; 8. Idaho State – 50; 9. Idaho – 34; 10. Sacramento State – 27; 11. Northern Arizona – 10. First place votes in parenthesis
 
 
Preseason Schedule Included Teams from Seven Different Conferences
 
It has already been another year of challenges, as Eastern played a total of 11 non-conference games – four at home and seven on the road – prior to the start of Big Sky Conference play on Dec. 29.
 
Eastern opened the year by suffering a pair of season-opening losses to nationally-ranked opponents in the first of two preliminary games of the 2K Empire Classic. Eastern fell 66-34 to Syracuse on Nov. 6 before falling to Oregon 81-47 three nights later. The Ducks, the favorite to win the Pac-12 Conference title, were ranked 14th in the Associated Press preseason poll and 16th in the USA Today Coaches rankings. The Orange, which advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, entered the EWU game ranked 16th and 14th, respectively.
 
In all, Eastern's non-conference schedule included teams from seven different conferences – ACC, Pac-12, Horizon, Ohio Valley, Western Athletic, Summit and the West Coast. The 11 non-conference opponents EWU played combined for a 194-149 overall record last season, and were 86-78 in their respective leagues.
 
Along with Syracuse, South Dakota State also advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished 28-7 after winning the Summit League title with a 13-1 record. Washington, Stanford and Oregon all played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), winning first-round games before bowing out in the second round.
 
Seattle and San Francisco joined EWU in the 2018 CBI. Both Eastern and the Redhawks – coached by former Eagle head coach Jim Hayford – fell in the first round. But the Dons advanced all the way to the championship series versus North Texas where USF won 72-62 in the opener but lost 69-55 and 88-77 in the next two games.
 
In all, 10 of EWU's 21 NCAA Division opponents appeared in postseason NCAA Division I Tournaments. Montana represented the Big Sky in the NCAA Tournament, while Portland State and Northern Colorado both played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).
 
 
Eastern Honored For Fifth-Straight Year by the NABC for Academics
 
For the fifth consecutive year, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team has been honored with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award announced July 11, 2018. The award was won by 184 colleges and universities for having a team cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and above for the 2017-18 season. Teams in NCAA Division I, II, II and NAIA Division I and II were eligible.
 
Eastern, Gonzaga and Seattle were the only NCAA Division I schools in the state of Washington to be honored, and were joined by Seattle Pacific from NCAA Division II. Eastern, Idaho State and Sacramento State were the only Big Sky Conference schools to be recognized.
 
Eastern had a 3.54 grade point average as a team in fall quarter of 2018, with a current accumulative team GPA of 3.61.
 
"We have and always will make academics a priority within our program," said second-year head coach Shantay Legans, who also spent eight seasons as an Eagle assistant coach. "Our players continue to take care of business in the classroom and on the court, and are setting the bar high for our next group of newcomers."
 
Players on EWU's 2017-18 team included Academic All-America nominee, Big Sky MVP and four-time league All-Academic selection Bogdan Bliznyuk. Others on the team who won Big Sky All-Academic accolades were Cody Benzel, Ty Gibson, Benas Griciunas, Jesse Hunt, Mason Peatling and Jack Perry. Other members of the squad included Sir Washington, Jesse Hunt, Jacob Davison, Richard Polanco, Grant Gibb and Joshua Thomas, with Luka Vulikic, Steven Beo, Kim Aiken Jr., Tanner Groves, Brendan Howard and Tyler Kidd redshirting.
 
 
Big Sky-Best Six Eagles on 2017-18 NABC Honors Court
 
Six Eastern Washington University men's basketball players – the most in the Big Sky Conference – have been honored on the 2017-18 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court announced on July 17, 2018.
 
Graduated forward Bogdan Bliznyuk is a repeat winner, and joined fellow senior Benas Griciunas on the squad. The remainder were underclassmen -- Cody Benzel, Ty Gibson, Jesse Hunt and Grant Gibb.
 
"We are very proud of those players," said Eagle head coach Shantay Legans. "To lead the league in the number of selections receiving this honor is a tribute to the hard work our players put into being true student-athletes, and the emphasis our program, athletic department and university put towards academics."
 
The six selections were the most EWU has had a single season, bettering the four the Eagles had in the 2014-15 school year. Of the 22 selections in school history, 20 of them have come in the six seasons starting in 2012-13. Besides Bliznyuk, repeat winners have included Venky Jois, Tyler Harvey, Daniel Hill and Julian Harrell.
 
The Honors Court recognizes those men's collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the past season. The NABC Honors Court recognizes the talents and gifts that these men possess off the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom.  To qualify, the recipients must have junior or senior standing academically, and have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2017-18 academic year. They must have also matriculated at least one year at their current institution.
 
NABC Honors Court Recipients: 2017-18 - Cody Benzel, Bogdan Bliznyuk, Grant Gibb, Ty Gibson, Benas Griciunas, Jesse Hunt; 2016-17 - Bogdan Bliznyuk, Julian Harrell, Mario Soto; 2015-16 - Julian Harrell, Venky Jois; 2014-15 - Tyler Harvey, Daniel Hill, Venky Jois, Fred Jorg; 2013-14 - Tyler Harvey, Daniel Hill, Martin Seiferth; 2012-13 - Jordan Hickert, Kevin Winford; 2008-09 - Andy Genao, Benny Valentine.
 
 
Legans Has Most Coaching Wins for a Rookie in 75 Years
 
First-year head coach Shantay Legans is the 18th coach in Eastern history, and has made history of his own. His 20 wins in his first season at the helm were the most by a first-year Eastern coach in EWU's NCAA Division I era, besting Ray Giacoletti with 17 in the 2000-01 season. Joe Folda also won 17 games in 1982-83 as an interim head coach during Eastern's rise from NAIA to NCAA Division I. Thus, you have to go back to the 1942-43 season when Bob Brumblay won 27 games in his debut season to find a rookie Eastern coach with more than 18 victories, which is also the only time it's happened.
 
Legans was an Eastern assistant for eight years before becoming EWU's 10th coach at the NCAA Division I level. Legans spent six years on the staff of Jim Hayford (now head coach at Seattle), and two previous seasons under former head coach Kirk Earlywine (now an assistant at Idaho). Legans was associate head coach under Hayford for the final three of those eight seasons.
 
He has been a part of Eastern teams from the 2013-14 through 2017-18 seasons which have win totals of 15, 26, 18, 22 and 20 games. The three 20-victory seasons are among the top four win totals in EWU's 35-year history in NCAA Division I. The combined 101 wins in five seasons, 86 victories in four seasons, 66 in three and 44 in two are also the most since EWU became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season. The same can be said of EWU's stretch of league victories -- 10, 14, 10, 13, 13 -- in that five-year span.
 
A former player at Cal and Fresno State, he was married on May 10, 2014, to former Eastern women's basketball player Tatjana Sparavalo. Their daughter, Zola Lee, was born June 16, 2016, and their son, Maksim (Mak) Lee, was born March 23, 2018.
 
 
 
 

More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On UM Loss: "We played spectacular at the end and we were a shot away from winning that ballgame. We had the best player on the floor with the ball in his hands. He's averaging about 25 points over the last seven games, and we just let Jacob try to make a play. It was a shot I've seen him make a thousand times. He makes it all the time and I had a lot of confidence in that in a one-point game. I thought we were playing great and we were clicking offensively at that time. We felt that putting the ball in Jacob's hands was the best decision to win that game."
 
On Jacob Davison: "Last spring and summer he was looking just like he is right now. He got into a car accident and broke his wrist, and he had a high ankle sprain. He's coming into his own and feeling a lot more comfortable. The players around him are giving him all the confidence in the world. He's having some great games and he's understanding what we are asking of him. He's playing better defense and that is awesome."
 
On Reversal of Fortunes After 1-9 Start: "We just needed to stick with it – we knew we had a good team here. As the team gains confidence it's something special. They all believe in each other, even when we were 2-9 in the preseason. Anything can happen, but right now it's fun to watch this team grow and come into its own."
 
On Tanner Groves Performance One Game After Kim Aiken's Double-Double "It was unbelievable to see. But anybody in our locker room is not surprised about that. Tanner and Kim have put in such hard work. Tanner was cheering his tail off for Kim, and it was vice versa in the next game. They are playing against two very good players every day in practice when they go against Mason and Jesse. They are only going to get better with the work they put in and everything they do. They always go hard and they bring energy. They are starting to gain confidence, and when you gain confidence as a player the sky is the limit."
 
On Sac State Win: "The character of our players shined through to get a two-point win after all of the momentum Sac State had going to overtime. We told them in the locker room that the hardest one to win is your first road win. Tonight the guys came out and deserved it -- they played hard. We stuck with it and were mentally tough. It was a fun game, Sacramento State stuck with it and fought and battled."
 
On Overcoming Adversity Versus Sac State: "It's huge, we've been on the other side of that this year. To do this on the road is hard, so we had to stick with it and be tough mentally and physically. We beat them on the glass and they beat teams on the glass all the time, so to see that was huge. When you're able to have our team play the way that they did, I couldn't be a prouder coach."
 
On Montana Home Victory:  "It's amazing when the ball goes in you win. We did a good job and our assistant coaches did an amazing job of getting our guys prepared for the game. With such a short turnaround, they worked tirelessly. I'm just happy that our guys were accepting to the game plan and stuck with it the whole time. It's nice to come away with a win at home in front of such a great crowd. We heard all the cheers for the football team and our guys got pumped up from that. It's an awesome feeling to see the joy on the bench and in the locker room after the game. They are proud and they can stick their chest out. That was one of our better defensive games of the year. I know they shot 48 percent from the field, but when they attempted threes our guys were contesting every single shot. We need to be able to do that and play as hard as possible."
 
On Kim Aiken: "He's been amazing. He started the first two games of his career against big-time teams and probably lost a little bit of confidence and got down on himself like freshmen do. He got put on the scout team but kicked butt every single day. We needed Kim against Montana and knew he would fight and rebound. The energy he brought was amazing, and he shot the ball well. He puts in so much work, and once everybody leaves the gym he'll come out and shoot like he always does. I tell you, he's going to be the president of the university before he leaves here. He's an unbelievable young man and we're lucky he wanted to come to Eastern – he has great character."
 
On Idaho State Win: "To be honest, this was a must-win for us. Our players have been in the gym working on their game and trying to get their shots back. Coaches have been working tirelessly trying to figure it out. We have some of the best players in the league, and it's tough to be 2-10. But we are competitors. This was a huge game for us to get this win. We had a big second half and Ty Gibson came up big, and we won the game because of our defense."
 
On Ty Gibson: "He's an unbelievable young man – he has a 3.99 grade point average, is a great leader and does a lot in the community. He shoots in the gym all the time, but they haven't been falling for him. He played about 10 seconds in the first half (against ISU) to play defense, but he stuck with it. He played nine minutes and those were the biggest nine minutes of the season for our team. We needed a win and he stayed ready. He has great character and I'm glad he's on our team. The shots are going to fall for him – I see great things ahead for him. I couldn't be happier for him."
 
On Mason Peatling Versus Weber State: "Mason did a great job in his first full game back. You could see he was gassed and tired at times, but he was battling and did a great job down low. He's going to get other players open looks and open shots, but we have to make sure we're ready and smart when we get him rolling. Mason played only 18 minutes in his first game back (against Corban), but he had four offensive rebounds and four assists – he's an unbelievable passer and screener. We play a little more efficiently with him in the lineup. He does a lot of talking back there on defense and is our anchor. We are only going to get better with Mason out there."
 
On Weber State Loss: "We were playing against one of the premier teams in the league, but at the same time I think we are one of the premier teams in the league too. That's what we hold our standard to."
 
On Benzel: "He's a great shooter, and when the ball is moving around and he gets open looks, he's going to make a lot. We've struggled hitting some shots early in the season, but we talk in the locker room that it's going to happen because our players work so hard. When you have players who are confident in their shots and their game, they are going to make a lot of shots. Cody is a very confident player, and he could be 1-of-10 and he'll shoot 10 more threes if he's open. He's never going to waver from shooting threes."
 
On Non-Conference Season: "We learned a lot about ourselves – there is a lot of fight in this team. I didn't see any of our guys hanging their heads. After the game it obviously hurts to lose, but the next day they bounced back and practiced hard. We have a very resilient group and a team that will fight for each other. They want to win and are trying to figure out how to get that message across with each other. But at the same time, they need to be positive and have constructive criticism. I think we know which guys we can call on in certain situations. A lot of players saw action in the preseason, and now we expect players to be ready to go when their number is called. They've accepted their roles pretty well – they have a lot of grit and come to fight every day. You obviously want more wins in the preseason, but I couldn't be more proud. We are getting better each game and we have a confident group. Every game they've played they've learned and we've had a chance to win. We are learning valuable lessons – not just the players but the coaching staff too."
 
On Playing Challenging In-State Opponents: "Players like it and they want to play against the best. When you come to Eastern you are going to get a chance to do that. Our preseason really speaks for itself – we play everybody we possibly can from within this state and it's a lot of fun. The players love it and gain a lot of experience. We have a lot of players from the state of Washington, so it's exciting to play games in front of their friends and families. It's awesome and we'll try to do it every single year."
 
On Losing First Two to Ranked Teams: "We got taught a lesson by two really good teams. We are going to take these back and get better and get smarter. We'll use this experience to move forward and be the best team we can be. We're trying to make that happen by Big Sky play. It's going to be fun to watch Oregon and Syracuse as the season goes along and to say we played them. Hopefully we get the opportunity again -- these are two NCAA Tournament teams."
 
On Opportunities: "We're playing against great teams and in great venues. I talk to our team about the opportunity they are being given at such a young age. We have freshmen out here playing that we thought might redshirt at some point. We want to make sure they are ready to go, but sometimes these freshmen need time to get better. At the same time, I like the fight we've had – we play hard. Some of the guys are playing different positions, some aren't even playing the positions they've played all year long. There are no excuses -- you have to come out here and play the game and put for the effort to try and win these games."
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

Eagles Get Hot But Can't Make Final Shot in 75-74 Loss to Grizzlies
 
Cold stretches helped dig double-digit deficits in each half for the Eagles, but they rallied late to knot the score three times before falling to preseason Big Sky Conference favorite Montana 75-74 Feb. 9 at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont. Sophomore Jacob Davison led the Eagles with 23 points for his sixth 20-point performance in his last seven games, but he missed a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds. Eastern was trying to take its first lead since the opening three minutes of the contest, as Montana led for 36:03 out of 40 minutes. Davison's miss ended a stretch in which EWU made six-straight shots, helping the Eagles finish at 46.4 percent for the game compared to 47.2 percent for the Grizzlies. Eastern made 59 percent of its shots in the second half, but it was the first time in nine games this season in which EWU made 45 percent or better and lost. Returning to Dahlberg Arena where EWU had won five of its last six games, Jesse Hunt had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Mason Peatling added 16 and seven boards before fouling out. The loss closed a stretch of four games in eight days for the Eagles, who had stretches of eight minutes in the first half and four minutes in the second half without a field goal to fall behind by a dozen in the first half and 13 in the second half. The Eagles used a 12-2 run late in the game to knot the score at 68, with Peatling contributing six of EWU's points and three other Eagles scoring. The Eagles tied it at 70 with 2:03 left, 72 with 1:25 remaining and 74 at the :53 mark, and Michael Oguine scored the winning points with a free throw with 29 seconds to play. Eastern missed eight-straight shots and went six minutes without a basket in the first half, and that helped Montana open a 12-point lead late in the period. Baskets by Davison and Ty Gibson helped cut into the lead, but Eastern was out-shot 45 percent to 33 percent and ended up trailing 38-31 at halftime. A 6-0 run by the Eagles in the second half on baskets by Hunt, Davison and Peatling helped cut Montana's lead to five on a pair of occasions, but EWU had a nearly four minute stretch in which it couldn't make a field goal, and had three turnovers in that stretch to boot. That surge gave UM a 59-46 lead with 11:05 to play. The Grizzlies – the defending regular season and tournament champions and the preseason favorite to win again this year – got a measure of revenge after falling to EWU 78-71 in Cheney on Jan. 10. Montana extended its winning streak to seven since then to rise to 10-2 and to the top of the league standings.
 
 
Eastern Loses Thriller to Montana State 74-66
 
In a game with 12 lead changes and eight ties, Eastern couldn't hold off Montana State late and fell to the Bobcats 74-66 on Feb. 7 as the second half of the Big Sky Conference schedule began for the Eagles at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Mont. Reigning Big Sky Conference Player of the Week Jacob Davison paced the Eagles with 24 points, and Tyler Kidd added 18 points, five assists and a pair of steals. After an earlier stretch of 6:51 without a field goal, the Bobcats ended up making seven of their last 11 shots. A 13-3 run overcame a nine-point Eastern lead, then MSU scored the final 10 points in the last 2:08 to wipe out EWU's final advantage of the game at 66-64. Eastern was out-shot 45.5 percent to 41.5 percent, and EWU made just 7-of-25 3-point attempts for 28 percent. But the biggest difference was at the line where EWU made 5-of-8 free throws compared to 19-of-24 for the Bobcats. The Eagles had two more field goals than MSU, and used a 12-0 run in the second half to open a nine-point lead at 57-42 with 10:22 to play. The first half featured eight lead changes and four ties, and MSU used a late stretch of five-straight Eastern misses to take a 34-32 lead at intermission. Eastern put together an impressive stretch of offense and defense in the second half, with Davison scoring seven of EWU's points during a 12-0 run to take a 57-48 lead with 10:22 left. Eastern made 4-of-6 shots in that stretch, while MSU missed five in a row and went 6:51 without a field goal and 4:48 without scoring at all. But the Bobcats came back with their own 13-3 run to knot the game at 62. Eastern got big baskets by Kidd at the 4:01 mark and Jesse Hunt with 2:35 left, but MSU's Harold Frey hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:08 left, another jumper with 50 ticks remaining and then three free throws in the final 27 seconds. He finished with a team-high 22 for the Bobcats. Hunt finished with seven points, seven rebounds and two assists for the Eagles, and Mason Peatling had eight points, 10 rebounds and a pair of steals after missing the previous two games with an injury.