­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (11-17/9-8 Big Sky) Saturday, March 2 – Portland State ­– 2:05 p.m. Thursday, March 7 – at Idaho State ­– 6:05 p.m. Saturday, March 9 – at Weber State ­– 6:05 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	Eastern games are on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir calls the play-by-play (Bob Castle at Stanford). Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Eagles-Sports-Network-s273711/
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	None
­­­Webcast:	http://watchbigsky.com or Pluto Channel 234 for EWU home games
Live Stats:	EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com

It will be a time to say goodbye but look ahead as the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team plays its final regular home game of the season Saturday (March 2) at 2:05 p.m. at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The Eagles host Portland State in a battle between fifth-place teams in the Big Sky Conference when seniors Jesse Hunt, Ty Gibson and Cody Benzel will be honored in pre-game ceremonies for their more than 100-game careers.
 
The game will not be televised, but 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.
 
A convincing 86-73 win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 23 helped Eastern move into a fourth-place tie with Montana State in the league standings and gave the Eagles an opportunity to move into third this week. But a disappointing 59-56 home loss to Sacramento State on Thursday (Feb. 28) has dropped EWU into a fifth-place tie with PSU and Southern Utah at 9-8 with three games to play.
 
Eastern will be out to avenge a 78-65 loss suffered Jan. 24 at Portland State. That was part of a three-game winning streak by the Vikings, who followed that by losing three in a row. However, PSU's 67-65 victory over Idaho on Thursday extended its current winning streak to six games, and the Vikings haven't lost since falling Feb. 11 at Sacramento State by a 78-67 score. Portland State is now 14-14 on the season and 9-8 in league play.
 
"It's our biggest game of the year and I'm glad it's at home on Senior Day," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "We have to protect our home court and get the win because it will help us get a bye. We have a lot of tiebreakers that could go our way because of who we've defeated this year. We let one go against Sac State and it was disappointing in how we were prepared – we have to do better. On Saturday I know our guys will be revved up and ready to play. We have a good team of players with great character, so I know we'll step up to the challenge."
 
Eastern has won eight of its last 13 games in league play, and is 10-8 since starting the season 1-9. Eastern is now 9-4 at Reese Court where the Eagles had a seven-game winning streak come to an end with the setback to the Hornets. Eastern is 2-13 on opponent home courts, including last Saturday's 86-73 romp at Northern Arizona. Eastern was trying to sweep a Sacramento State team it beat 94-92 on the road in overtime on Feb. 26.
 
Most of all, Legans wants a win to send off a trio of seniors who have combined for 364 games played in their careers. Departing junior Joshua Thomas will also be honored as he finishes his EWU career this season.
 
 "We have some very good seniors leaving our program," said Legans. "It's going to be sad to see them go because they've played a lot of games and have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into being Eagles. Everything they have done has been great and we are happy to have them."
 
Montana is in sole possession of first in the league standings at 13-3, followed closely by Northern Colorado at 13-4. The Grizzlies and Bears are followed by Weber State (10-7), Montana State (9-7), EWU (9-8), Southern Utah (9-8), Portland State (9-8), Northern Arizona (7-10), Sacramento State (6-10), Idaho State (5-11) and Idaho (1-16). Eastern has victories over each conference school except PSU and Weber State, and EWU still plays those teams with a chance to earn a season split.
 
Following the Portland State game, Eastern closes the regular season at Idaho State on March 7 and Weber State on March 9 to end the regular season. 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.
 
Until he suffered an ankle injury on Feb. 16 and forcing him to miss the last three games, Jacob Davison had been the hottest Eagle as of late, averaging 23.8 points in his last eight outings since scoring 11 versus Montana on Jan. 10. He had the seventh-most points in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4, and has averages of 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play to rank fourth in the Big Sky.
 
He is one of four Eagles to rank in the top 25 in scoring in league games only. Junior Mason Peatling has a 15.2 average (10th), followed by Jesse Hunt (13.6; 13th) and Tyler Kidd (12.6; 22nd). Hunt is also third in rebounding (8.9) and Peatling is fourth (7.6), with Kidd averaging 3.9 assists to rank seventh and Hunt right behind in ninth with a 3.4 average.
 
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

 
 
Trio of EWU Seniors Have Combined for 361 Games Played
 
Three Eastern seniors will be honored Saturday (March 2) in pre-game ceremonies, and that trio of Cody Benzel, Ty Gibson and Jesse Hunt have combined for 364 games played in their careers. Benzel has played in 129 to pass Felix Von Hofe for second in school history and Gibson has 124 to pass Sir Washington for fifth. Jesse Hunt is right behind with 111 games played, needing just four to move into the top 12 in school history. Benzel also is in sole possession of fourth in school history with 187 3-pointers made in his career, and Gibson is 10th with 147.
 
Eastern will also honor a fourth player on Saturday when 2016 Central Valley High School (Spokane) graduate Joshua Thomas departs after three seasons in the program. He has a 3.98 grade point average as a visual communications design major at Eastern, joining the other three with some impressive academic accomplishments. Gibson and Hunt will both become four-time members of the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team, and Benzel was honored a year ago. Gibson has a 3.99 GPA as an accounting major, and Hunt was an Academic All-America nominee and has a 3.57 grade point average in business management. Benzel has a double major in marketing and finance.
 
 
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 10-1 when making at least 45.0 percent of its shots from the field and 1-16 when it doesn't, and EWU was victorious in its lone four games in which it has sank at least 48 percent of its shots (3-0 when it makes at least 50 percent). The Eagles had two of their top three 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. The other was a 54.5 percent performance against Northern Colorado in an 88-78 overtime win on Feb. 16 and 53.2 percent one game later against Idaho.
 
However, Eastern suffered an aberration with a 33.3 percent shooting night at home in a 59-56 loss at home to Sacramento State on Feb. 28. In fact, it equaled EWU's lowest in a Big Sky home game since Feb. 26, 2010, when EWU made 28.8 percent in an 85-57 loss to Weber State. Overall, it equaled the 33.3 percent EWU had versus UC Irvine in a 70-61 setback on Dec. 15, 2013. It was also EWU's worst shooting in a league game since making only 30.4 percent at Northern Arizona in an 84-65 loss on Jan. 16, 2014. The shooting performance versus the Hornets led to EWU's lowest point total in league play this season and third overall.
 
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 13 Games (8-5) . . . 46.3 (39.8, 123-of-309) / 44.1 (36.0, 102-of-283)
For the Season (11-17) . . . 42.2 percent (34.7) / opponents 45.7 (37.9)
  
 
Eagles Have Used 12 Different Starting Lineups
 
Injuries have affected EWU's starting lineup in recent weeks, and EWU has used a total of 12 different lineups this season. An ankle injury by Jacob Davison against Northern Colorado resulted in Kim Aiken Jr. making his third start of the season against Idaho on Feb. 18 and he's started ever since. Two weeks earlier 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 Mason Peatling. However, before that, Eastern used its fifth starting lineup in seven games when the Eagles beat Montana 78-71 on Jan. 10. Tyler Kidd made his first start of his EWU career and was joined in the starting lineup by Peatling, Jesse Hunt, Davison and Cody Benzel. That unit was used seven times and is 4-3 this season. Hunt has started a team-high 28 games this season, Davison has started 19 of the 22 he's played, Peatling has started all 16 he has played and Benzel has started 20 games and come off the bench in eight others.
 
 
This Week's College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week, Jesse Hunt Averaging 14.5 Points and 8.5 Rebounds With Nine Double-Doubles
 
In helping EWU to a weekend split and fourth-place tie in the league standings, senior Jesse Hunt was selected as the College Sports Madness Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 25. Hunt averaged 17.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game. He sank 45.5 percent of his field goal attempts overall (10-of-22), 44.4 percent of his 3-point attempts (4-of-9) and 73.3 percent from the free throw line (11-of-15).
 
Hunt had a team-high 15 points with seven rebounds and two blocks against Sacramento State on Feb. 28, but before that had his ninth double-double of the season. He had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 23 when he sank 9-of-10 free throws in the 86-73 win. One game earlier versus Southern Utah in a 76-62 loss, Hunt had 19 points, nine rebounds, an assist and three blocked shots.
 
"He's been great and has had to play out of position for a good portion of this season," said head coach Shantay Legans. "And he's still doing that -- now with Jacob (Davison) is out we are asking him to do more ball-handling. He's done an amazing job this year and it's huge for him to get noticed as a player of the week because his numbers have been consistent every game. He ranks high in the Big Sky in a lot of categories – he's doing everything for our team."
 
Hunt has had had five 20-point outings this season, with nine double-doubles to give him 11 in his career. He's had at least five assists in five of his last 10 games. In January 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 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists on the season. He is second in the Big Sky in rebounding, 10th in scoring and eighth in assists. Hunt has shooting percentages of 49.1 percent overall (ninth in the Big Sky), 46.0 percent from 3-point range (third; 46-of-100) and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.
 
In league play he has averages of 13.6 points (13th), 8.9 rebounds (third) and 3.4 assists (ninth) in 16 games. In league games only, he is third in the Big Sky in 3-point accuracy (48.2 percent; 27-of-56) and has made 80.3 percent of his free throws (53-of-66) to rank 10th. He has had 29 career double-figure scoring performances in his career to go along with 14 with 10 or more rebounds.
 
Hunt had a 21-point outing in an 88-78 overtime win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 16 in which he also had seven rebounds and six assists. On Feb. 9 at Montana he finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, 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 111 career games with 45 starts, and has averages of 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
 
 
Peatling is Back and Averaging 14.9 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 six of the 16 games he has played since (8-8 record), and has also led in rebounds seven times.
 
An honorable mention All-Big Sky selection a year ago, Peatling is averaging 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks in 15 league games thus far, and 14.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks overall while shooting at a 56.5 percent clip. In league games only, he's 10th in the league in scoring (14.9), fifth in shooting (56.9 percent) and fourth in rebounding (7.6), 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 a double-double against Idaho on Feb. 18 with 16 points and 13 rebounds, achieving double figures in each just 16:09 into the game. He had a near double-double of 24 points and eight rebounds in an 88-78 victory over Northern Colorado on Feb. 16, sinking 11-of-15 shots from the field in the game and scoring 20 of his points after intermission. He 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 81-game career (59 as a starter), he's averaged 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds with a total of 71 assists, 62 blocks and 57 steals. He hit double figures in scoring 12 times in 2017-18 and 26 in his career thus far, and has had at least 10 rebounds nine times in his career – three times this season and six during his sophomore season. He now has seven double-doubles in his career with two this season and 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.
 
 
Davison Has 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, and has scored at least 20 in six of his last eight games he's played. However, an ankle injury against Northern Colorado on Feb. 16 has sidelined him since then.
 
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 is averaging 23.8 points in his last eight outings, with EWU winning five of those games. He's made 52.2 percent of his shots in those games, making 19-of-44 3-point attempts (43.2 percent) and 29-of-37 free throws (78.4 percent). He's also averaged 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals.
 
Davison is averaging 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play. He ranks seventh in the Big Sky in scoring overall, and is seventh in the league in free throw shooting at 81.1 percent (60-of-74). In league games only, he is fourth in scoring (18.5) and 14th in free throw shooting (78.4 percent; 40-of-51).
 
He's scored at least 20 points in eight Eastern games (nine in his career), with 15 performances in double-digits (25 in his career). In his 56-game career (26 as a starter), he's averaged 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists while sinking 46.1 percent of his shots from the field, 36.5 percent from the 3-point stripe and 82.3 percent of his free throws (121-of-147).
 
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.
 
 
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, while the men's semifinals follow that night. The week-long event wraps up Saturday with the men's championship game on ESPNU at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
 
CenturyLink Arena is a 5,300-seat facility located in downtown Boise that has been the home of the Idaho Steelheads hockey team since opening in 1997. The arena hosts an average of 100 events annually and has welcomed over 5.5 million attendees in 20 years. It also hosts numerous concerts, trade shows, and conventions each year. CenturyLink Arena is attached to the Grove Hotel, Boise's only four-diamond hotel.
 
The 2019 championship will be the fourth neutral site basketball championship in the Big Sky's history after holding the event in Reno, Nevada, the previous three seasons.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Big Sky Conference, follow us on Facebook at /BigSkyConf or on Instagram and Twitter @BigSkyConf. Fans can also follow Big Sky men's and women's basketball on Twitter, @BigSkyMBB and @BigSkyWBB.

 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, the Eagles are now 23-24 versus Portland State. All of the meetings have come since the 1996-97 school year when PSU joined the Big Sky Conference, and Eastern is 15-8 in Cheney and 7-15 against PSU in Portland (1-1 on neutral courts) since then. The Vikings have a 27-24 edge in the overall series. Eastern is 2-1 against PSU in the Big Sky Tournament, winning 78-72 in the quarterfinals in 2018 in Reno, 81-75 in the 2006 quarterfinals in Cheney and losing 80-74 in the 1999 quarterfinals in Ogden, Utah.
 
* Earlier this season in Portland, the Vikings out-shot Eastern 68 percent to 36 percent in the second half, and used a decisive 11-0 run to overcome an EWU four-point lead in a 78-65 victory over the Eagles in Portland, Ore. Sophomore Jacob Davison led the Eagles with a career-high 26 points, sinking 10-of-21 shots with three 3-pointers. Junior Mason Peatling had 15 on 7-of-10 shooting and junior Tyler Kidd had 11 as that trio combined for 52 of EWU's 65 points. Following a first half in which EWU sank 51.9 percent of its shots after season-best shooting in its last two games, the Eagles struggled through an 0-of-11 stretch during PSU's run while going 4:45 without a bucket. Eastern was out-shot in the game 60.4 percent to 43.1 percent, and PSU had a 12-0 advantage in fast-break points. In the first half versus PSU, Eastern led most of the half and used an 8-of-9 shooting stretch to open a six-point lead. Peatling had two baskets and Kidd and Davison one each during an 8-0 Eagle run. Eastern led 35-32 at halftime in a period which featured four lead changes and a pair of ties. There were an additional five lead changes and four ties in the second half before PSU took the lead for good with its 11-0 run, which included a trio of 3-pointers by Jamie Orme. Eastern could come no closer than five after that while PSU led by as many as 14. Eastern out-rebounded PSU 28-27, including a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Vikings entered with a league-best +8.9 rebounding margin (ninth nationally), while EWU entered second-to-last in the league at -3.9 per game (312th out of 351 teams nationally).
 
* In the 2018 Big Sky Conference Tournament, the Eagle defense was the big winner in the rubber match of the season series, holding Portland State without a field goal for a 9:51 stretch in the first half as the third-seeded Eagles beat the No. 6 Vikings 78-72 in the quarterfinals on March 8, 2018, at the Reno (Nevada) Events Center. In a battle of one team outstanding at taking the ball and another outstanding at taking care of it, Eastern used a 12-0 run to take a 20-point lead in the first half, helped by a 6:31 scoreless stretch by the Vikings. They missed eight-straight shots and had seven turnovers during their nearly 10 minutes without a field goal, and EWU led by 16 at halftime. Eastern led by as many as 21 in the second half and 19 with inside of seven minutes left before PSU rallied with a 16-2 run to cut the lead to five with 1:12 to play. But on his way to 35 points, Big Sky MVP Bogdan Bliznyuk had a three-point play with 46 seconds to left and three more free throws in the last 37 seconds to clinch EWU's seventh-straight win. Portland State entered the game ranked in the top three in NCAA Division I in turnover margin, turnovers forced, steals and offensive rebounds, leading to the third-best scoring average at 86.3 per game. Eastern, meanwhile, entered ranked 41st in fewest turnovers allowed and 23rd in free throw percentage. It was EWU's defense that stole the show, forcing 10 turnovers and committing just seven itself in the first half. Eastern also out-shot the Vikings 52 percent to 36 percent in the first half, and 52 percent to 38 percent in the game. Bliznyuk hit his first four shots – all 3-pointers – and had 17 of his 35 points in the first half. He finished the game 11-of-14 from the field with 4-of-5 3-pointers, and made 9-of-11 free throws. His NCAA single season record for consecutive free throws ended at 77, but he moved into second on the Big Sky's all-time scoring list with 2,095 and is just seven from the record of 2,102. Jack Perry finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field overall and 4-of-7 from the 3-point stripe. Mason Peatling had 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals, and came four points from his sixth career double-double.
 
* In Cheney in 2018, toughness saved the day at Reese Court as Eastern edged Portland State 81-74 on Jan. 4, 2018. Eastern used a 16-0 run to build a double-digit cushion midway through the second half versus a team with 10 victories during the preseason. But 40 minutes of full-court pressure by the Vikings caught up with the Eagles, who needed a 3-pointer by true freshman Jack Perry with 15 ticks of the clock left to seal it for the Eagles. Eastern won the game with a dominating 49 percent to 37 percent advantage in field goal percentage, and out-shot the Vikings 8-3 from the 3-point line. Until Eastern took a 13-point lead with 9:20 to play following a 16-0 run, the game featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes – both season highs for the Eagles. Bogdan Bliznyuk was 13-of-13 at the line and finished with a double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds. Jesse Hunt scored in double figures for the fifth-straight game, finishing with 11 on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He had four rebounds but played only 16 minutes before fouling out. Sir Washington came off the bench to contribute seven points and three rebounds in 29 minutes, and Ty Gibson hit three of EWU's eight 3-pointers in the game to finish with 10 points. Perry contributed seven points, four rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes as a starter.­
   

 

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 129 (second in school history) and 124 (fifth) games of experience, respectively. Jesse Hunt is right behind with 111 games played.
 
Both Benzel and Gibson are three-point threats -- Benzel ranks fourth in school history with 187 3-pointers and Gibson is 10th with 147. Benzel is passed Marc Axton on EWU's all-time leaders list (184 from 2002-05). Benzel is shooting at a 39.5 percent clip from the 3-point arc to rank 15th all-time at EWU and Gibson is just out of the top 16 in school history with 38.9 percent accuracy. Sophomore Jack Perry is currently 12th on the percentage list at 40.0 percent.
 
Benzel has started 47 games in his career, averaging 14.9 minutes and 4.9 points (6.6 as a junior and 5.0 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 4.5 scoring average (6.3 as a junior and 4.3 this season) in an average of 17.7 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. He scored 16 on 4-of-5 shooting from the arc in an 86-73 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 23
 
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 25 games and has averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. His 40.0 percent accuracy from 3-point range in his career currently ranks 12th on EWU's career leaders list. He's played 61 total games as an Eagle (38 as a starter) and has averaged 5.5 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, and had a career-high 17 points with six rebounds versus Idaho on Feb. 18. He had 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in an 86-73 win at NAU on Feb. 23.
 
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 12.6 points and 3.9 assists in league play (9.9 and 3.0 overall), while scoring in double figures in 13 of the last 18 games. In league games only, Kidd is seventh in the league in assists, 11th in free throw shooting (80.0 percent, 52-of-65) and 22nd in scoring.
 
Kidd led the Eagles with 19 points with a trio of 3-pointers in EWU's 86-73 win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 23. He scored a career-high 21 points in EWU's 88-78 overtime win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 16, making 5-of-6 shots from the 3-point line and also contributing four assists and three steals. He had a season-high nine assists in an 82-64 win over Northern Arizona on Feb. 4. Kidd scored 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. He scored 14 in an 82-57 win over Idaho on Feb. 18.
 
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, and has missed seven games since Feb. 4 with a shoulder injury.
 
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 Sac State Loss: "Sac State came out and had a great game plan – they played well against us and were tough. They did a terrific job of keeping us out of rhythm. The game was a little choppy and there were a lot of fouls, kind of like the Southern Utah game last week. We space the floor so well and have players who can make plays, but at the same time they make the game choppy and foul our bigs. They come underneath, bump cutters and limit our freedom of movement. We just have to be tougher and we have to be better prepared for games like this. Certain teams are going to play us that way – there were 41 fouls and you have to play through it. It was tough because we had key players in foul trouble."
 
On Close Games in the Big Sky: "Every game in this league is going to come down to a couple of possessions, and we have to do a better job of fighting. It doesn't matter how good or how bad you play, blowouts are rare in this league. Every game is going to be close and come down to key possessions. You have to be mentally tough on the defensive end and tough on the offensive end."
 
On NAU Road Win: "That's what it looks like when you play with energy and toughness. We didn't quite have that last Thursday, but they showed character today and got a huge road win by the way they fought and played. They played together and you could see the intensity. Everybody came in and played a huge role in the game. We shot the ball well and had a season-high for 3-pointers, and 14 is a great number for us. We had a horrible defensive performance against Southern Utah, but we held NAU to 33 percent. We did a lot of good things, and I'm proud of the way we played."
 
On Defense: "Your offense doesn't always travel, but your defense and effort go everywhere. If you play defense, rebound and play your tails off, it's going to show on the scoreboard. When we can combine that with defense we have a really good team and can really challenge for a tournament championship when we get to Boise. The way we can play and defend, if we are clicking on all cylinders I really have a lot of confidence in our ballclub."
 
On Idaho Victory: "They didn't have an answer for us inside because of their lack of depth and some injured players. To be able to go at them like we did was great. I had a fun time coaching our players tonight. It's always good to beat Idaho because they are a rival right down the street."
 
On UNC Victory: "I am proud – they played great. They were involved and mentally in it the entire game. We didn't hold the lead like we wanted, but at the same time when we lost the lead we fought back. In the overtime we held them to 1-of-6 shooting and that was really big-time. They are one of the better offensive and defensive teams in the league and we shot 50 percent from the field against them. We played pretty well in stretches. We just have to be better defensively, but I'm proud as heck of this team."
 
On Trio of Eagles With 20 Points Versus UNC: "We had guys step up and make some plays. Having multiple players score 20 points is huge. When we lose Jacob we are losing a leader, is somebody who is very, very active on the offensive glass and he gets downhill and gives us another player who can get us two-point baskets."
 
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 Road 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, it 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 Non-Conference 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

 
Eastern Gets Stung by Hornets 59-56
 
Eastern stole a game in Sacramento, and the Hornets did the same in Cheney. Fouls and toughness were the deciding factors as Eastern suffered a rare home loss in falling to Sacramento State 59-56 on Feb. 28 at Reese Court. Eastern held the Hornets to 39 percent shooting in the game, including just 30 percent in the first half. But Eastern was undone by its own 30 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes and finished at 33.3 percent for the game. The game featured 41 fouls – 21 by Sac State and 20 by the Eagles – with the two teams combining for 31 made free throws (in 39 attempts) and just 35 total field goals. Sac State's Marcus Graves, who nearly had a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, gave Sac State the lead for good with a 3-pointer with 2:15 to play. Eastern missed its last three field goal attempts in a game that featured seven ties and nine lead changes. Jesse Hunt led the Eagles with 15 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. He played just 29 minutes because of blow to his nose early in the game and foul trouble later in the contest. Tyler Kidd scored 13 points, but hit just 4-of-14 shots overall and was 1-of-5 from the 3-point stripe. He also had a career-high five steals and three assists. Tanner Groves hit 5-of-6 free throws and finished with nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Kim Aiken Jr. had a team-high nine rebounds, but missed all three of his shot attempts and finished with two points on a pair of free throws. Mason Peatling was limited to 22 minutes because of foul trouble, and scored only six points and had seven rebounds. Jacob Davison has not played since suffering an ankle injury versus Northern Colorado on Feb. 16. At 33.3 percent for the game, EWU had its poorest shooting night in Big Sky Conference play and worst overall since making 28.8 percent at Washington on Nov. 27. Defensively, Sac State sank 38.8 overall and 35.0 from the 3-point stripe. Eastern had a 36-29 rebounding advantage, but had 18 turnovers to Sac State's 14.
 
 
Eastern Holds Northern Arizona to 33 Percent Shooting in 86-73 Victory
 
Five players scored at least eight points, including a pair with double-doubles, as Eastern picked up its second road win of the season with an 86-73 victory over Northern Arizona Feb. 23 at the Walkup Skydome in snowbound Flagstaff, Ariz. Seven players combined for a season-high 14 three-pointers for the Eagles, who led by double digits for 22 of the last 23 minutes of the game. Eastern's defense did its part by having season best performances in holding NAU to 33.3 percent shooting overall (21-of-63) and 12.5 percent from the 3-point stripe (3-of-24). Redshirt freshman Kim Aiken had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, with senior Jesse Hunt contributing his ninth of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five assists. Tyler Kidd led the way with 19 points for the Eagles, and senior Ty Gibson equaled his season high with 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the 3-point stripe. Senior Cody Benzel added a pair of 3-pointers to finish with eight points after going his last five games without scoring. Eastern used a 9-0 run on a 3-pointer by Hunt and two more by Gibson to open a double-digit lead in the first half. A 3-pointer by Tanner Groves with 3:13 left in the half helped EWU take a double-digit lead it wouldn't surrender until the game's final minutes. Eastern led 41-29 at halftime and made seven 3-pointers in each half. The Eagles led by as many as 20 early in the second half, but only sub-par free throw shooting after intermission (7-of-15) and making just one of their last nine shots kept the score close. For the first time in 27 games, Eastern shot less than 45 percent from the field and won a game. The Eagles sank 41.7 percent from the field and made 14-of-33 free throws. The previous high for treys for EWU was 13 on four occasions, and the Eagles had season-best defensive performances in holding NAU to 33.3 percent shooting overall and 12.5 percent from the 3-point stripe. The previous lows were 33.9 percent in the first meeting with NAU on Feb. 4, and a 17.6 percent performance by Syracuse in EWU's season opener. Eastern finished with a 44-40 rebounding advantage.