­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (15-17/12-8 Big Sky-Third) March 15 – 7 p.m. - versus Southern Utah in semifinals of Big Sky Conference Championship Tournament Presented by My Place Hotels (CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho) 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:	Eleven Sports (DirecTV Channel 623)
­­­Webcast:	http://watchbigsky.com or Pluto TV (http://plutotv.com, channel 230 for Big Sky Conference Tournament)
Live Stats:	Click Here for Big Sky Conference Tournament

Advancing to the semifinals for the third-straight year, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team tries to extend its league-best four-game winning streak when the Eagles play in the semifinals Friday (March 15) of the Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament presented by My Place Hotels at approximately 7 p.m. Pacific time at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho.
 
The third-seeded Eagles play No. 7 seed Southern Utah, which defeated second-seeded Northern Colorado 83-64 in Friday's quarterfinal action. The Eagles beat Montana State 90-84 in its quarterfinal game and have now advanced to the semifinals in each of the last three seasons, and reached last year's championship game. They advanced to the quarterfinals in 2016 and were tourney champions in 2015.
 
The semifinal game will be carried via Eleven Sports (including DirecTV Channel 623), and 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 tourney games leading up to the championship via PlutoTV (http://plutotv.com) and at http://watchbigsky.com. The title game on Saturday (March 16) will be televised at 5 p.m. Pacific time on ESPNU.
 
The Thunderbirds, who split with EWU during the regular season, led by nine at halftime and opened a 24-point led in the second half versus the Bears. Four SUU players scored in double figures as it made 53 percent of its 3-point attempts and sank 11-of-21 3-pointers (52 percent). Also advancing to the semifinals was No. 4 Weber State (an 81-71 winner over No. 5 Portland State) and top-seeded Montana (a 79-73 victor over No. 9 Sacramento State).
 
In a rematch of last year's semifinal game won by the No. 3 Eagles 82-70 over the No. 10 Thunderbirds, Eastern split with SUU this season. Eastern won 82-79 earlier this season in Cheney (Feb. 2) and then suffered a 76-62 setback in Cedar City (Feb. 21).
 
"Southern Utah is a really good team, and they really dismantled Northern Colorado," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "With all the talent they have, when they play that way they are really hard to beat. They have talented players all around the perimeter, but they also have an inside presence. The last time we played they were more physical than us and keep us off-balance the entire game. We have to make sure we do everything we can to make sure we battle. They kicked our butts the second time we played and we have to make sure we battle with them this time."
 
 

Game Notes

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* Eastern is 7-4 in the semifinals at the Big Sky Conference tournament, and is 2-5 in the championship game. Eastern won semifinal games in 2018, 2015, four-straight years from 2001-2004 and 1990. The Eagles lost in 2017, 2016, 2006 and 2000. In the championship game, Eastern was victorious in 2015 (over Montana) and 2004 (over Northern Arizona), but fell in 2018 (Montana), 2003 (Weber State), 2002 (Montana), 2001 (Cal State Northridge) and 1990 (Idaho). Of the remaining teams in 2019, EWU is 1-0 in the tournament versus Southern Utah, 3-3 against Weber State and 1-5 versus Montana. Eastern is making its 17th Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance in 32 years as a member of the league, and now has a record of 16-14 in its 30 games.
 
* The Eagles are now 15-17 overall, and 12-8 in Big Sky Conference play. The Eagles are 10-4 at home this season and 4-13 on the road with a three-game winning streak, and are now 1-0 on neutral courts. Eastern won 11 of its last 16 games in league play, and is 14-8 overall since starting the season 1-9. This is the fourth-straight year Eastern has recorded 10 league wins or more, and the sixth-straight year they have had a winning record. Eastern is 65-29 in those six years for a .691 winning percentage.
 
* If the Eagles can win three games in the tourney, they will join EWU's 2003-04 and 2014-15 squads in garnering the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. But by doing so, Eastern would have a 17-17 overall record and be just the third school since the league began in 1963-64 – and the first in 32 years -- to enter the "Big Dance" with a non-winning record. Granted, for most of the history of the Big Sky Conference Tournament the event consisted of six teams or less, but only tourney champions Montana State (14-16) in 1986 and Idaho State (15-15) the following season entered the NCAA Tournament with .500 records or less. The Big Sky Tournament has existed for 43 previous seasons, with eight other members prior to that receiving berths. Thus, just two of the previous 51 representatives have entered with a non-winning record – and EWU seeks to be the third.
 
* The Eagles are 12-6 all-time against Southern Utah (7-1 in Cheney, 4-5 in Cedar City, 1-0 on a neutral court), including an 82-79 win earlier this season in Cheney (Feb. 2) and a 76-62 setback in Cedar City (Feb. 21). Last season, EWU recorded an 82-70 victory over the Thunderbirds on March 9, 2018, in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Reno, Nevada. Earlier in the year, EWU had its eight-game winning streak over SUU snapped with a 66-62 overtime loss on Jan. 20, 2018, in Cedar City, Utah. The Thunderbirds joined the Big Sky in the 2012-13 season and EWU is 11-2 versus them since then.
 
* Until he suffered an ankle injury on Feb. 16 and forcing him to miss the last seven games, Jacob Davison had been the hottest Eagle, 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, which would have ranked fifth in the Big Sky if he had played enough of EWU's games to qualify (75 percent).
 
* Three Eagles finished ranked in the top 25 in scoring in league games only -- junior Mason Peatling had a 15.3 average (seventh), followed by Jesse Hunt (13.9; 12th) and Tyler Kidd (12.0; 23rd). Hunt was also second in rebounding (9.5; a single rebound away from tying for the lead) and Peatling was fourth (7.2). Kidd averaged 3.8 assists to rank seventh and Hunt was right behind in eighth with a 3.6 average.
 
* Eastern returned 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. Bliznyuk, however, held the record for just 316 days until being broken at Reese Court on Jan. 19 by Montana State's Tyler Hall. Bliznyuk broke the record on March 9, 2018, in a semifinal victory over Southern Utah at the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Hall scored 20 in MSU's season-ending loss to EWU on March 14, 2019, to give him a total of 2,518 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).
 
 
 

Season Notes

 
Eagles Enter Tournament With Victories Over All 10 Big Sky Opponents
 
An 80-77 win over Weber State on March 9 to wrap-up the regular season gave Eastern victories over every league team this season. After losing its first nine road games of the season, Eastern has won its last three and four of its last five to move to 4-13 on the season. The Eagles were victorious over MSU in their first game at a neutral site. Coupled with an overwhelming 91-62 road win at Idaho State on March 7, Eastern registered its first league road sweep of the season, having swept the same road trip a year ago.
 
Eastern finished in sole possession of third place in the Big Sky Conference at 12-8, a game ahead of three teams who finished 11-9 – Weber State, Montana State and Portland State. Tiebreakers gave the No. 6 seed to Montana State, while No. 4 Weber State will tangle with No. 5 Portland State in the quarterfinals.
 
Montana finished in sole possession of first at 16-4 and Northern Colorado was the runner-up at 15-5. Weber State, Portland State and Montana State all finished at 11-9, followed by Southern Utah (9-11), Northern Arizona (8-12), Sacramento State (8-12), Idaho State (7-13) and Idaho (2-18).
 
Eastern's 12 league wins included victories over all other 10 league teams, with sweeps over Northern Arizona and Idaho State. However, one of Idaho's two victories in league play came against the Eagles on Jan. 3.
 
"If we don't come out with play with effort and energy, we can lose to anybody – we've proven that," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans.
 
 
Pairings for 2019 Big Sky Conference Tournament Presented by My Place Hotels
CenturyLink Arena • Boise, Idaho • Times Pacific
 
Wednesday, March 13 (First Round - 8:30am/TBD/TBD): No. 9 Sacramento State 72, No. 8 Northern Arizona 60; No. 7 Southern Utah 94, No. 10 Idaho State 80; No. 6 Montana State 75, No. 11 Idaho 71.
 
Thursday, March 14, 2019 (Quarterfinals - 11am/1:30pm/4:30pm/7pm): No. 1 Montana 79, No. 9 Sacramento State 73; No. 4 Weber State (17-14/11-9) 81, #5 Portland State 71; No. 7 Southern Utah 83, No. 2 Northern Colorado 64; No. 3 Eastern Washington 90, No. 6 Montana State 84.
 
Friday, March 15, 2019 (Semifinals - 4:30pm/7pm): No. 1 Montana (24-8/16-4) vs. No. 4 Weber State (18-14/11-9); No. 7 Southern Utah 16-15/9-11) vs. No. 3 Eastern Washington (15-17/12-8).
 
Saturday, March 16, 2019 (on ESPNU): Game 10 – Championship Game, 5 p.m.
 

Trio of EWU Seniors Have Combined for 376 Games Played
 
Three Eastern seniors were honored March 2 in pre-game ceremonies prior to beating Portland State 68-66, and that trio of Cody Benzel, Ty Gibson and Jesse Hunt have combined for 373 games played in their careers. Benzel has played in 133 to pass Felix Von Hofe for second in school history and Gibson has 128 to equal his former teammate Felix Von Hofe for third. Jesse Hunt is right behind with 115 games played to rank 12th in school history. Benzel also is in sole possession of fourth in school history with 200 3-pointers made in his career, and Gibson is ninth with 151. Eastern also honored a fourth player on March 2 -- 2016 Central Valley High School (Spokane) graduate Joshua Thomas who will depart 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. The Eagles made just 38.9 percent (30.9 from the 3-point stripe) in their first 15 games of the season, which included a 2-9 finish in non-conference play. But in the last 17 games, Eastern has shot at a 46.5 percent clip (39.3 from the arc) while winning 12 of those games.
 
Eastern is 13-1 when making at least 45.0 percent of its shots from the field and 2-16 when it doesn't, and EWU was victorious in its lone five games in which it has sank at least 48 percent of its shots (4-0 when it makes at least 50 percent). The Eagles had two of their top 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. Eastern sank 55.2 percent in a 90-84 win over Montana State in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
 
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.
 
Eastern then won two games while making less than 45 percent of its shots – 41.7 percent versus Northern Arizona and 38.3 percent against Portland State. Eastern rebounded for a 49.2 percent shooting night in a 91-62 victory over Idaho State on March 7, hitting a season-high 15 3-pointers in 36 attempts. The Eagles then sank 49.2 percent at Idaho State and 45.9 percent at Weber State to complete a weekend sweep to end the regular season.
 
Eastern's defensive field goal percentage was also stellar in a six-game stretch from Feb. 21 to March 9, holding opponents to a collective 40.9 percent (140-of-342) overall and 33.6 percent from the 3-point stripe (41-of-122).
 
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 17 Games (12-5) . . . 46.5 (39.3, 165-of-420) / 43.8 (36.5, 138-of-378)
For the Season (15-17) . . . 42.5 percent (34.9) / opponents 45.4 (37.6)
  
 
Eastern Has Also Had a Rebounding Revival
 
It came as no coincidence that EWU's rebounding improved once Mason Peatling returned after missing the first nine games of the season with an injury. In the last 17 games, Eastern's rebounding margin has improved by 7.6 per game. Eastern has out-rebounded 13 those last 17 opponents after having advantages in just two of its first 15 games. The Eagles are 12-3 when they out-rebound opponents and 3-14 when having less or tied. Here is the breakdown of EWU's rebounding from the first 15 games of the season and the last 17.
 
Through First 15 Games (3-12) . . . 34.1 per game (511 total) / opponents 38.6 (579 total) / margin of -4.5
Last 17 Games (12-5) . . . 35.8 per game (609) / opponents 32.8 (557) / margin of +3.1
For the Season (15-17) . . . 35.0 per game (1120) / opponents 35.5 (1136) / margin of -0.5

 
Eagles Have Used 12 Different Starting Lineups
 
Injuries have affected EWU's starting lineup this season, and EWU has used a total of 12 different lineups this season. Nine of the combinations came in Eastern's first 15 games of the season when the Eagles were just 3-12. In the 17 games since, starting with the Montana game on Jan. 10, Eastern has utilized just three.
 
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, with EWU winning six of those eight games. 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, and EWU won those two home games as well.
 
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 32 games this season, Davison has started 19 of the 22 he's played, Peatling has started all 20 he has played and Benzel has started 24 games and come off the bench in eight others. Kidd came off the bench in the first 12 games he played (he did not play in three), but has started all 17 games since Jan. 10.
   

Big Sky Tourney in Boise For First Time Since 1994
 
Boise is the new home 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 will start play on Monday, March 11, while the men don't begin play until the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 14. 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 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.

  
 

Eagles in the Big Sky Tournament

 
* Eastern is making its 17th Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance in 32 years as a member of the league, and now has a record of 16-14 in its 30 games. The Eagles are 1-0 in the first round, 6-5 in the quarterfinals, 7-4 in the semifinals and 2-5 in the championship. Before winning the 2015 title, Eastern hadn't appeared since the 2011-12 and 2010-11 seasons, which were EWU's first since 2006. The Eagles qualified for each tournament from 1998-2006.
 
* Eastern won Big Sky Conference Tournament championships and appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 & 2004. The Eagles have also advanced to the National Invitation Tournament in 2003 and the College Basketball Invitational in 2016 and 2017. Eastern registered the school's first NCAA Division I postseason win with a 79-72 victory over Pepperdine in the first round of the CBI in 2016.
 
* Eastern's 2014-15 squad won the title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a trio of victories in Missoula, Montana. Included was a come-from-behind 69-65 over the host Grizzlies in the championship game.
 
 * Before beating Montana for the 2015 title, Eastern had ended its season with losses to the Grizzlies in appearances in 2012, 2006 and 2005. But the year before, in 2004, EWU won the title with a 71-59 championship game victory over Northern Arizona to advance to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament (EWU made its first-ever NIT appearance in 2003).
 
* Although its streak of Big Sky tournament berths came to an end in the 2006-07 season, at the time Eastern was just the fifth school in league history to make nine-straight appearances in the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Eastern started the streak back in 1998 after making just one trip to the tourney in their first 10 seasons as a member of the conference. Interestingly, Montana's 77-69 victory over the Lumberjacks on Feb. 28, 2005, extended Eastern's streak and ended NAU's eight-season streak. Eastern's streak started in 1998 with an end-of-year victory at Montana. That "winner advance, loser eliminated" game ended Montana's 21-year streak.
 
* In 2011, Eastern's season came to an end with a 79-70 loss at Weber State in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. That came just three days after the Eagles stunned WSU on their home court 75-59 to end the regular season. Because of the upset, the Wildcats lost their chance at a first-round bye and had to face the Eagles again. In the rematch, WSU out-scored EWU 46-25 in the second half as the Wildcats overcame a 12-point EWU halftime lead and a 15-point deficit early in the second half. In 2013-14, the Eagles were 15-16 overall and missed the Big Sky Conference Tournament with a 10-10 league mark. Interestingly, Sacramento State was also 10-10, but secured the final bid because of a tiebreaker advantage over EWU, which dropped its final game of the season to Weber State 82-78.
 
Here is a list of Eastern's all-time games in the Big Sky Tournament . . .
2018 -- Quarterfinal (Boise, Idaho) #3 seed vs. #6 Montana State - W, 90-84
2018 -- Championship (Reno, Nevada) #3 seed vs. #1 Montana - L, 65-82
2018 -- Semifinal (Reno, Nevada) #3 seed vs. #10 Southern Utah - W, 82-70
2018 -- Quarterfinal (Reno, Nevada) #3 seed vs. #6 Portland State - W, 78-72
2017 -- Semifinal (Reno, Nevada) #2 seed vs. #3 Weber State - L, 72-80
2017 -- Quarterfinal (Reno, Nevada) #2 seed vs. #7 Sacramento State - W, 89-70
2016 -- Quarterfinal (Reno, Nevada) #6 seed vs. #3 Idaho - L, 73-77
2016 -- First Round (Reno, Nevada) #6 seed vs. #11 Northern Arizona - W, 74-52
2015 – Championship (Missoula, Mont.) #2 seed vs. #1 Montana - W, 69-65
2015 – Semifinal (Missoula, Mont.) #2 seed vs. #3 Sacramento State - W, 91-83
2015 – Quarterfinal (Missoula, Mont.) #2 seed vs. #7 Idaho - W, 91-83
2012 – Semifinal (Missoula, Mont.) #4 seed vs. #1 Montana  – L, 66-74
2012 – Quarterfinal (Cheney, Wash.) #4 seed vs. #5 Idaho State – W, 81-75
2011 - Quarterfinal (Ogden, Utah) - #6 seed vs. #3 Weber State - L, 70-79
2006 - Semifinal (Flagstaff, Ariz.) - #3 seed vs. #2 Montana - L, 71-73 (ot)
2006 - Quarterfinal (Cheney, Wash.) - #3 seed vs. #6 Portland State - W, 81-75
2005 - Quarterfinal (Missoula, Mont.) - #6 seed vs. #3 Montana - L, 48-58
2004 - Championship (Cheney, Wash.) - #1 seed vs. #2 Northern Ariz. - W, 71-59
2004 - Semifinals (Cheney, Wash.) - #1 seed vs. #5 Weber State - W, 72-53
2003 - Championship (Ogden, Utah) - #2 seed vs. #1 Weber State - L, 57-60
2003 - Semifinals (Ogden, Utah) - #2 seed vs. #4 Idaho State - W, 76-67
2002 - Championship (Bozeman, Mont.) - #2 seed vs. #5 Montana - L, 66-70
2002 - Semifinals (Bozeman, Mont.) - #2 seed vs. #3 Weber State - W, 62-57
2001 - Championship (Northridge, Calif.) - #2 seed vs. #1 CS Northridge - L, 58-73
2001 - Semifinals (Northridge, Calif.) - #2 seed vs. #5 Northern Arizona - W, 58-53
2000 - Semifinals (Missoula, Mont.) - #2 seed vs. #3 Northern Arizona - L, 65-82
1999 - Quarterfinals (Ogden, Utah) - #6 seed vs. #3 Portland State - L, 74-80
1998 - Quarterfinals (Flagstaff, Ariz.) - #3 seed vs. #6 CS Northridge - L, 98-104 (ot)
1990 - Championship (Boise, Idaho) - #2 seed vs. #1 Idaho - L, 62-65
1990 - Semifinals (Boise, Idaho) - #2 seed vs. #5 Weber State - W, 83-67

 

More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Players Making Plays: "It's a player's game and our guys stepped up and made plays. It's the players that win games – you can give them game plans, but they have to make plays. These types of games are a lot of fun. You let them go – if they make mistakes you live with what they do."
 
On EWU Inside Game Versus MSU: "I've said it all year, I think we have the best big men in the league. Tonight the way Jesse and Mason played was phenomenal. They play with so much heart and confidence, and they instill confidence in their team. When our other players see them do everything they possibly can and keep coming back for more, it gives them confidence to make plays. It took us a while to get our mojo this season, but when you have leaders like we have on this ballclub, I have a lot of confidence in what they can accomplish."
 
On Team Entering Tournament: "I like the way our team is playing right now with confidence and all the fortitude they've been playing with. I love it. Everybody should be proud of this basketball club. They've done everything we asked of them all season long. It didn't look good early in the year with the 2-9 start to the season and with all the injuries. But they had great character and came ready to practice and play every day."

 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Trio Guides Eastern to Big Sky Tournament Semifinals with 80-84 Victory
 
The trio of Mason Peatling, Cody Benzel and Jesse Hunt combined for 68 points to lead Eastern to a 90-84 victory over Montana State to advance to the semifinals in the Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament presented by My Place Hotels on Thursday (March 14) at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. On his way to a double-double with a career-high 28 points and 14 rebounds, the 6-foot-8 Peatling had 19 points and eight boards in the first half alone. In the second half Benzel took over, scoring 15 of his 22 points and closing the game with five 3-pointers. Hunt provided 18 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. Eastern had dominating advantages in second-chance points (21-4) and points in the paint (34-4), and used an 11-0 run to lead by as many as 12 in the second half. After missing four free throws earlier in the half, Eastern sank seven of its last eight to close out the game. After nine ties and nine lead changes in the first half, Eastern led nearly the entirety of the second half with just one tie. The Eagles out-shot MSU 55.2 percent to 45.5 percent and had a 34-25 rebounding advantage. Behind a monster first half for Peatling, Eastern lead at intermission 49-44. Eastern had 10 offensive boards on its way to a 15-0 advantage in second chance points. Eastern trailed by as many as six, but scored the final seven of the second half on baskets by Benzel, Peatling and a 3-pointer by Jack Perry. Both teams sank over 50 percent from the field in the first half, which featured nine lead changes and nine ties. Benzel took over in the second half, and his 3-pointer with 15:53 left gave EWU its largest lead of the night at seven. The Bobcats cut the lead to one twice, but both times Benzel led EWU runs to keep MSU at bay. The first was a 6-0 run that included a four-point play on a 3-pointer by Benzel. The second was an 11-0 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Benzel, followed by hoops by Tyler Kidd and Kim Aiken Jr. to give the Eagles a 74-62 lead with 8:19 left. Montana State miss four-straight shots during the run and was scoreless for four minutes. Montana State tied the game with 1:31 left, but Hunt hit a big basket at the 1:05 mark to give EWU the lead for good.
 
 
Hunt Nearly has Triple-Double as Eagles Hold Off Weber State for Win
 
Senior Jesse Hunt had a near triple-double as Eastern ended the regular season with a huge 80-77 road victory over Weber State March 9 in a battle of tied Big Sky Conference teams at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. It was just EWU's seventh win in 37 tries in Ogden, but its third in the last four meetings there. As has been commonplace this season, the game featured nine lead changes and eight ties, with Hunt and redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr. each sinking a pair of free throws in the final 22 seconds to secure the win. The Wildcats missed their last three shots of the game after taking their final lead with 1:09 to play. Hunt finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as he finished with his 12th double-double of the season. Mason Peatling scored 23, including 15 in the second half, after Aiken Jr. scored 15 of his 20 in the first half. The Eagles fell behind 12-0 after missing their first six shots, and didn't score until 4:18 had elapsed in the game. Weber State led 42-40 at halftime, but Eastern used a 9-0 run to take a 66-57 lead with 7:49 to play.  The Wildcats, though, went on a 12-4 run to cut the lead to one, and eventually took back the lead with 1:09 left with a pair of free throws. But WSU missed its last three shots, and EWU followed the first miss with two free throws by Hunt with 22 ticks left to take the lead for good, and Aiken provided the winning margin with 4.8 seconds remaining. Weber State had entered the game as the top Big Sky team in defensive field goal percentage overall (.429) and from the 3-point line (.312). In league games only, those marks were .429 and .300, respectively. Eastern had a 39-33 rebounding advantage.