In the grand scheme of things, a 13-6 record told the real story of the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team in the 2018-19 season.
 
After starting the season 1-9, the Eagles finished 16-18, and came a victory short of playing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history. Eastern's stretch of four-straight national tournament berths came to an end, but the Eagles finished as the Big Sky Conference runner-up for the second-straight season.
 
Eastern fell 68-62 to two-time regular season and tournament champion Montana on March 16 in the championship game of the Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament presented by My Place Hotels at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. Eastern led by as many as 12 in the first half and five at halftime, but couldn't hold off the Griz.
 
Third-seeded Eastern advanced to the title game with a 77-61 victory over No. 7 Southern Utah in the semifinals, which followed a 90-84 victory over No. 6 Montana State in the quarterfinals. Junior Mason Peatling was selected to the All-Tournament team after averaging 20.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in three games while sinking 62.9 percent of his shots from the field. He was joined by redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr., who averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots with a pair of double-doubles in his first postseason experience.
 
Peatling and senior Jesse Hunt earned second team All-Big Sky honors for the Eagles, with sophomore Jacob Davison earning third team accolades despite missing the last 10 games with an ankle injury. Eastern's other two seniors were Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson, who combined with Hunt to play in 382 total games as Eagles to all rank in the top 11 in school history.
 
Eastern finished 12-8 in Big Sky Conference play, including a five-game winning streak late in the year to help secure third place in the regular season standings and win its first two tournament games. After EWU started the season 1-9, Peatling returned from a toe injury and Eastern was 15-9 the rest of the season. Eastern was just 1-3 to start league play, but then won 13 of its final 19 games of the season.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of our basketball team," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans following his second year at the helm. "They did a great job in the championship game and they did a great job from the beginning of last year. We were in the same exact situation last year at the end of the season. We started off the season with a lot of injuries, but we had players who stepped up to be great leaders and understand exactly what the season was about. It's about building relationships and getting guys to believe in a common goal. When you bring in new players to a team it's always a little rocky, but we had three great seniors. And Mason was an unbelievable leader."
 
Eastern had its fourth-straight season with 10 Big Sky wins or more and a sixth-straight year with a winning league record. Eastern is 65-29 in Big Sky play in those six years for a .691 winning percentage.
 
Hunt and Benzel are the lone two starters lost from the 2018-19 team, with the other starters including Peatling, Davison and point guard Tyler Kidd. Underclassmen Luka Vulikic (14 starts), Jack Perry (11 starts), Aiken (11 starts), Tanner Groves (2 starts) and Austin Fadal (2 starts) also saw action as starters, and coming off the bench to play significantly was Elijah Jackson.
 
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.
 
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 nine 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 had averages of 15.2 points on the season and a team-leading 18.5 in league play, which would have ranked fifth in the Big Sky if he had played enough of EWU's games to qualify (75 percent).
 
Besides missing the last 10 games, wrist and ankle injuries kept Davison out of the first two games and preseason practices. Peatling missed the first nine games with a toe injury that required surgery in September, and Hunt was cleared to play after preseason practices because of foot surgery in July. Steven Beo, a transfer from BYU, played just three games because of an ankle injury, but is now eligible to appeal for a sixth year when he concludes his senior season in 2021. In addition, Perry and Gibson both missed games because of concussions.
 
Legans recorded the most wins by an Eastern rookie head coach at the NCAA Division I level with 20 in the 2017-18 season. He followed that with 16 in the 2018-19 season, giving him a 36-33 record in two seasons at the helm (25-13 in league play). Coupled with his eight seasons as an assistant under two head coaches, EWU teams are 161-166 in his 10-year Eastern tenure (99-85 in league play).
 
"I've liked both teams and we've gone up against some good teams," added Legans of his first two seasons as a head coach. "To play without a couple of players hurt us during the year, but it's next man up. That's how we do it at Eastern – you are always fighting to the very end. I like all the players we had and got here with. We were in the championship last year and this year, and we'll be back."
 
After EWU's 16-18 finish in 2018-19, he has been a part of Eastern teams from the 2013-14 through 2018-19 seasons which have win totals of 15, 26, 18, 22, 20 and 16 games. The three 20-victory seasons are among the top four win totals in EWU's 36-year history in NCAA Division I. The combined 117 wins in six seasons, 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, 12 -- in that six -year span.
 
 
 
 

Season Notes

 
 
Eastern Plays Eight Opponents Who Advanced to National Tournaments
 
The Eagles played eight teams in the 2018-19 season who advanced to national tournaments, including five who qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Eastern was 3-9 versus those eight teams, including a 1-6 mark versus the NCAA field (Montana 1-2, North Dakota State 0-1, Syracuse 0-1, Oregon 0-1, Washington 0-1). Eastern also lost to NIT qualifier South Dakota State, and were 2-1 versus Collegeinsider.com Tournament qualifier Southern Utah and 0-1 against CIT entrant Seattle.
 
 
Eagles Had 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 in the 2018-19 season. 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 earlier.
 
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, with No. 4 Weber State and No. 5 Portland State receiving byes and playing each other 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. Eastern registered Big Sky Conference Tournament wins over Montana State and Southern Utah before bowing to Montana in the championship game.
 
After losing its first nine road games of the season, Eastern won three of its last four to help EWU finish the regular season with a three-game winning streak. The Eagles were victorious over MSU and SUU in their first games at a neutral site (in Boise for the league tournament).
 
 
Results from 2019 Big Sky Conference Tournament Presented by My Place Hotels
CenturyLink Arena • Boise, Idaho • Times Pacific
 
Wednesday, March 13 (First Round): 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): 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): No. 1 Montana 78, No. 4 Weber State 49; No. 3 Eastern Washington 77, No. 7 Southern Utah 61.
 
Saturday, March 16, 2019 (on ESPNU): Game 10 –No. 1 Montana 68, No. 3 Eastern Washington 62.
 

Trio of EWU Seniors Combined for 382 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 combined for 382 games played in their careers. Benzel played in 135 to pass Felix Von Hofe for second in school history and Gibson had 130 to pass his former teammate Felix Von Hofe for third. Jesse Hunt was right behind with 117 games played to rank 11th in school history. Benzel also is in sole possession of fourth in school history with 203 3-pointers made in his career, and Gibson is ninth with 153.
 
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.
 
Benzel, Gibson and 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 double major in marketing and finance. 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.
 
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.
 
 
Trio of Eastern Seniors Work Their Way Into Record Books
 
Besides ranking in the top 11 in school history in games played, Jesse Hunt, Cody Benzel and Ty Gibson all worked their way into EWU's record books in their careers. Hunt finished the season with 496 points to rank as the 19th-most in school history, and his 531 career rebounds ranks ninth.
 
Benzel finished his career ranked fourth in school history with 203 3-pointers and Gibson is ninth with 153. Benzel passed Marc Axton on EWU's all-time leaders list (184 from 2002-05), and his 504 attempts are also fourth. Benzel shot at a 40.3 percent clip from the 3-point arc to rank 12th all-time at EWU and Gibson is just out of the top 16 in school history with 38.3 percent accuracy and his 399 total attempts are 10th. Sophomore Jack Perry is currently also just off the percentage list at 38.4 percent, while Mason Peatling will enter his senior season in 2018-19 ranked 66th in career blocked shots with 66.
 
Jacob Davison enters his junior season in 2019-20 with a .823 free throw percentage to currently rank sixth all-time at EWU. He scored 41 points against Northern Arizona on Feb. 2, 2019, to rank as the seventh-most in school history. The 32 points Hunt scored versus UMKC on Nov. 17, 2018, is 52nd and the 30 Cody Benzel had against Idaho State on March 7, 2019, is 75th. Benzel had eight 3-pointers made in that game to equal the fourth-most all-time at Eastern, and his 15 attempts was sixth.
 
In addition, Hunt's 17 rebounds at Sacramento State on Jan. 26, 2019, equaled the eighth-most in recorded school history, his 16 against Idaho State on March 7, 2019, equals the 17th most and his 15 on Jan. 10, 2019, versus Montana ranks 25th. Luka Vulikic had 10 assists against North Dakota State on Dec. 8, 2018, to equal the 22nd most in school history.
 
As a team, EWU's 45 3-point attempts at Oregon on Nov. 9, 2018, broke the previous school record of 44. Opponents made 291-of-766 3-pointers against the Eagles in 2018-19, which were both all-time highs versus EWU.

 
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 final 19 games of the season, Eastern shot at a 46.3 percent clip (38.7 from the arc) while winning 13 of those games.
 
Eastern was 14-1 when making at least 45.0 percent of its shots from the field and 2-17 when it didn't, and EWU was victorious in six games in which it sank at least 48 percent of its shots (4-0 when it made 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 in the 2018-19 season and was 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 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 19 Games (13-6) . . . 46.3 (38.7, 180-of-465) / 43.7 (36.8, 154-of-419)
For the Season (16-18) . . . 42.9 percent (35.0) / opponents 45.2 (38.0)
  
 
Eastern 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 19 games, Eastern's rebounding margin improved by 7.7 per game. Eastern out-rebounded 15 of those last 19 opponents after having advantages in just two of its first 15 games. The Eagles were 13-4 when they out-rebounded 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 19.
 
Through First 15 Games (3-12) . . . 34.1 per game (511 total) / opponents 38.6 (579 total) / margin of -4.5
Last 19 Games (13-6) . . . 35.8 per game (681) / opponents 32.6 (620) / margin of +3.2
For the Season (16-18) . . . 35.1 per game (1192) / opponents 35.3 (1199) / margin of -0.2

 
Eagles Used 12 Different Starting Lineups
 
Injuries affected EWU's starting lineup in the 2018-19 season, and EWU used a total of 12 different lineups in the 2018-19 season. Nine of the combinations came in Eastern's first 15 games of the season when the Eagles were just 3-12. In the 19 games after that, starting with the Montana game on Jan. 10, Eastern 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 started ever since, with EWU winning seven of those 10 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 was 4-3 on the season.
 
Hunt started a team-high 34 games, Davison started 19 of the 22 he played, Peatling started all 22 he played and Benzel started 26 games and came 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 started all 19 games since Jan. 10.
   
  
 

Eagles in the Postseason/Big Sky Tournament

 
* Coming up a victory short of a fifth-straight national tournament appearance, Eastern made its sixth appearance in a national postseason tournament in school history in the 2017-18 season. Eastern advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2015, were in the NIT in 2003 and have played in College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournaments in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In the 2016 CBI, Eastern recorded its first win in a national postseason tournament as a member of Division I with a 79-72 home win over Pepperdine. The Eagles are now 1-5 in postseason national tournaments as a member of NCAA Division I, and 7-10 overall. Eastern also played in the NAIA Championships (then known as NAIB) on five occasions, with a 6-5 record in appearances in 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946 and 1947. Before beating Pepperdine in 2016, Eastern's previous national tournament victory came on March 12, 1947, when Eastern – then known as the Eastern Washington College of Education Savages – beat Dakota Wesleyan 62-48. One year earlier, Eastern lost to Pepperdine before meeting the Waves again for the second time in school history nearly 70 years to the day later in the CIT.
 
* Eastern is now 8-4 in the semifinals at the Big Sky Conference tournament, and is 2-6 in the championship game. Eastern won semifinal games in 2019, 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 2019 (Montana), 2018 (Montana), 2003 (Weber State), 2002 (Montana), 2001 (Cal State Northridge) and 1990 (Idaho). The Eagles are now 1-6 versus Montana. Eastern made its 17th Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance in 32 years as a member of the league in the 2018-19 season, and now has a record of 17-15 in its 32 games.
 
* The Eagles are also 1-0 in the first round and 6-5 in the quarterfinals at the Big Sky Tournament. 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'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 . . .
2019 -- Championship (Boise, Idaho) #3 seed vs. #1 Montana – L, 62-68
2019 -- Semifinal (Boise, Idaho) #3 seed vs. #7 Southern Utah - W, 77-61
2019 -- 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 Player Notes

 
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. 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 in the 2017-18 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.
 
 
 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 earned second team All-Greater Spokane League honors as a senior at Shadle Park, helping the Highlanders to a 15-11 record overall in the first season under coach Arnold Brown. Because of weather, Shadle Park had to win two games on one day – one in Hermiston, Ore., and the other in Kennewick, Wash. – to advance to the regional round of the State 3A Tournament.
 
As a junior, 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.
 
As a senior, Mohamed helped West Seattle advance to the State 3A Tournament and finish 17-9 overall and 11-4 for a fourth-place finish in the highly-competitive 3A Metro League. He earned second team All-Metro League honors.
 
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. "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

 
League Schedule Featured 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 had a few twists and turns. It included 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 played four games on Monday, including three at home at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.  The Eagles also hosted Montana and Montana State in back-to-back games, but those came nine days apart. However, the good news for the Eagles was that their road travel schedule was as good as could be expected. The lone Monday road game was at Northern Colorado -- four days after the Eagles played 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."
 
 
Preseason Schedule Included Teams from Seven Different Conferences
 
It was 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 in 2018, 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 in the 2017-18 season, and were 86-78 in their respective leagues.
 
Along with Syracuse, South Dakota State also advanced to the 2018 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 2018 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 in 2018. 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, Eastern was 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 players – the most in the Big Sky Conference – were honored on the 2017-18 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court announced on July 17, 2018.
 
Graduated forward Bogdan Bliznyuk was 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.
 
After EWU's 16-18 finish in 2018-19, he has been a part of Eastern teams from the 2013-14 through 2018-19 seasons which have win totals of 15, 26, 18, 22, 20 and 16 games. The three 20-victory seasons are among the top four win totals in EWU's 36-year history in NCAA Division I. The combined 117 wins in six seasons, 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, 12 -- in that six -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 Season-Ending Loss to Grizzlies: "We have a group that believes and fight for every little inch they get. They brought it every game and in the second half – they wanted to keep playing and get to the NCAA Tournament. They wanted to make Eastern proud, and I think they made them proud by keeping that fight and keeping that grit. To see the hurt in the locker room is emotion, it's family and its love. It's guys getting together and believing in each other. To see them with all their red eyes is sad and heartbreaking. But they are teammates and they love each other. We'll be back here next year and hopefully we're on the other end of this thing. I'm just hurting for the guys."
 
On Leadership and Intelligence: "We have good leadership on this basketball team. We have three good seniors and Mason does a really good job of making sure everybody is on the same page. It's really easy to coach – I'm not coaching energy or effort. I'm coaching x's and o's and not coaching emotions. They are a smart bunch of guys. I'm never the smartest guy in any room, but especially that room. They do a really good job of understanding the game plan, and can pick it up on the fly in less than 24 hours."
 
On Turning Point of the Season: "After the Idaho game we sat in the locker room for about three hours after the game – I wouldn't let them leave. I'm just kidding, but the Idaho game really was a big part of the change to the season. The team and coaching staff spoke up – it was an open dialogue with the team."
 
On Win to End Regular Season: "We beat a Weber State team which is one of the blue bloods in our league. It was a great game and a fun game to be a part of -- we played terrific. I couldn't be more proud of this basketball team, and our assistant coaches did an amazing job this whole season getting our team prepared every step of the way. I couldn't ask for a better staff and be happier than the outcome against Weber."
 
On Hunt's Production: "We lost Jacob and Jesse picked up his production. But he's doing it within the offense and not forcing anything. He's playing great basketball and making plays when they need to be made. He's rebounding and had eight assists against Weber State – to come close to a triple-double was an amazing way for a senior to end the regular season. You gotta love our front line, and one of them is a freshman (Kim Aiken Jr.). They played unbelievable basketball against Weber State. We did a really good job of playing really good basketball and playing hard as a team."
 
On Aiken: "Kim is our utility guy. We can put him on anyone on the court and he defended three of Weber State's best players. He's playing really good basketball and, think about it, he's a freshman. He came up big in the biggest game of our season to try to get third place. He came to us and asked to guard Jerrick Harding. You have to be excited and happy for him."
 
On Benzel: "You root for Cody – he does everything we ask of him and is our glue guy. Besides being a great shooter, he's a good defender and does everything our team needs. He came in as a player who shoots threes, but he earned his way into the starting lineup and that says a lot. He's gone some games where he doesn't even take a shot, but he does things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He's playing amazing basketball. His shots haven't been going down, but he's never really left alone and he helps our other players have great games. It sure shows when he's knocking them in like he did against Idaho State. It's a simple thing -- when he's on the court we win games."
 
On Portland State Win: "It gives us confidence because we beat the hottest team in the league. They were playing good basketball and we held them to a pretty decent shooting percentage. We did everything we were supposed to do. You have to do the tough things – you have to get the rebounds and play defense. We were excited how we followed that game plan. We didn't shoot well from the 3-point line, but we got to the free throw line and we shot them well. It showed our team that we can play at a snail's pace offensively, and if you follow the defensive game plan and do what you are supposed to do, you can win these games. I was more than excited for the team in being able to see how well they responded to our loss to Sacramento State."
 
On Game-Winning Shot by Kim Aiken Jr.: "You have to let players make plays. It was a high ball screen and Jack (Perry) made an incredible play to get the ball to Kim. It's something we work on a lot just playing. He came in and made the great play – he had a layup that would have been contested, but he found Kim for the open three. It was a great scene to see a sophomore hit a freshman for the game-winner to send our seniors out as winners on Senior Day."
 
On Jack Perry: "We are a player's program, and guys are getting better throughout the season Jack has had a solid year, but he's hit some speed bumps during the year. But he did well against a Portland State team that pressures, which has been his Achilles heel this season."
 
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 a week earlier. 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 NAU Road Win: "That's what it looks like when you play with energy and toughness. We didn't quite have that in our previous game, but we showed character and got a huge road win by the way we 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. 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 Regular Season 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. 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."
 
 
 

Big Sky Conference Tournament Recaps

 
Montana Defeats EWU in Big Sky Championship Game
 
The run by the Eagles ran out of magic as Eastern fell short its bid to advance to the NCAA Tournament by falling to Montana 68-62 on March 16 in the championship game of the Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament presented by My Place Hotels at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. In a rematch of the 2018 title game won by the Grizzlies, Montana out-shot Eastern 62.5 percent to 39.4 percent in the second half on its way to a second-straight tournament title to add to its consecutive regular season championships. The Eagles had led at halftime 31-26 after hitting seven of its first eight shots, and led for 28:38 of the game, compared to 10:18 for UM. Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds by redshirt freshman Kim Aiken Jr., who joined Mason Peatling on the All-Tournament team. Peatling scored 13 and had seven rebounds, Jesse Hunt had 17 and seven boards, and Tyler Kidd scored 12 with six rebounds and three assists. However, EWU was out-shot 50.9 percent to 42.1 percent in the game and had 15 turnovers leading to 14 Grizzly points.  Eastern had its five-game winning streak ended to finish 16-18 after a 1-9 start. The high-energy Eagles sank seven of their first eight shots in the game, and took an early 17-5 lead. A 10-0 run was fueled by Aiken's six points, including a rebound dunk. Eastern then missed eight-straight shots and went 6:40 without a field goal, but a 7-0 Eagle run put Eastern back up 24-12 with 6:40 to play in the half on a 3-pointer by Cody Benzel. Eastern led 31-26 at halftime, with the Eagles cooling off to sink 45.8 percent of their shots in the half, compared to 40.0 percent for the Griz. In the second half, Eastern couldn't mount a scoring run and the Grizzlies eventually took their first lead of the game at 47-46 with 11:04 to play. The Grizzlies made 11 of it its first 13 shots in the second half, and led by as many as eight at the 6:45 mark and led the rest of the way.
 
 
Eagles Use Scoring Runs for 77-61 Win to Advance to Title Tilt
 
Scoring runs in each half helped Eastern extend their league-best winning streak to five games and advance to the championship game for the second-straight year with a 77-61 victory over Southern Utah in the semifinals on March 15 of the Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament presented by My Place Hotels at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. With Eastern's front line of Mason Peatling, Jesse Hunt and Kim Aiken Jr., leading the way, Eastern had a run of 22-0 in the first half and 16-2 in the second half to pull away for a win versus the Thunderbirds in the semifinals for a second-straight year. Peatling, who had a double-double with 28 points and 14 rebounds in a quarterfinal victory, led the Eagles with 20 points and seven rebounds versus the Thunderbirds. Aiken had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Hunt finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Eastern held the Thunderbirds for a 7:20 stretch in the first half without a point, and then 6:47 in the second half without a field goal. The 21 points SUU scored in the first half was a season-low in a half versus EWU in the 2018-19 season, and Eastern's 26 points off turnovers were a season high versus a NCAA Division I opponent. The Eagles held SUU to 34.5 percent shooting in the game and 33.3 percent from the 3-point stripe. Eastern led early 8-3 with 15:38 to play in the first half, but over the next 7:17 could manage just a pair of free throws. Eastern missed five-straight shots as part of a 1-of-10 stretch, and the resulting 11-2 run gave SUU a 14-10 advantage. But the tables quickly turned, as a Cody Benzel 3-pointer ignited the 22-0 run to give EWU a 32-14 lead. Five players scored in the run and EWU hit five 3-pointers, with Peatling scoring nine. His four-point play with 3:05 left capped the run as SUU went scoreless for 7:20 and missed 10-straight shots. Eastern went on to lead by as many as 21 in the first half, and led 39-21 at intermission. The Thunderbirds made their last shot of the first half to start an 8-of-10 shooting run, and they eventually pulled to within four with 11:42 left in the game. But 3-pointers by Ty Gibson and Jack Perry ignited a 16-2 run to regain a 66-50 lead with 5:10 to play. Defensively, Eastern held the Thunderbirds without a field goal for 6:47 as SUU missed six-straight shots.
 
 
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 led 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.