GAME NOTES
CHENEY, Wash. – For the first and only time during the month of January, the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team will be playing at home. The Eagles host Montana State on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 2:05 p.m. inside Reese Court.
It's Eagle Athletic Fund Appreciation Day at Reese Court, and all EAF members can receive a $5.00 ticket at THIS LINK. Additionally, all members at the Red Wave ($100) level and above will have access to the Eagle Club which while have complimentary food and beverages (pregame and halftime).
For those who can't make it to Cheney, the game will be streamed for free on Pluto TV channel 534 or WatchBigSky.com. Live stats are available at EWUStats.com and live, in-game coverage and video highlights can be found by following @EWUWBB on Twitter.
LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Washington is coming off of a 69-60 loss at Idaho on Thursday night (Jan. 16). The Eagles hung with the Vandals for three quarters of play and only trailed by two points heading into the fourth quarter. However, 6:42 ticked off the clock without any points for the Eagles while Idaho used a 14-0 run to put the game away.
Despite the loss, Eastern Washington shot 45.1 percent (23-51) from the field and held Idaho to 39.3 percent (24-61). Together, the two teams fired off a combined 23 made three-pointers, with the Eagles collecting 10 and the Vandals making 13. Eastern Washington was outrebounded, 42-to-27 and only scored five second chance points to Idaho's 16.
The Eagles had three in double figures, led by
Kennedy Dickie's career-high 18 points.
Grace Kirscher scored 16 on a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range, while
Alexyss Newman added 13 points to go with nine rebounds.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington looks to snap a four-game skid on Saturday when Montana State comes to town, as the Eagles are currently sitting at 2-12 overall and 1-4 in Big Sky Conference play.
Grace Kirscher leads the team with 10.6 points per game, and 15.2 per game in conference play, and has scored in double figures in three-straight games.
Bella Cravens follows with 8.3 points per game and is second in the Big Sky with 8.3 points per game.
Kennedy Dickie adds 8.2 points per contest while
Jessica McDowell-White scores 8.0.
McDowell-White also ranks third in the Big Sky and 76
th in the nation with 4.5 assists per game. She also paces the Eagles with 1.5 steals per contest.
As a team, the Eagles are a major threat behind the arc. They rank 38
th in the nation and third in the Big Sky with 7.9 three-pointers per game. EWU has made 10 or more triples in three-straight games and six total.
Three players in Kirscher (26),
Jenna Dick (26) and McDowell-White (25) have made over 20 three-pointers so far this season, with Dickie adding 17.
A LOOK AT THE BOBCATS: Montana State is the team to beat in the Big Sky, sitting at the top of the standings with an overall record of 9-6 and 5-1 in conference play. Their lone loss came in double overtime to Idaho at home, 69-68, and they are coming off of a 73-62 win at Portland State last Saturday (Jan. 11).
The Bobcats boast four players in double figures in Fallyn Freije (12.7), Oliana Squires (11.7), Darian White (10.9) and Martha Kuderer (10.2).
As a team, MSU averages 72.4 points per game while holding their opponents to just 60.5 per contest. In wins, they outscore their opponents by nearly 12 points and drain 42.9 percent of their shots from the field, keeping their opponents to 35.7 percent.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Washington trails the all-time series with the Bobcats, 35-42. Last season, the Eagles were down by 14 before they scored 33 points in the fourth quarter to top Montana State in overtime on the road, 89-87. The Bobcats made the return trip less than a month later and beat Eastern Washington 61-47 in Cheney.
The Eagles have won just four out of the last 10 meetings with Montana State. Two out of the ten have been decided in overtime, and five have been decided by 10 points or less.
EWU is looking for its first win over the Bobcats at home since Jan. 21, 2016 as they are 18-19 all-time against MSU at Reese Court.
UP NEXT: The Eagles enter another week break from competition following Saturday's game. On Saturday, Jan. 25, Eastern Washington will travel to Cedar City, Utah for a 1 p.m. Pacific time tip against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. On Monday, Jan. 27, the Eagles take on Northern Colorado in Greeley for a special 11 a.m. PT matinee.
