­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (11-6/4-2 Big Sky) Saturday, Jan. 25 – Southern Utah – 2:05 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27 – Northern Colorado – 6:05 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	EWU games are on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff.
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Basketball-s308823/?_branch_match_id=723936718277085088
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	None for SUU; The UNC game will be broadcast live regionally by SWX.
­­­Webcast:	Fans can also watch the broadcast via Pluto TV channel 534 for EWU games or via https://bigskyconf.com/sports/2015/11/19/WatchBigSky.aspx
Live Stats:	EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. and is aired live on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM. That show is expected to take place live at 24 Taps Burgers & Brews in Spokane (825 W. Riverside). CLICK HERE for a complete schedule.

Shantay Legans is ready to give Eagle fans a show at home, but their defensive-minded opponents will no doubt feel otherwise.
 
In an unusual convergence of a trio of teams all with 11-6 overall records and 4-2 marks in the Big Sky Conference, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team returns to Reese Court for a pair of games this week with second place in the league standings on the line. The Eagles host Southern Utah on Saturday (Jan. 25) at 2:05 p.m. Pacific time before hosting Northern Colorado (Jan. 27) two days later at 6:05 p.m.
 
There is no conventional TV for the Southern Utah game, but the Northern Colorado contest will be televised live regionally on SWX. Eastern games are aired live on radio on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, via the web at tunein.com and via mobile phone app, with pre-game coverage starting a half-hour prior to tipoff. Larry Weir serves as the play-by-play broadcaster. Fans can also watch the broadcast via Pluto TV or via https://bigskyconf.com/sports/2015/11/19/WatchBigSky.aspx. Tickets to EWU home games are available via the EWU web site at http://goeags.com/tickets.
 
This week's opponents are among the upper echelon of the Big Sky, and will provide yet more tests for EWU's offense, which is ranked third in NCAA Division I with an average of 83.2 points per game. Southern Utah is third in the league and 50th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 63.1 per game. Northern Colorado, which plays at Idaho before traveling to Cheney, is second in the league and 25th nationally at 61.3 per outing.
 
Eastern has won the last seven times the Eagles and Thunderbirds have met at Reese Court, with the last (and lone) EWU loss at home coming in 1993. The Eagles have won the last five meetings in Cheney versus UNC, having not lost at home to the Bears since 2013.
 
"We have two huge games at our house, and our team loves it when our fans are here," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "Our last home game left a bad taste in our mouth. We are going to play as hard as we possibly can to have our best games at home this season. This is a great team to get behind."
 
Eastern hit a speed bump at Reese Court on Jan. 9 at home versus Montana in a 90-63 loss, losing for the first time in seven home games in front of a season-high 1,837 fans. Montana has since gone on to take a 1 1/2 game lead in the Big Sky standings with a 6-1 record, followed by EWU, SUU and UNC at 4-2.
 
 "The crowd support was great and we have to keep building on it," Legans said after the UM game. "When you win, they'll come, so we have to get some more wins under our belt and keep pushing for them to come back."
 
Eastern is coming off a 71-58 victory at a well-rested Montana State team on Jan. 18 in Bozeman. Two days prior to that, EWU picked up a 78-75 win at Idaho in which the Eagles took the lead for good on a Jack Perry 3-pointer – the 100th of his career -- with 10.4 seconds to play. After arriving back in Cheney after midnight and a short night's sleep in their own beds, the Eagles departed for Bozeman the next morning for the Saturday matinee in Bozeman.
 
 "There are no gimmees in this league," said Legans after the Idaho victory. "Every game is going to be fun and you have to figure out how to win – and you have to do it twice. If you want to win the championship, you have to beat teams. Our team played better than they did against Montana, but we have to keep trying to get better for March."
 
Southern Utah is led by 6-foot-7 senior guard/forward Cameron Oluyitan, who averages 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Three other players average at least 9.0 points, including John Knight III (13.5), Dwayne Morgan (10.8) and 6-5 Harrison Butler (9.0). Butler averages 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists, and Knight chips in 2.4 assists per game.
 
Besides being ranked in the top 50 in the nation in scoring defense, SUU is 19th in field goal percentage defense overall (.380), 31st in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.291), 48th in blocked shots (4.5 per game) and 32nd in rebound margin (+6.5). The Thunderbirds are first in the league in rebound margin and blocked shots, and are also second in the league and 49th nationally in field goal percentage offense (.464).
 
Northern Colorado features the guard tandem of Jonah Radebaugh and Bodie Hume, who average more than 30 points per game between them. Radebaugh has averages of 15.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and the 6-foot-6 Hume is averaging 15.6 points, 4.5 boards, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocked shots per outing. A third guard, Trent Harris, is averaging 9.9 points.
 
The Bears are not only 25th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense, but are also ninth in the nation and first in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.275). Offensively, they have made 10.1 3-pointers per game to rank 14th nationally and lead the league, and their 10.7 turnovers per outing are the fewest in the Big Sky and rank 12th in the nation.
 
Following this week's games, the Eagles go back on the road to face two more of the Big Sky's best defensive squads. The Eagles play on Feb. 1 at Sacramento State, which leads the league and ranks third in NCAA Division I by allowing just 55.9 points per game. Northern Arizona, which recently pulled off a major road sweep with wins at Southern Utah (75-72 on Jan. 16) and at Northern Colorado (64-58 on Jan. 18), is fifth in the league with a 67.3 defensive average. The Eagles play the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Feb. 3 before heading to Montana for a rematch on Feb. 6.
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
Eagles Third in NCAA Division I in Scoring
 
Through games of Jan. 20, Eastern is ranked third in NCAA Division I in scoring with an average of 84.0 points per game, with Gonzaga leading at 88.7 per game. The Eagles also rank sixth in assists (17.6 per game), 20th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.33 per game), 45th in field goal percentage (.469) and 41st in steals (8.3). The Eagles lead the Big Sky in all of those categories, and are averaging 9.4 made 3-point field goals per game to rank 36th nationally and second in the Big Sky (Northern Colorado averages 10.1).
 
Individually, sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. is third in NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (9.0) and 14th in rebounding overall (10.7). He leads the Big Sky in both categories, and is also 16th in the nation with nine double-doubles. Junior Jacob Davison is 73rd nationally and fourth in the Big Sky in scoring (17.9) and he and Aiken are first in the league and 50th in the nation in steals (2.00). True freshman Ellis Magnuson is 32nd in the nation in assists (5.8 to lead the Big Sky) and is 42nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.33 per game to rank second in the league). Davison, Aiken and Mason Peatling all rank in the top 11 in the Big Sky in scoring, with Aiken averaging 15.2 (10th) and Peatling at 14.9 (11th).
 
 
Trio of Eagles Averaging in Double Figures
 
The Eagles thus far are 6-1 at home and 5-5 on the road, having won at Seattle University 74-66 on Nov. 9. Eastern also picked up a 90-74 road win at High Point on Nov. 23, marking EWU's first victory in the Eastern time zone since knocking off Indiana 88-86 in Bloomington, Ind., on Nov. 24, 2014. Eastern's non-conference wins at home have come against Portland Bible College (107-25 on Nov. 5), Belmont (87-82 on Nov. 26), North Dakota (98-82 on Dec. 8), Multnomah (146-89) and Omaha (97-56).
 
A trio of Eastern players are averaging in double figures thus far, led by the double-double by sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. He is averaging 15.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, in addition to 2.0 steals, 1.6 assists and 0.9 blocked shots. He had a career-best 26-point effort at Washington on Dec. 4, and thus far has nine double-doubles this season. Four of his double-doubles came at home in the preseason – 11 points and 15 rebounds in a 98-82 win over North Dakota on Dec. 8; 11 points and 11 rebounds in an 87-85 win over Belmont on Nov. 26; 16 points and 22 rebounds against Multnomah on Dec. 13; and 23 points and 10 caroms versus Omaha on Dec. 17. His 22 rebounds versus Multnomah were a career high and equal the second-most in school history behind the record of 28. Against Belmont he scored eight of EWU's last 12 points and had four defensive boards in the final 44 seconds. He had 19 points and five rebounds against High Point on Nov. 23, but prior to that had a string of three-straight double-doubles. He had 11 points and 19 rebounds against Seattle in which EWU used an 11-1 run in the second half to overcome a nine-point deficit. Aiken followed with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds at Saint Louis, then had 17 and 13, respectively, at Boston College. Thus far in his 47-game career (28 as a starter), he is averaging 9.6 points and 7.0 rebounds with 13 career double-doubles (9-4 record).
 
Leading EWU in scoring with an 17.94 average is junior Jacob Davison, who had 26-point performances in wins over Montana State on Jan. 18 and Portland State on Jan. 4 to give him six 20-point performances this season and 15 in his career. He had a 39-point effort against North Dakota to rank as the 11th-most in school history (10th at the time). He had 19 points in the first half and 20 in the second, and his total of 17 field goals made ranks second in school history (now third). The Eagles trailed by four in the second half, but he scored 18 of EWU's last 45 points as the Eagles led by as many as 19 in the closing minutes. His career high of 41 – now the ninth-most – came versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4, 2019. Davison also scored 25 in the Seattle win earlier this season on Nov. 9 and had 26 versus Boston College on Nov. 20. He scored 12 at Washington and had 21 against Multnomah. Junior Jacob Davison is 73rd nationally and fourth in the Big Sky in scoring (17.9) and he and Aiken are first in the league and 50th in the nation in steals (2.00). In his now 73-game career (43 as a starter), he's averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals while sinking 46.4 percent of his shots from the field, 34.4 percent from the 3-point stripe (84-of-244) and 77.8 percent of his free throws.
 
Forward Mason Peatling, one of just two Eagle seniors on this year's team, is averaging 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks. He had his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Montana State on Jan. 18. His 54 points against Multnomah on Dec. 13 broke a nearly 50-year conference record of 53 points and shattered the previous school record of 45. His 24 field goals made were league and EWU records, and his 30 attempts were the most all-time at Eastern. Peatling was sidelined a year ago with a foot injury when the Eagles were just 1-9, but since then Eastern is 26-15 (15-9 last year, 11-6 this season). In his now 104-game career (82 as a starter), Peatling has averaged 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds with a total of 110 assists, 69 steals and 87 blocks to rank fifth in school history (seven from fourth). He now has 12 double-doubles in his career with a record of 11-1.
 
Junior guard Jack Perry, who missed five games in November and early December with a high ankle sprain, is back in the starting lineup and is averaging 5.1 points and 1.9 assists, and hit a 3-pointer – the 100th of his career -- to give EWU the lead for good in a 78-75 victory at Idaho on Jan. 16. He is currently just off EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 38.6 percent (102-of-264). He started EWU's Big Sky Conference opener on Dec. 28 versus Weber State in a 79-77 road win, then scored a season-high 10 in a loss at Idaho State. He's played 79 total games as an Eagle (47 as a starter) and has averaged 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
 
Eastern's youth movement has also been impressive, with true freshman Ellis Magnuson cracking the starting lineup. Magnuson has started all 17 EWU games at point guard and has averaged 5.8 assists and 6.2 points per game. He scored only four points in EWU's first four games, but had 12 and 13 in back-to-back wins against High Point and Belmont. He had nine assists versus Belmont, eight versus High Point and Washington, and 10 in his collegiate debut versus Portland Bible College. He had 14 points versus North Dakota when he also had a team-high six assists, and had 10 points and seven dishes versus Omaha. He produced 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals in his Big Sky Conference debut on Dec. 28 versus Weber State in a 79-77 victory. He had a season-high 16 with five assists versus Idaho on Jan. 16 in a 78-75 win.
 
Redshirt freshman Casson Rouse has chipped in 5.2 points while making 17-of-46 3-pointers (37.0 percent), and sophomore Tanner Groves has come off the bench to average 6.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. He scored a career-high 17 points versus Multnomah on Dec. 13, including a rebound dunk that was the No. 1 play by ESPN's Sportscenter that night and had 2 1/2 million views. Thus far in his 45-game career (three as a starter) he's averaged 4.3 points, 2.8 boards and has 33 blocks. His brother, true freshman Jacob Groves, is averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in the 12 games he has played – the first two in victories against High Point and Belmont. He had his high game with eight points versus Multnomah.
 
Eastern's other senior, guard Tyler Kidd, has come off the bench to average 6.0 points and 1.5 assists, including 12 points versus UW and 16 versus Gonzaga on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field (two 3-pointers) and 4-of-4 at the free throw line. So far in his 44-game career (19 as a starter), he's averaged 8.8 points and 2.6 assists per outing.
 
 
Eagles Selected by Coaches to Win Big Sky Conference Title
 
The coaches in the Big Sky Conference think the Eagles are the preseason pick to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. The league's head coaches selected Eastern as the preseason choice to win the Big Sky title in the 2019-20 season, the league office announced Oct. 17. The Eagles were picked third in the media poll, which was also announced.
 
Eastern was also picked to win the title by both the coaches and media in the 2002-03 season, then finished as the runner-up in the league (regular season and tournament) and advanced to the NIT Tournament. In 2003-04 when they won the first of their two Big Sky Tournament titles, the Eagles were picked second in both polls. The success that year resulted in EWU being picked first in both polls in 2004-05, but EWU slipped to 8-20 overall and 5-9 in the league. In 2014-15, when EWU also advanced to the NCAA Tournament, EWU was picked second by the coaches and third by the media.
 
With three starters back and eight total letterwinners returning, Eastern has the ingredients to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
 
"It's great to be recognized, and we've put in a lot of hard work," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "I've been here 11 years and this may be the first time we've been picked first – that's a great accomplishment in itself. Our players have done an unbelievable job of getting better each year. Our coaching staff gets them ready and prepared, and our guys play with a lot of confidence. I think that's what the other coaches have seen in some of our players."
 
Eastern received eight of 11 first-place votes cast by the coaches, and had 96 total points. Montana, with the other three first-place votes and 87 total, was picked to finish as the runner-up, with Weber State a close third with 86 points. Last season, for the second-straight year, Montana beat Eastern in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"Our team wants it a lot, but you can say that about every team in the country," Legans said. "We all want to get to the NCAA Tournament, and sometimes you have to be lucky to get there. We've gotten to the championship game but have fallen short, losing to Montana both times. Getting there is a great accomplishment and it's something we do think about. We just have to get better as the season progresses and have the depth we need when we get to the conference tournament."
 
In the media poll, Eastern was third with 330 points and received nine first-place votes, just behind Montana with 354 points (13 first-place votes) and Weber State with 345 (12). Northern Colorado was fourth with 275 points and a pair of first-place tallies.
 
Southern Utah, which advanced to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament a year ago, was picked to finish fourth by the coaches and fifth by the media, with UNC fifth in the coaches poll. The next six teams were all the same in both polls – Portland State, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Idaho State and Idaho.
 
"The Big Sky schedule is most important for us," added Legans, whose team started the season 1-9 a year ago before going 12-8 in the league to finish at 16-18 on the season. "You lose one game in the Big Sky Tournament and you aren't going to the NCAA Tournament. Your goal is to try to play your best basketball in the three or four games you play in the tournament. You have to make sure you are ready for that."
 
 
Numerous Big Sky and EWU Records Fall in 146-89 Victory
 
There were a total of four Big Sky Conference and eight Eastern Washington all-time records broken in EWU's 146-89 victory over Multnomah on Dec. 13, 2019. It could have been more too – by scoring 80 points in the first half, Eastern came just two from the league record of 82 set by Idaho State at Montana on 2/2/70 and Mason Peatling's 34 first-half points were three behind the league mark of 37 set by Geno Crandall of North Dakota against Troy on 11/10/17. Below is the list of records broken versus Multnomah:
 
Team
146 Points - old Big Sky & EWU record 130 (EWU vs. Portland State on 2/4/17 & Weber State vs. West Coast Baptist on 11/19/19)
59 Field Goals Made - old Big Sky record 55 (Weber State vs. Idaho State 1/22/66); old EWU record 50 (vs. George Fox 11/15/15)
93 Field Goals Attempted - old EWU record 92 (vs. U.S. International 2/2/91)
67 Rebounds - old EWU record 64 (vs. Delaware State 12/20/91)
39 Assists - old EWU record 33 (vs. Cascade 12/29/99 & U.S. International 2/2/91).
 
Individual
54 Points by Mason Peatling - old Big Sky record 53 (Willie Humes, Idaho State vs. Montana State 2/20/71); old EWU record 45 (Bogden Bliznyuk vs. Portland State 2/4/17, Jacob Wiley vs. Portland State 2/4/17 & Rodney Stuckey vs. Northern Arizona 1/5/06.
24 Field Goals Made by Mason Peatling - old Big Sky record 21 (Willie Humes, Idaho State vs. Montana State 2/20/71); old EWU record 18 (Jacob Wiley vs. Portland State 2/4/17 & David Peed vs. UC-Irvine 12/13/88))
30 Field Goals Attempted by Mason Peatling - old EWU record 29 (Bogdan Bliznyuk vs. Portland State on 2/4/17)
 
 
Davison is Big Sky Player of the Week For the Second Time This Season and in His Career
 
If you pick the wrong poison against EWU, Jacob Davison can score points virtually at will.
 
The Big Sky Conference selected him as its Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 21 for his performances in EWU's road sweep of games on Jan. 16 and 18. It was his second POW honor from the league this season and third in his career, and came one day after he received the same accolade from College Sports Madness.
 
Davison averaged 21.5 points, 2.5 steals, 2.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game in wins over Idaho (78-75) and Montana State (71-58) to help EWU improve to 4-2 in the league. He scored 17 points and had three steals with a block in EWU's win at Idaho. He scored eight of his points in the second half, all coming in the last 4:58 as EWU prevailed down the stretch. He provided the final point of the game with a free throw with two seconds remaining.
 
Davison followed that with 26 points, five assists, two steals, five rebounds and two blocks at Montana State. His steal and layup tied the game at 40 after EWU fell behind by four in the second half, and he went on to score eight points during EWU's game-deciding 23-6 run. Included were a pair of 3-pointers as EWU opened a 59-46 lead with 5:11 to play. He made his final six points from the free throw line in the last 3:30 of the contest.
 
The Eagle junior was selected as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 10 after recording what was then the 10th-most points in school history (now 11th) with 39 in a 98-82 victory over North Dakota two days earlier. It's the second such honor in his EWU career, with both coming after offensive outbursts.
 
Davison finished 17-of-27 from the field, including a 3-of-5 performance from the 3-point stripe, and he also had a career-high five steals with six rebounds and five assists. He had 19 points in the first half and 20 in the second, and his total of 17 field goals made ranks second in school history (now third). The Eagles trailed by four in the second half, but he scored 18 of EWU's last 45 points as the Eagles led by as many as 19 in the closing minutes. The Eagles scored their most points (98) and had their best shooting performance at the time versus a NCAA Division I opponent this season (52.5 percent).
 
Davison scored 12 at Washington in a 90-80 loss on Dec. 4, and also had eight rebounds and four assists. His career high of 41 – the eighth-most all-time at EWU – came versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4, 2019. Davison also scored 25 in the Seattle win earlier this season on Nov. 9 and had 26 versus Boston College on Nov. 20. He and teammate Mason Peatling were among the six players chosen league-wide as preseason All-Big Sky selections for the 2019-20 season.
 
Until an ankle injury on Feb. 16, 2019, forced him to miss the last 10 games, Davison had been the hottest player for the Eagles if not the entire Big Sky. He averaged 23.8 points in his last nine outings, including his 41 versus Northern Arizona which helped him earn his first Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honor. Davison started 19 of the 22 games he played, and finished with 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 and Aiken Are Selected to Mid-Season All-Big Sky Squad
 
Eastern senior Mason Peatling and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. were among the five players on the mid-season All-Big Sky Conference team announced in early January by Jon Teitel from the college basketball web site HoopsHD.com. Selected based on their all-around statistical accomplishments from November and December, they were joined on the squad by Montana's Sayeed Pridgett, Montana State's Harald Frey and Sacramento State's Joshua Patton. Pridgett was the web site's Player of the Year So Far (POYSF). Both Peatling and Aiken started all 11 of EWU's preseason games, with Aiken averaging a double-double at 15.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Peatling averaged 15.0 points and 6.9 boards. Aiken also had 21 steals, 13 assists and 10 blocked shots in the 11 games, and Peatling had 24 assists, 13 blocks and seven steals.
 
 
Peatling Earns Big Sky Player of the Week Honors for Historic Night
 
After an avalanche of points and statistics, Mason Peatling received honors from the Big Sky Conference on Dec. 17 as the league's Ready Nutrition Player of the Week. Peatling's 54 points against Multnomah in a 146-89 victory on Dec. 13 broke a nearly 50-year conference mark and shattered the previous school record of 45. Peatling's 24 field goals made established new league and school marks, and his 30 attempts were an all-time high for Eastern. He also had 13 rebounds and four assists to finish with his first double-double of the season.
 
One of just two Eagle seniors on this year's team, Peatling and teammate Jacob Davison were among the six players chosen league-wide as preseason All-Big Sky selections for the 2019-20 season. Peatling was sidelined a year ago with a foot injury when the Eagles were just 1-9, but since then Eastern is 26-15 (15-9 last year, 11-6 this season) heading into EWU's game versus Southern Utah on Jan. 25.
 
 
True Freshman Ellis Magnuson Earns Honor from College Sports Madness
 
True freshman Ellis Magnuson is already living up to the high expectations of his head coach. The point guard protégé of Shantay Legans was selected by College Sports Madness as its Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for his performance in EWU's win over mid-major powerhouse Belmont on Nov. 26 in Cheney.
 
A 2019 graduate of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, Magnuson scored 13 points and had nine assists in the 87-82 win over Belmont, which was ranked ninth entering the game in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major top 25 poll. He made 5-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line, and equally distributed his production with six points and five assists in the first half, and seven points and four assists in the second half in which EWU out-scored the Bruins 47-40. Belmont was 27-4 a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but EWU's win dropped the Bruins to 4-3.
 
That was just his sixth game as a collegian. Magnuson was the USA Today Idaho 5A Player of the Year in his senior season when he led the Lions to the State 5A title and a 24-3 record. He averaged 15 points, six assists and two steals per game over his last two years in the program.
 
Magnuson had his breakout game when Eastern jumped out to a 15-2 lead and beat High Point on the road on Nov. 23 in North Carolina. Magnuson scored 12 points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers after entering the game 0-of-7 as a collegian. Besides his 12 points, Magnuson also finished with eight assists and three steals. He had a season-high 14 points versus North Dakota when he also had a team-high six assists.
 
 
Eagles Play Five NCAA Tournament Teams From a Year Ago in 2019-20
 
The Eagles will once again be road-tested, but December's miles will be significantly less. While November was highlighted by long road trips, December featured two short trips against a pair of NCAA Division I powerhouses and a trio of home games for the Eagles and their 2019-20 schedule.
 
Eastern played 11 non-conference opponents – including five at home – prior to the start of its Big Sky Conference schedule on Dec. 28. All but two of the opponents were NCAA Division I foes.
 
In the second game of the season on Nov. 9, Eastern played at Seattle (74-66 win) in what has become an annual game against the Redhawks and former EWU head coach Jim Hayford. Eastern played at Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 4, and three weeks later took on Gonzaga on Saturday, Dec. 21. While EWU has played the Huskies three times in the last six seasons, EWU hasn't played the Bulldogs since Nov. 11, 2011.
 
Both the Huskies and Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the 2018-19 season, with the Huskies finishing 27-9 overall and 15-3 in the Pac-12 Conference. Gonzaga was 33-4 and a perfect 16-0 in the West Coast Conference.
 
Three other teams EWU faces this season advanced to the Big Dance, including Saint Louis (23-13/10-8 Atlantic 10 Conference), Belmont (27-6/16-2 Ohio Valley Conference) and Montana (26-9/16-4 Big Sky). Advancing to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament were Seattle (18-15/6-10 Western Athletic Conference) and Southern Utah (17-7/9-11 Big Sky).
 
In all, Eastern faced nine non-conference foes from eight different leagues who combined for a 191-108 record (.666) a year ago, and were a collective 96-56 (.632) in their respective leagues.
 
"We go on the road recruiting and talk about our schedules and who we are playing," said Legans. "We're playing Washington, Gonzaga and Seattle, and we are always trying to get Washington State on the schedule."
 
The Eagles opened the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with a home game versus Portland Bible College (3-20) of the Pacific Christian Athletic Conference, and won handily 107-25. The Eagles then played at Seattle on Nov. 9 and won that 74-66 before playing four games in the Gotham Classic. After losing 82-60 at Saint Louis, Eastern was edged 72-68 by Boston College (14-17/5-13 Atlantic Coast Conference). Eastern then picked up a 90-74 win at High Point (16-15/9-7 Big South) on Nov. 23 before registering a huge 87-82 triumph over Belmont on Nov. 26, with both of those games also a part of the Gotham Classic.
 
A 90-80 loss to Washington – then ranked 22nd in NCAA Division I by Associated Press and 23rd by the coaches followed. Eastern then played a trio of home games and won all three -- Dec. 8 versus former Big Sky member North Dakota (12-18/6-10 Summit League), Dec. 13 against Multnomah (15-15/6-12 Cascade Collegiate Conference) and Dec. 17 versus Nebraska Omaha (21-11/13-3 Summit League). Eastern beat North Dakota 98-82, then romped past Multnomah 146-89 and Omaha 97-56.
 
The non-conference schedule concluded with a 112-77 loss at Gonzaga – ranked second in both polls on Dec. 16 -- followed by the team's Big Sky opener at Weber State on Dec. 28. The Big Sky Conference Championship, which will take place in Boise, Idaho, for the second year of a three-year agreement, is scheduled for March 11-14, 2020 at CenturyLink Arena.
 
"There are a lot of changes with the coaches and the programs," said Shantay Legans of his third tour of the Big Sky as a head coach. "At the same time, the teams in the Big Sky are very tough. They know how to play against you and it's going to be a lot of fun. There are a lot of teams that are up in the air at this point. Southern Utah has a lot of their guys back, and Montana and Weber State are looking good. Idaho has a lot of players that people haven't seen -- they have had a lot of changes but they have potential to be very good. Idaho State has a new head coach coming in, and Ryan Looney has been very successful in the Northwest and in California. So, all in all, it's going to be a lot of fun to see where we stack up against some of these teams in the Big Sky."
 
After EWU started the 2018-19 season 1-9, Mason Peatling returned from a toe injury and Eastern was 15-9 the rest of the season to finish 16-18. Eastern was just 1-3 to start league play, but then won 13 of its final 19 games of the season after most of its injury woes subsided, but the Eagles did play the final 10 games of the season without All-Big Sky guard Jacob Davison.
 
"Our players are healthy to start the year and we've set high goals and expectations for ourselves," added Legans. "I ​couldn't be more excited for ​the season to get rolling."
 
 
A Look at Returning Eagles from the 2018-19 Season
 
Entering his third season at the helm, Eastern head coach Shantay Legans is dreaming of a year of health for his Eagle squad. An injury-plagued season in 2018-19 ended with a second-straight appearance in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game for the Eagles, and four of the main players from that squad return. 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.
 
Senior Mason Peatling is back after earning second team All-Big Sky honors for the Eagles, with junior Jacob Davison earning third team accolades despite missing the last 10 games with an ankle injury. Both were among the six players chosen league-wide as preseason All-Big Sky selections for the 2019-20 season.
 
Peatling averaged 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a year ago, and was also selected to the Big Sky 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 missed EWU's first nine games with a toe injury, and his return turned out to be the turning point of the season for the Eagles. Once he returned, Peatling was EWU's leading scorer in nine of the 22 games he played (13-9 record), and also led in rebounds eight times. An honorable mention All-Big Sky selection as a sophomore, as a junior he was seventh in league-only statistics in scoring (15.3), fifth in shooting (58.6 percent) and fourth in rebounding (7.2), but didn't rank among the overall league leaders (a player must play in 75 percent of a team's games to be ranked). Peatling scored at least 20 points three of his last four games, including 20 with seven rebounds in a 77-61 victory over Southern Utah (3/15/19) in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. One game earlier versus Montana State (3/14/19) he had a career-high 28 points with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots for his third double-double of the season and eighth of his career.
 
Until an ankle injury on Feb. 16 forced him to miss the last 10 games, Davison had been the hottest player for the Eagles if not the entire Big Sky. He averaged 23.8 points in his last nine outings, including the seventh-most points in school history with 41 versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 4 to help him earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors. Davison started 19 of the 22 games he played, and finished with 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 and Davison are joined by sophomore 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 to join Peatling in earning Big Sky All-Tournament accolades. Aiken ended his redshirt freshman season with an average of 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing as a sub off the bench in 19 of the 30 games he played (11 as a starter). A candidate for Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors, Aiken averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in Big Sky Conference play, including 11.6 and 7.7, respectively, in the last 10 games as a starter as an injury replacement for Jacob Davison. He had three double-doubles, 11 blocked shots and 10 steals in those 10 games, shooting at a 46.1 percent clip from the field with 17 3-pointers.
 
Eastern's third returning starter is point guard Tyler Kidd, who averaged 12.0 points and 3.8 assists as a junior college transfer in the 2018-19 season. Kidd ranked 23rd in the Big Sky with an average of 12.0 points per game during league play, plus averaged 3.8 assists to rank seventh. 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. He averaged 9.9 points and 3.1 assists overall, while scoring in double figures in 16 of the last 24 games (none in the first seven games he played). Overall, he was ninth in the league in assists (3.1), ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.423, 41-of-97) and 11th in free throw percentage (79.5 percent, 66-of-83). In league games only, Kidd was ninth in free throw shooting (81.2 percent, 56-of-69).
 
Jack Perry started 11 of 32 games in his sophomore season in 2018-19 and averaged 4.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Sophomore Tanner Groves contributed 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds with 18 blocks as a true freshman.
 
In all, Eastern returns eight letterwinners while losing four. Eastern's 18-player roster in 2019-20 is rounded out by six newcomers, a trio of 2018-19 redshirts and a transfer who had to sit out most of last season with an injury.
 
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* The Eagles are 13-6 all-time against Southern Utah (7-1 in Cheney, 4-4 in Cedar City, 2-0 on a neutral court), including a 77-61 win in the semifinals of the 2019 Big Sky Conference Tournament in Boise, Idaho. A year earlier, EWU recorded an 82-70 victory over the Thunderbirds on March 9, 2018, in the quarterfinals of the league tourney in Reno, Nevada. The Eagles have triumphed in the last seven home meetings since losing the first game in Cheney in the series by a 70-68 score on Dec. 21, 1993. The Thunderbirds joined the Big Sky in the 2012-13 season and EWU is 12-3 versus them since then with an eight-game winning streak from Feb. 16, 2013, to Jan. 20, 2018.
 
* Last season in Boise, scoring runs in each half helped Eastern extend their league-best winning streak to five games and advance to the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game for the second-straight year against Montana with a 77-61 victory over Southern Utah in the semifinals on March 15, 2019,  at CenturyLink Arena. 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 this season, and Eastern's 26 points over turnovers was 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.
 
* Last season in Cheney, Kim Aiken Jr. had a career day and Tanner Groves made the first start of his Eastern career, helping EWU to an 82-79 victory on Feb. 2, 2019, versus Southern Utah at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The Eagles only led for 6:08 of the game, and used a pair of 16-2 runs to make comebacks in each half. Their final run was their best, as EWU out-scored the Thunderbirds 16-2 in a late four-minute stretch in which SUU missed five-straight shots. Eastern sank six of its last seven and rose above the .500 mark in the Big Sky Conference. Aiken more than doubled his previous career high and finished with a monster game of 24 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of steals. Jacob Davison scored 21, Jesse Hunt 16 and Tyler Kidd 15 to contribute offensively while EWU played without its leading scorer, Mason Peatling. Peatling missed the game with an injury and, as a result, for the first time in EWU's NCAA Division I history – and overall since Dec. 30, 1981 -- two players from high schools in Spokane, Wash., started the game. Tanner Groves (Shadle Park HS) joined senior Cody Benzel (Ferris HS) in the starting lineup. Groves hit an early 3-pointer, but EWU made just seven of its first 21 shots and fell behind 31-19 at the 5:57 mark. But four Eagles scored during a 16-2 run, and Eastern took a 35-33 lead just before intermission. Eastern's defense held SUU without a field goal for 4:52 during that stretch, and EWU forced 13 Thunderbird turnovers in the first half. The game was tied at 37 at intermission. Eastern fell behind by as many as seven in the second half and had to play catch-up again. Aiken scored 10 points in a 6 1/2 minute span to keep the Eagles close, but the Thunderbirds still led 68-64 at the 5:03 mark. Then a 3-pointer by Aiken, a basket by Hunt and another bucket by Aiken gave the Eagles a hard-earned 71-68 lead with 3:10 remaining. The Eagles never trailed again, and completed what would become a 16-2 run to take a nine-point lead with 40 seconds to play. Aiken's free throw with two seconds to play helped clinch the win.
 
* Last season in Cedar City, Eastern made just 35.7 percent from the field and had a 12-rebound deficit as Southern Utah pulled away from the Eagles in the second half for a 76-62 Big Sky Conference victory on Feb. 21, 2019. A 12-2 run by the Thunderbirds mid-way through the second half helped open a 15-point SUU lead and break open a close game that had included eight lead changes and six ties. Southern Utah, a 77 percent shooting team from the free throw line, sank four free throws in the last 1:29 to close out the game. Jesse Hunt paced the Eagles with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Tyler Kidd finished with 17 points and a pair of assists. Kim Aiken Jr. came off the bench to contribute nine points, but the Thunderbirds held EWU leading scorer Mason Peatling to just nine points and three rebounds on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. Things were looking good early for the Eagles as they used a 10-0 run to take an early 15-12 lead. Mason Peatling had a pair of layups in the run, with 3-pointers scored by Ty Gibson and Jack Perry. That came during a stretch in which EWU made 7-of-9 shots, and were 10-of-21 at that point. But Eastern missed six-straight shots late in the half and fell behind at halftime 33-30. Eastern suffered through another 0-of-6 shooting stretch early in the second half and fell behind 59-45 with 6:39 left on a 12-2 run by the Thunderbirds. Hunt scored six-straight points for the Eagles, but an eight-point margin was the closest EWU could get the rest of the way. Eastern made just 10 of its last 35 shots (29 percent) after opening the game 10-of-21. Southern Utah, which had four players score in double figures, sank 47.3 percent of its shots overall, 11-of-19 3-pointers for 57.9 percent and 11-of-19 free throws for 57.9 percent. Eastern's percentage was its lowest in EWU's last 21 games, while the 3-point percentage for the Thunderbirds was the highest against the Eagles this season  The Eagles were out-rebounded by 12 (40-28), equaling EWU's largest deficit since getting out-rebounded by Oregon 50-34 in EWU's second game of the season.
 
 
* The Eagles are 13-12 all-time versus UNC (9-3 in Cheney, 4-9 in Greeley), with the first meeting taking place on Dec. 20, 1971, when Eastern beat the Bears 76-68 in Greeley, Colo. Since then, all of the meetings have been with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I (since 1983-84), starting in the 2006-07 season when the Bears became a Big Sky Conference member. The Eagles have won the last five times the squads have met in Cheney dating back to a 88-80 Bear win in overtime on Feb. 28, 2013. Eastern has won seven of the last 10 overall since that loss, including a recent stretch of four victories in the last six meetings.
 
* Last season in Cheney, Eastern scored seven-straight points in overtime and defeated second-place Northern Colorado 88-78 on Feb. 16, 2019, in a Big Sky Conference game at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Mason Peatling scored 20 of his points after halftime to finish with a team-high 24, and Jesse Hunt and Tyler Kidd each scored 21 as EWU won for the sixth time in its last nine games. Peatling had eight rebounds, Hunt had seven boards and six assists and Kidd also had four assists and three steals while hitting a career high for points. Jacob Davison had 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals before departing the game in the second half with an ankle sprain. He didn't return after having scored at least 20 points in six of his last seven games. Thanks to its second-best shooting night of the season at 54.5 percent, Eastern equaled the most points to be scored against the Bears in league play this season. Northern Colorado entered allowing 68.8 points per game overall, and had the best average in league games only at 64.9 per outing. The game featured eight lead changes and seven ties, including seven and three, respectively, in the first half. Both teams had big scoring runs in the first half in which UNC led 40-38. The Eagles had a stretch of seven-straight made field goals early in the second half and ended up leading for most of the remainder of the game. Kidd had five points and Peatling had four in the 12-2 run that opened a 53-46 lead with 14:48 to play. At that point, the Eagles were shooting a blistering 23-of-38 from the field for 61 percent. The Bears would tie it at 61, but then Peatling scored six in an 11-3 run to regain a 72-64 advantage with 4:27 left. A 3-pointer by Kidd at the 3:35 mark maintained EWU's eight-point lead, but those were the last points EWU would score in the half and UNC rallied to send the game into overtime tied at 75. But it was all Eagles in the OT, as EWU scored seven-straight points to take command and went on to out-score the Bears 13-3. Eastern made 3-of-5 shots in the extra period while holding UNC to 1-of-6 from the field.
 
* Last season in Greeley, Northern Colorado sank 64 percent of its shots to open a 19-point lead at halftime and held-off EWU 75-63 in a Big Sky game Jan. 7, 2019, at the Bank of Colorado Arena. Eastern had a 14-2 run in the second half to cut into a Bears lead that had ballooned to 58-34 with 11:04 left in the contest. Eastern cut the lead to a dozen with 4:52 left, and five more times after that. But the Bears never relinquished its double-digit lead and closed out the game with a basket and two free throws by Jordan Davis, who finished with a game-high 30 points. Mason Peatling led the Eagles with 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Jesse Hunt chipped in 12 points and five boards, and Tyler Kidd came off the bench to spark the Eagles with 10 points and four assists. Eastern had carved out an early 11-10 lead with 13:41 left in the first half. But EWU was out-scored 35-15 the rest of the half, including a 23-7 run by UNC in the final seven minutes to give UNC a 45-26 advantage at intermission. The Eagles were out-shot 52.1 percent to 39.3 percent. The Bears made 9-of-24 3-point attempts for 37.5 percent, compared to a 4-of-13 performance by the Eagles at 30.8 percent. Eastern out-rebounded UNC by one (32-31) and had one more turnover as well (13-12).
 
 
 
 

Schedule Notes

 
 
No. 2 Gonzaga Was Highest-Ranked Team Eagles Have Ever Faced
 
Eastern faced the highest-ranked opponent in school history when the Eagles lost 112-77 at second-ranked Gonzaga on Dec. 21. After an 84-80 road win at Arizona on Dec. 14, the Bulldogs had moved up to second in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls announced on Dec. 16. Eastern, which is now 1-28 all-time versus nationally-ranked opponents, faced No. 3 Kansas in 2007 and No. 3 Oklahoma State in 2004 (NCAA Tournament), losing those games 85-47 and 75-56, respectively.
 
Gonzaga was the second ranked team Eastern played in five-game stretch, having fallen to No. 22/23 Washington 90-80 on Dec. 4 in Seattle. Washington dropped out of the AP poll and was ranked 25th by the coaches the week after falling 83-76 to Gonzaga on Dec. 8. In the Dec. 16 poll, Washington was 22nd in both.
 
Games in the 2019-20 season versus Oregon and Syracuse were Eastern's 27th and 26th games versus ranked opponents, and EWU is now 1-27 after losing at Washington 90-80 on Dec. 4. Eastern head coach Shantay Legans remembers well the only time the Eagles defeated a ranked opponent back in 2001. He was in Haas Pavilion that night on Nov. 15, 2001, when Eastern beat 10th-ranked St. Joseph's 68-67 at the BCA Classic in Berkeley, Calif. The next night, Eastern lost to 56-27 to host Cal, whose starting point guard was Legans. He had five points, an assist and a rebound in 20 minutes of action versus EWU.
 
In the 2014-15 season Eastern lost 77-68 to No. 22 SMU on Nov. 22, 2014; 81-77 to No. 17 Washington on Dec. 14, 2014; and then 84-74 to No. 22 Georgetown on March 19, 2015. Before that, EWU lost 82-65 to No. 15 Connecticut on Dec. 28, 2013, and 77-69 on Nov. 11, 2011, to a Gonzaga team ranked 23rd in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches' polls. The Gonzaga game was the head coaching debut at Eastern for Jim Hayford.
 
Eastern lost to Washington 98-72 on Nov. 16, 2010, and 86-57 to Gonzaga on Nov. 30, 2010, in EWU's other recent games against nationally-ranked teams. Washington was ranked 17th by Associated Press and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, and Gonzaga was 24th by the coaches.
 
In the 2009-10 season, the Eagles fell 94-52 to Gonzaga on Dec. 28, 2009. The Bulldogs were ranked 22nd by ESPN/USA Today, but were just out of the top 25 at No. 26 by Associated Press. The 2008-09 season was the first time since 2002-03 that Eastern did not play a nationally-ranked team. The Eagles played 12 such games in the five seasons before that.
 
Eastern's list versus nationally-ranked teams includes three games in the 2004-05 season alone as well as three the year before. Seven of the games came under former head coach Mike Burns and five others came under Ray Giacoletti from 2000-2004.

12/21/19 vs. #2 Gonzaga – L, 77-112
12/4/19 vs. #22/23 Washington – L, 80-90
11/9/18 vs. #14 Oregon – L, 47-81
11/6/18 vs. #16 Syracuse – L, 34-66
12/20/16 vs. #17 Xavier – L, 56-85
11/17/16 vs. #21 Texas – L, 52-85
3/19/15 vs. #22 Georgetown – L, 74-84
12/14/14 vs. #17 Washington – L, 77-81
11/22/14 vs. #22 SMU – L, 68-77
12/28/13 vs. #15 Connecticut  – L,65-82
11/11/11 vs. #23 Gonzaga – L, 69-77
11/30/10 vs. #24 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 57-86
11/16/10 vs. #17 Washington - L, 72-98
12/28/09 vs. #22 (ESPN/USA Today) Gonzaga - L, 52-94
12/5/07 vs. #3 Kansas - L, 47-85
11/9/07 vs. #10 Washington State - L, 41-68
12/15/06 vs. #22 Oregon - L, 74-100
11/24/06 vs. #16 Washington - L, 83-90
12/19/05 vs. #8 Gonzaga - L, 65-75
12/16/05 vs. #11 Washington - L, 74-91
12/28/04 vs. #14 Arizona - L, 45-79
12/21/04 vs. #13 Gonzaga - L, 70-83
12/5/04 vs. #14 Washington - L, 56-89
3/19/04 vs. #3 Oklahoma State - L, 56-75
12/31/03 vs. #16 Gonzaga - L, 49-70
11/21/03 vs. #14 Oklahoma - L, 59-69
11/15/01 vs. #10 St. Joseph's - W, 68-67
11/25/00 vs. #4 Michigan State - L, 61-83
1/21/85 vs. #10 DePaul - L, 50-72
 
 
Eagles Face Eight Different Leagues in 2019-20 Season
 
In all, Eastern faces nine non-conference foes from eight different NCAA Division I leagues who combined for a 191-108 record (.666) a year ago, and were a collective 96-56 (.632) in their respective leagues.
 
Eastern picked up a win at Seattle University in its opener on Nov. 9, helping EWU improve to 19-16 all-time versus current teams in the Western Athletic Conference (12-13 since EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season). Versus Seattle, Eastern is 16-11 overall and 9-8 as a DI member.
 
Following an 80-62 loss at Saint Louis, the Eagles are now 1-2 all-time versus the Billikens, and are 2-3 against teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference – all with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
The Eagles lost at Boston College on Nov. 20 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and just the fourth ever against a current team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (all as DI member). Eastern lost to Pitt, Virginia Tech and Syracuse (just last season in 2019) in those other three games.
 
Eastern followed that by playing its first-ever meetings against High Point and Belmont, with EWU now owning a 2-0 all-time record versus current Big South Conference members after a 90-74 win over the Panthers. A 75-61 win over Winthrop on Nov. 16, 2002, was EWU's other win over a Big South opponent. After beating Belmont 87-82, the Eagles are 4-5 versus the Ohio Valley Conference (4-3 as a DI member).The last meeting versus an OVC member was on Nov. 22, 2017, when Eastern beat Eastern Kentucky 83-62 in the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas, Nevada (Eastern finished 3rd in the Middleweight Bracket).
 
The University of Washington of the Pac-12 Conference was EWU's next opponent, and the Eagles are now 1-16 all-time versus the Huskies with a 12-game losing streak after the 90-80 loss. Eastern hasn't beaten them since Dec. 14, 2002, and is 13-88 all-time versus the Pac-12 (3-46 as a member of DI). Eastern snapped a 21-game losing streak versus the Pac-12 with a 67-61 victory at Stanford on Nov. 14, 2017.
 
Former Big Sky member North Dakota was next, and EWU is now 6-7 all-time against the Fighting Hawks (4-6 as DI member) after a 98-82 triumph. That game, as well as EWU's first-ever meeting against Omaha on Dec. 17, is now part of the Big Sky Conference Versus Summit League Challenge Series.  Eastern won that contest 97-56, and is now 12-16 all-time versus that league, with all but two (the first two meetings versus UND) coming with EWU as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
Eastern concluded its non-conference schedule with a 112-77 loss against Gonzaga, a powerhouse team ranked second in NCAA Division I at the time. Eastern is now 52-82 against all-time (5-35 since EWU moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season). The Eagles have lost the last 25 meetings in the series dating back to the last Eagle victory on Jan. 8, 1990 by a 70-55 score at GU. The last time the two teams played came on Nov. 11, 2011, and Eastern fell to the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs 77-69 in the first game of the EWU coaching career of Jim Hayford. Eastern is now 75-115 all-time versus current members of the West Coast Conference, including a 23-64 mark since moving to Division I.
 
 
Eastern in Second Year of Four-Year Big Sky Versus Summit League Challenge Series
 
Members of the Big Sky Conference and Summit League have agreed to a four-year men's basketball series involving four teams from each league, which began during the 2018-19 season.
 
Each school will play one home game and road contest against separate schools from the other league during each of the four seasons. Big Sky schools participating are Eastern, Montana State, Montana and Idaho. The Summit is represented by North Dakota State, North Dakota, Omaha and South Dakota State. North Dakota's final year of membership in the Big Sky was in 2017-18 before moving to the Summit League, but the Eagles are still playing the Fighting Hawks again as part of the four-year rivalry series between the two leagues.
 
So far, EWU is 2-2 in the series, losing on the road at North Dakota State (74-67) and at home versus South Dakota State (74-64) a year ago, then beating North Dakota 98-82 on Dec. 8, 2019, and Omaha 97-56 on Dec. 17, 2019, in a pair of home games the following season. The Big Sky was 4-4 in the eight games played in the challenge series last season and finished 4-4 again in 2019-20.
 
2019-20 (Big Sky 4-4 versus Summit) -- North Dakota State 70, at Idaho 53 (Nov. 26), at Montana State 77, South Dakota State 70 (Dec. 5), at Montana 77, North Dakota 70 (Dec. 6), at Eastern Washington 98, North Dakota 82 (Dec. 8), at North Dakota State 79, Montana State 65 (Dec. 16), at Eastern Washington 97, Omaha 56 (Dec. 17), at Omaha 87, Montana 82 in overtime (Dec. 21), at South Dakota State 85, Idaho 57 (Dec. 21).
 
2018-19 (Big Sky 4-4 versus Summit) -- at North Dakota State 74, Eastern Washington 67; South Dakota State 74, at Eastern Washington 64; at Montana State 81, North Dakota 76, at Omaha 89, Montana State 65; Montana 85, at South Dakota State 74, at Montana 60, North Dakota State 53; Omaha 89, at Idaho 80, Idaho 67, at North Dakota 54.
 
2020-21 -- North Dakota State at Eastern Washington, Eastern Washington at South Dakota State, Montana State at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana State, South Dakota State at Montana, Montana at North Dakota State, Idaho at Omaha, North Dakota at Idaho.
 
2021-22 -- Eastern Washington at Omaha, Eastern Washington at North Dakota, Montana State at South Dakota State, North Dakota State at Montana State, South Dakota State at Idaho, Idaho at North Dakota State, Montana at North Dakota, Omaha at Montana.
 
 
More on the Gotham Classic
 
Eastern played four games in November – including a home game against Belmont (an 87-82 Eagle win) -- as part of the Gotham Classic, which is presented by the Gazelle Group. More information on the event is available at: http://www.gazellegroup.com/main/gotham.
 
Besides EWU and Belmont, other teams include Saint Louis, Boston College and High Point. The Eagles appeared in the 2015 Gotham Classic, and in recent years have participated in several other events hosted by the Gazelle Group.
 
Eastern's four games in the tournament are highlighted by a home game versus Belmont on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Located in Nashville, Tenn., the Bruins finished 27-6 a year ago and received an at-large bid as a No. 11 seed to the NCAA Tournament. Belmont beat Temple 81-70 in the "First Four" and then fell to Maryland 79-77 in the first round.
 
As part of the Gotham Classic, EWU also played at Saint Louis on Nov. 13, Boston College on Nov. 20 and High Point on Nov. 23 in games that took the Eagles to Missouri, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Eastern beat High Point (90-74), but fell to Saint Louis (82-60) and BC (72-68).
 
Highlighting the Gotham Classic was a Nov. 27 matchup between Boston College and Saint Louis in Chestnut Hill, Mass., which was won by SLU 64-54. In the 2018 Gotham Classic, Notre Dame defeated Duquesne, 67-56, in the Showcase Game.
 
Schedule of Games
(Records: Saint Louis 4-0, EWU 2-2, Belmont 2-2, Boston College 2-2, High Point 0-4)
Nov. 13 – at Boston College 53, High Point 33
Nov. 13 – at Saint Louis 80, Eastern Washington 62
Nov. 16 – Belmont 100, at Boston College 85
Nov. 18 – at Belmont 90, High Point 51
Nov. 20 – at Boston College 72, Eastern Washington 68
Nov. 20 – at Saint Louis 67, High Point 55
Nov. 23 – at Saint Louis 60, Belmont 55
Nov. 23 – Eastern Washington 90, at High Point 74
Nov. 26 –at Eastern Washington 87, Belmont 82
Nov. 27 – Saint Louis 64, at Boston College 54
 
First played in 2012, the Gotham Classic features five teams from across the country in one of the most competitive events of its kind. In eight short years, the tournament has attracted the likes of Syracuse, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Louisville, Memphis, Davidson, Pittsburgh, NC State, and West Virginia, among a host of other prominent programs.
 
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Eastern Comes Alive in Second Half to Beat Montana State 71-58
 
The Eagles hit nine of their last 18 shots and then scored 11 points at the free throw line in the final 2:54 to beat Montana State 71-58 Jan. 18 at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Mont. Junior Jacob Davison paced the Eagles with 26 points and also had five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Senior Mason Peatling had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore Tanner Groves had 11 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. had only three free throws after an 0-of-7 shooting performance, but did finish with 13 rebounds, five steals and four assists. Groves hit all four of his shots, and freshman redshirt Casson Rouse came off the bench to score four points for EWU. True freshman Ellis Magnuson scored four points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the free throw line, and also added four assists. Peatling had his fourth double-double of the season and 12th of his career in the victory, as EWU out-rebounded MSU 41-40. Eastern had a 22-18 advantage in the second half and is now 5-0 this season when it out-rebounds its opponent. Eastern was shooting at a 33 percent clip early in the second half and was down by four, but used a 12-2 run over a six-minute stretch to take a 48-42 lead. Soon after that and leading by two, the Eagles scored 11 unanswered points and went up 59-46 at the 5:11 mark. Three-point baskets by Davison and Groves sparked the big run, and Groves also added two more baskets. His short jumper with 5:11 left was the last field goal the Eagles attempted until Davison missed with 18 seconds left when the game was in hand.  By allowing only 58 points, Eastern had its second-best defensive effort of the season against a NCAA Division I opponent this season (third overall). The Bobcats were held to 37 percent shooting, including just 23 percent from the 3-point stripe (4-of-17). Eastern used an early 9-0 to open an early 9-2 advantage. The Eagles led 18-6 and led the entire half until the 2:23 mark when MSU took the lead. But two baskets down the stretch by Peatling gave EWU a 34-30 halftime lead and EWU led by for 17:37 out of 20 minutes. Eastern hit six of its first nine shots from the field, but suffered through a 3-of-18 shooting stretch, including a string of seven-straight misses. EWU sank 38 percent of its shots in the first half, including just 4-of-14 on 3-pointers, but also held MSU to 39.3 percent shooting.
 
 
Eagles Come Up Big Late in 78-75 Win Over Vandals
 
In a game that featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes – most of them coming in the second half – Eastern survived to beat Idaho 78-75 in a Big Sky Conference game on Dec. 16 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. Eastern's Kim Aiken Jr., Ellis Magnuson and Jacob Davison combined for 53 points, but it was a 3-pointer by junior Jack Perry on a pass from Magnuson with 10.4 seconds remaining that finally gave EWU the lead for good. Eastern closed out the scoring with free throws by Aiken Jr. and Davison in the final four seconds, Davison's after a steal that all but clinched the win. Aiken Jr. had 18 points, eight rebounds and a team-leading six assists, and the sophomore scored 12 of his points in the second half. Magnuson, a true freshman from Boise, Idaho, had 11 of his season-high 16 points in the second half. Davison, a junior, scored nine in the first half and eight in the second half to finish with 17 points and three steals. Senior Mason Peatling chipped in nine points and four rebounds for the Eagles, but foul trouble limited him to just 24 minutes of action. Perry finished with seven points, four assists and three boards, and redshirt freshman Casson Rouse came off the bench to add two each of steals, assists and rebounds. Sophomore Tanner Groves scored six points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Bot Davison and Aiken Jr. were 6-of-13 from the field, but the biggest difference was Aiken's five 3-pointers made on 11 attempts. Magnuson had three and Davison two as EWU finished with 12 – its most since finishing with 13 against Omaha on Dec. 17. Eastern jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead and led by as many as nine in the first half at 15-6. Eastern shot at an early 58 percent clip, but went cold and let the Vandals go on a run. Idaho eventually led 26-22 before EWU regained a 35-31 advantage at intermission. Eastern went on a run in the second half, and a pair of 3-pointers by Magnuson gave EWU its biggest lead of the night at 49-39 with 13:36 to play. But the Eagles went nearly six minutes without a field goal, and a 12-0 Idaho run gave the Vandals a short-lived 51-49 lead. Aiken hit 3-pointers at the 7:43 and 6:08 marks to give EWU a 59-55 lead. But Idaho rallied again and then the two squads traded punches. There were eight ties and six lead changes in the second half alone.
 
 
 
 

Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Montana State Victory: "This says a lot about the basketball team we have. Kim (Aiken Jr.) didn't make a field goal, but we still won on the road by 13. That is a sign of a good basketball club and a tough team. One thing that always travels is your defense. We did a good job of defending Harald Frey, and forced him into five turnovers. We gave them some issues and problems with some of our match-ups. You can shoot bad or miss some shots and still win. We didn't shoot the ball great, but we did what we needed to do to win."
 
On Shooting at MSU:  "We had so many open looks for us from the 3-point line. Those are going to start dropping. We are a really good shooting team and we had a lot of great looks and unselfish passing. I'm proud of the team."
 
On Aiken at MSU: "Kim is unbelievable, and that's what we ask of him. We always want him to play hard. He does everything for our team. He was 0-of-7 shooting, but he goes on the defensive end and gets every loose ball – his 13 rebounds and five steals were amazing tonight."
 
On Groves & Inside Presence at MSU: "Tanner made all his shots and played such a good game. He's playing behind an all-league big man in Mason Peatling. Between them, they were 10-of-14, and Tanner hit a huge 3-pointer to put us up by six. You put their stats together and that's a real two-headed monster inside the paint for us. They combined for 15 rebounds and three blocked shots, and changed a lot of things at the rim."
 
On Idaho Victory: "We battled and we didn't give up. We lost on the boards by 10 and you can't do that – especially on the road. But we made big plays and made big shots. We made 12 3-pointers and shot the ball pretty well. We got it inside and moved the ball around, and finished with 19 assists. When we played that way we were playing pretty good."
 
On Contributions: "I'm proud of our team. We went back-and-forth, we got up by 10 and lost the lead, and Mason was battling with four fouls again. We have to figure those things out, but our guys just stepped up. Casson Rouse came in and provided a spark – he was terrific. He only scored five points, but he did some things defensively that really helped us tonight, including two steals. Jacob Groves played big, Tanner Groves played good and Ellis had one of his better games scoring. You can go down the list. We want to make sure we tell our guys how good they played after the performance we had last Thursday against Montana. To win a game on the road is huge, so we got one back."
 
On Jack Perry's Big 3-Pointer at UI: "Jack Perry has made every big shot he's taken here pretty much. I trust Jack with everything. He's one of our stud players and he is literally a coach on the floor. I love him to shoot because he's one of our better shooters. He did things against Idaho that really helped us win."
 
On Health: "You want to get out of preseason unscathed. We did that for the most part, and our players were smart in their recovery from games. We kept players healthy, and our athletic trainer (Hailey Haukeli) did a great job of getting them through sickness and some bumps and bruises. We have to give her 100 percent of the credit for keeping them going."
 
On Preseason: "All of our losses came away from our house, and came against some really, really good teams. We can look back on that and tell our team that they are pretty good."
 
On Mason Peatling & Multmomah Win: "Mason had a great game and it was fun to watch him play. Our guys were smart and got him touches. We have such an unselfish team – we had 39 assists against Multnomah – and we have players who put other people ahead of themselves. A lot of guys could have done that, but it was Mason's night. There were guys guarding him that weren't big enough. Our team did a great job, and it makes you proud as a coach to see them extremely happy for a teammate to be able to do something like that."
 
On Tanner Groves: "We want him to play that tough, go to the rim and dunk the ball. He makes us better when he plays that way. Tanner is going to be one of the best big men in this conference – he's unbelievable inside, outside, shooting touch, defense and athleticism. He's going to be a player the bigger schools are going to say 'how does Eastern have a player like that.' He has a chance to be one of the best players to come out of this league – he has that type of game."
 
On Jacob Davison Versus North Dakota: "He did a great job, but it was all in the flow of the offense. We weren't doing anything different for him. The way they were defending is what got him those baskets. A lot of times teams have to pick their poison with us. He's such a talented scorer and does so many things on offense which makes him hard to guard. He can drive, he can hit the mid-range jump shot and he shoots the three well."
 
On Belmont Victory: "Our team came in and took advantage of our opportunity to play a team like that here at home. Belmont is a very well-coached team and a good basketball club. But it was our night – we played well and we played hard. We followed the game plan to a tee. We did a good job and our assistant coaches did a remarkable job of getting our team prepared. We came out with a win in front of a good crowd during a holiday week. We appreciate them coming out and the atmosphere was awesome. The last minute was surreal – it was loud in here, jumpin' and fun. It was a team effort."
 
On Ellis Magnuson: "He's a very good basketball player, and he is going to be very good for us down the road. He was great for us against High Point. He is an extremely hard worker -- he gets in the gym every morning and every night. He and Kim Aiken are always getting into the gym, and you always like to see those guys that work hard to see it pay off. He's a freshman point guard, and I believe that is the hardest position, especially playing for me. I'm really hard on point guards. Anyone who's been around me knows that the big guys can mess up, but the point guards have to be really good and mentally tough. He is a very mentally tough kid, and he will be a great player. He's going to break a lot of records here and had eight assists. He might have had more if guys didn't miss some shots. He sees the floor well."
 
On Davison & Aiken: "Those two players are very dynamic offensive players – they are both good shooters. They are going to get their shooting percentages up – it's early in the season. They will figure out where they are going to get their shots, and as we move forward for the season it's going to be good for those two guys and Mason too.
 
On Effort at Seattle: "If you don't get efforts like that you don't win games. This win was huge and it was a long time coming. It was well-deserved by our team – we were playing our first road game and this team is healthy. We rebounded the ball in the second half which is important, and we limited them at the 3-point line. It's an exciting time. We are so happy to play the way we did. If Eagle Nation watched this game they would be proud of this team, and the fight we will give every single night."