­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (9-5/2-1 Big Sky) Thursday, Jan. 9 – Montana – 6:05 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16 – at Idaho – 7:30 p.m. (approx.) 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:	Montana game on Jan. 9 will be available regionally on SWX.
­­­Webcast:	Fans can also watch the broadcast via Pluto TV channel 534 for EWU games (542 for game at Idaho) or via https://bigskyconf.com/sports/2015/11/19/WatchBigSky.aspx
Live Stats:	EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com Click Here for live stats at Idaho
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6 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.

Since last March, the clamoring for the rematch has been high.
 
The Eastern Washington University men's basketball team hosts Montana at 6:05 p.m. Pacific time Thursday (Jan. 9) in the anticipated match-up of the two Big Sky Conference favorites and the participants in the last two league tournament championship games.
 
The Montana game will be televised regionally by 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.
 
Montana is the two-time defending Big Sky Conference champion, and EWU has missed out on NCAA Tournament berths by falling to the Grizzlies in both the 2018 (82-65) and 2019 (68-62) championship games of the league tournament. Both EWU and UM are the preseason picks to win the league title in the 2019-20 season – Eastern by the coaches and Montana by the media.
 
The Grizzlies sit atop the league standings with a 3-1 league mark, while Eastern joins Northern Colorado, Southern Utah and Idaho State at 2-1. Thursday's winner is assured of staying atop the standings, with Eastern putting its perfect 6-0 home record on the line versus UM. The home team has won 15 of 18 league games thus far.
 
­­­"It's going to be a heckuva game," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "It's our first game with our students back, and it will be a lot of fun. We need this win and want to beat Montana. We have a sour taste in our mouth from last year and the year before. Every game means something, but we are playing the team that kept us from the NCAA Tournament the last two years.
 
"We are going to be amped up," he added. "The guys might be a little tight and I might be a little tight, but the atmosphere is going to be awesome."
 
The Grizzlies opened the league season with home victories versus Northern Arizona (79-72) and Sacramento State (52-50), then edged Southern Utah (60-58) on the road before falling at Northern Colorado (74-66). Montana is now 7-8 overall.
 
Senior guard Sayeed Pridgett for UM was last week's Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Ready Nutrition Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in UM's home sweep, including a double-double of 27 points and 10 boards against NAU. He followed that with 16 points at eight boards at SUU, and 15 points at UNC. For the season, he leads UM with averages of 19.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Teammate Kendal Manuel is averaging 14.3 points, and had 30 points, six rebounds and three steals at Northern Colorado.
 
"Pridgett is a really good player, and we'll have to try to shut him down," said Legans. "But they have other players besides Pridgett too. He can shoot it and he can handle it – he reminds me a lot of Bogdan Bliznyuk. He has guys around him that understand their roles. When you have a player like that you can win a ballgame, and it doesn't matter who you play against. I feel that same way with our three-headed monster of Mason, Jacob and Kim. Montana has experience and a very good coach, and that will make it a fun challenge."
 
Eastern, meanwhile, is coming off a 71-69 home victory over Portland State. Eastern beat Weber State 79-77 in its Big Sky opener, then the Eagles dropped a 75-69 decision at Idaho State in which EWU's inconsistent shooting kept them from garnering a lead in the last 27 1/2 minutes.
 
 
The Eagles finished their non-conference schedule 7-4, a .636 winning percentage second only in EWU's 37-year NCAA Division I history to the 9-4 record (69.2 percent) by EWU's NCAA Tournament team in 2014-15.
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
Eagles Third in NCAA Division I in Scoring
 
Eastern is now averaging 85.9 points per game to rank third in NCAA Division I in scoring, with Gonzaga leading at 87.5 per game. The Eagles also rank fifth in assists (18.1 per game) through games of Jan. 5, and are averaging 9.6 made 3-point field goals per game to rank 31st nationally and second in the Big Sky (Northern Colorado averages 10.3). Eastern is 17th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.36 per game), 52nd in scoring margin of (+10.9 per game), 42nd in rebounds (40.0), 43rd in defensive rebounds (28.4), 41st in field goal percentage (.473), 58th in turnover margin (+2.6) and 59th in steals (8.2).
 
Individually, sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. is second in NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (9.3) and eighth in rebounding overall (11.1). He leads the Big Sky in both categories, and is also seventh in the nation with nine double-doubles. Junior Jacob Davison is 83rd nationally and fifth in the Big Sky in scoring (17.6) and third in the league and 71st in the nation in steals (1.93). True freshman Ellis Magnuson is 25th in the nation in assists (5.9 to lead the Big Sky) and is 20th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.77 per game to rank first in the league). Davison, Aiken and Mason Peatling all rank in the top 10 in the Big Sky in scoring, with Aiken averaging 16.4 (seventh) and Peatling at 15.4 (10th).
 
 
Trio of Eagles Averaging in Double Figures
 
The Eagles thus far are 6-0 at home and 3-5 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., who is coming off a 15-point, 15-rebound performance against Portland State. He is averaging 16.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. 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 44-game career (25 as a starter), he is averaging 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds with 13 career double-doubles (9-4 record).
 
Leading EWU in scoring with an 17.6 average is junior Jacob Davison, who is coming off a 26-point performance in a win over Portland State to give him five 20-point performances this season and 14 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. In his now 70-game career (40 as a starter), he's averaged 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals while sinking 46.6 percent of his shots from the field, 34.4 percent from the 3-point stripe (77-of-224) and 78.6 percent of his free throws.
 
Forward Mason Peatling, one of just two Eagle seniors on this year's team, is averaging 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks. He is coming off his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds against Portland State. 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 24-14 (15-9 last year, 9-5 this season). In his now 101-game career (79 as a starter), Peatling has averaged 9.2 points and 5.4 rebounds with a total of 105 assists, 69 steals and 84 blocks to rank sixth in school history (three from fifth). He now has 11 double-doubles in his career with a record of 10-1.
 
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 4.8 points and 1.9 assists. He is currently just off EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 38.6 percent (98-of-254). 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 76 total games as an Eagle (44 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 14 EWU games at point guard and has averaged 5.9 assists and 5.9 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 a season-high 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.
 
Redshirt freshman Casson Rouse has chipped in 5.6 points while making 16-of-44 3-pointers (36.4 percent), and sophomore Tanner Groves has come off the bench to average 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.7 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 42-game career (three as a starter) he's averaged 4.2 points, 2.7 boards and has 28 blocks. His brother, true freshman Jacob Groves, is averaging 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in the 10 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 6.1 points and 1.3 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 43-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)
 
 
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 24-14 (15-9 last year, 9-5 this season) heading into EWU's game at Idaho State on Dec. 30.
 
 
After 39-Point Outburst, Davison is Big Sky Player of the Week
 
If you pick the wrong poison against EWU, Jacob Davison can score points virtually at will. 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.
 
 
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

 
* Eastern is 23-53 against the Grizzlies since becoming a member of NCAA Division I in 1983-84, including a 10-28 record in Missoula, 13-21 in Cheney and 0-4 on neutral courts. Montana leads the overall series 69-44. The Eagles triumphed the previous two times they played the Griz in Cheney, and have still won three of the last five meetings in Missoula. Until winning 75-69 on Feb. 4, 2015, the Eagles had lost their last 12 meetings in Missoula, dating back to a 71-52 Eagle win on Feb. 7, 2004. The Eagles would also beat the Grizzlies on their home floor in the 2015 Big Sky Championship game, giving the Eagles a berth in the NCAA Tournament. EWU is 1-6 versus the Griz in the Big Sky Tournament. Besides the 2015 victory, Eastern has also lost to the Grizzlies in the 2018 (82-65) and 2019 (68-62) title games. The Eagles lost 74-66 to UM in the 2012 semifinals in Missoula; 73-71 in overtime in the 2006 semifinals in Flagstaff, Ariz.; 58-48 in the 2005 quarterfinals; and 70-66 in the 2002 championship in Bozeman.
 
* Last year in Boise, the late-season 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 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.
 
* Last season in Cheney, six Eagles scored or rebounded in double figures to lift Eastern past preseason Big Sky Conference favorite Montana 78-71 on Jan. 10, 2019, at Reese Court.  A 20-3 run on perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the line spanning halftime helped the Eagles overcome an early 11-point deficit and take a 10-point. Eastern had a season-best shooting night by making 52.9 percent of its 3-pointers (9-of-17) and 48.0 percent overall. Mason Peatling paced the Eagles with 17 points in just 20 minutes of action because of foul trouble, with Tyler Kidd making his first start as an Eagle and finishing with 13 points, five assists and four rebounds. Jacob Davison had 11 points and senior Jesse Hunt had a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with eight points. Jack Perry came off the bench to hit all four of his shots to finish with a season-high 12, and Kim Aiken Jr. had a career-high 10, also off the bench. Eastern finished with a 26-9 advantage in points off the bench. Montana led for the first 15 1/2 minutes, and took a comfortable 28-17 advantage with 4:28 left in the half. But Eastern went on a monster 15-1 run to lead 32-29 at intermission. Five players scored in the run, including four by Peatling, three by Perry, four free throws by Kidd and a pair by Aiken, with Hunt closing the half with a bucket. The Eagles then scored five of the first seven points in the second half – coming on a three-point play by Peatling and a fastbreak layin by Davison -- to complete the 20-3 run, The Grizzlies had just one field goal in a 6:22 span, going 1-of-6 from the field while EWU made all six of its shots from the field and all six of its free throws. Eastern's lead ballooned to 10 on a 3-pointer by Aikin with 10:32 to play. Eastern then stayed steady by making 52 percent of its shots overall and 5-of-9 3-pointers in the second half, as well as 13-of-17 free throws for 76.5 percent.
 
* Last season in Missoula, Cold stretches helped dig double-digit deficits in each half for the Eagles, but they rallied late to knot the score three times before falling to preseason Big Sky Conference favorite Montana 75-74 Feb. 9, 2019, at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont. Jacob Davison led the Eagles with 23 points for his sixth 20-point performance in his last seven games, but he missed a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds. Eastern was trying to take its first lead since the opening three minutes of the contest, as Montana led for 36:03 out of 40 minutes. Davison's miss ended a stretch in which EWU made six-straight shots, helping the Eagles finish at 46.4 percent for the game compared to 47.2 percent for the Grizzlies. Eastern made 59 percent of its shots in the second half, but it was the first time in nine games this season in which EWU made 45 percent or better and lost. Returning to Dahlberg Arena where EWU had won five of its last six games, Jesse Hunt had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Mason Peatling added 16 and seven boards before fouling out. The loss closed a stretch of four games in eight days for the Eagles, who had stretches of eight minutes in the first half and four minutes in the second half without a field goal to fall behind by a dozen in the first half and 13 in the second half. The Eagles used a 12-2 run late in the game to knot the score at 68, with Peatling contributing six of EWU's points and three other Eagles scoring. The Eagles tied it at 70 with 2:03 left, 72 with 1:25 remaining and 74 at the :53 mark, and Michael Oguine scored the winning points with a free throw with 29 seconds to play. Eastern missed eight-straight shots and went six minutes without a basket in the first half, and that helped Montana open a 12-point lead late in the period. Baskets by Davison and Ty Gibson helped cut into the lead, but Eastern was out-shot 45 percent to 33 percent and ended up trailing 38-31 at halftime. A 6-0 run by the Eagles in the second half on baskets by Hunt, Davison and Peatling helped cut Montana's lead to five on a pair of occasions, but EWU had a nearly four minute stretch in which it couldn't make a field goal, and had three turnovers in that stretch to boot. That surge gave UM a 59-46 lead with 11:05 to play. The Grizzlies – the defending regular season and tournament champions and the preseason favorite to win again– got a measure of revenge after falling to EWU 78-71 in Cheney on Jan. 10. Montana extended its winning streak to seven since then to rise to 10-2 and to the top of the league standings.

 
 

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

 
Eagles Surge Past Portland State for 71-69 Win
 
Eastern got untracked in the second half and improved to 6-0 at home when it beat Portland State 71-69 in a Big Sky Conference game Jan. 4 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.  The Eagles used a frenetic 13-5 run in the final nine minutes to take the lead for good and overcome PSU's final advantage of the game. Eastern led by as many as 10 with 2:09 to play in a battle of teams averaging a combined 165 points per game. Junior Jacob Davison paced the Eagles with 26 points, with senior Mason Peatling and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. each contributing double-doubles. Peatling finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots, and Aiken had 15 points and rebounds to go along with four assists. The Eagles finished the game shooting at 49 percent, making 11 of their last 16 shots (69 percent) after a 19-of-45 start (42 percent). Portland State, the NCAA Division I leader in offensive rebounds, finished with 12 but had just a 10-9 advantage in second-chance points. Eastern led in points in the paint 46-30 and fast-break points 21-9. Eastern had a 41-38 rebounding advantage and held PSU to 39 percent shooting in the game. However, EWU made just 5-of-25 3-pointers (20.0 percent), compared to 25-of-36 (69 percent) inside the arc. After leading for only 45 seconds in the first half, EWU took the lead after intermission on a 3-pointer by Aiken and a basket by Davison. After PSU regained a five-point lead, the Eagles got hot. Eastern was down by two when the Eagles went on a 13-5 run, started by a basket by Peatling. Aiken had a 3-pointer and Davison hit a pair – including two fast-break dunks – to put EWU on top 63-57 with 5:29 to play. The Eagles made 6-of-7 shots in that stretch. The Eagles led by 10, but PSU battled back and took advantage of a pair of late Eagle turnovers and the missed front end of a one-plus-one bonus opportunity to have a chance to take the lead. But the Vikings missed a 3-point attempt and Peatling rebounded with three seconds left to secure the win.
 
 
Eastern Denied Road Sweep, Falling 75-69 at Idaho State
 
An off-shooting night kept Eastern from recording a road sweep as Big Sky Conference play continued with a 75-69 road loss at Idaho State on Dec. 30 at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho. The Bengals, ranked ninth in NCAA Division in 3-point field goal percentage defense, held the Eagles to 25 percent from the arc in the game (6-of-24). Overall, Eastern sank just 42 percent to 59 percent for ISU. Eastern's struggles extended to the free throw line where they were just 9-of-17 for 53 percent. The Eagle trio of senior Mason Peatling, junior Jacob Davison and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. combined for 53 of Eastern's points, with junior Jack Perry chipping in 10. Aiken had his eighth double-double of the season and 11th of his career with 20 points and 10 boards, and Peatling finished with 19 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Davison had 14 points and three assists. True freshman Ellis Magnuson led the Eagles with six assists, but he was just 1-of-9 overall and 0-of-3 from the 3-point arc to finish with four points. Aiken hit 4-of-9 shots from the 3-point line, but was just 7-of-17 overall. Davison missed all four of his 3-point attempts and Peatling missed both of his, as well as five of 11 free throws. Peatling was 9-of-11 inside the arc and Davison was 6-of-12. Eastern was out-rebounded 37-30, and despite having a 20-9 advantage in turnovers forced, held only a 16-14 lead on points off turnovers. Idaho State took the lead for good with 7:43 left in the first half, and scored seven points in the final 42 seconds of the game to preserve the win. Eastern pulled within two on several occasions in the second half, but couldn't ever regain a lead and record a road sweep for the second year in a row at ISU and Weber State. The Eagles led 20-14 on a dunk by Davison with 11:20 to play in the first half, but EWU wouldn't score again for 6:27 and fell behind 24-20 after a 10-0 Idaho State run. Eastern was within two late in the half, but the Bengals sank three baskets in the last 2:08 and took a 37-30 halftime advantage. Idaho State out-shot Eastern 50 percent to 40 percent as the Eagles made just three of its last 14 shots, and sank just 3-of-10 3-pointers in the half. The Eagles continued to struggle in the second half, but eventually pulled within 41-39 on a rebound basket by Peatling. But EWU once again had a draught, going 5:48 without a field goal and just over five minutes without a point as ISU surged ahead by five, and eventually took its biggest lead of the game at 60-51 with 4:46 left. A four-point play by Perry with 2:23 left pulled EWU within 64-61 and a basket by Davison cut the lead to 68-66 with 47 seconds remaining. But ISU followed with a 3-pointer and two free throws to thwart the comeback. Idaho State snapped EWU's five-game winning streak in the series, and a four-game streak in Pocatello. The last time EWU has lost to the Bengals was on March 3, 2016, by a 75-71 score in Cheney. A year ago, Eastern managed to end the season with a road sweep over the Wildcats (80-77) and Bengals (91-62), and now, oddly enough, EWU opened the 2019-20 league season on the road against those same two teams.
 
 
Eagles Survive to Beat Wildcats 79-77 as Big Sky Play Begins
 
A trio of clutch 3-pointers late in the game, plus two free throws with 18 seconds to play, helped the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team begin Big Sky Conference play with a 79-77 victory at Weber State on Saturday (Dec. 28) at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. Eastern led by as many as 16 points in the second half, then rode sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. down the stretch to enter league play with a victory after registering the second-best preseason in EWU's 37-year history in NCAA Division I. Eastern won for the third-straight time in Ogden, and have triumphed in four of the last five meetings at the Dee Events Center. The Eagles had won just four previous games in Ogden prior to this five-year stretch.
Aiken's two free throws with 18 seconds to play proved to be the winning points after the dust cleared. Three Eagles scored in double figures for the Eagles, including a key performance of 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals by true freshman Ellis Magnuson in his Big Sky Conference debut. Aiken finished with 22 points and seven rebounds, and senior Mason Peatling scored 12 with eight boards. True freshman Tyler Robertson came off the bench to hit a trio of 3-pointers and finished with a career-high nine points. Eastern was out-shot 50 percent to 44 percent in the game, but Eastern had a 10-5 advantage in 3-pointers made and 13-10 advantage in free throws. Junior Jacob Davison, EWU's leading scorer with an 18-0 average, fouled out after playing just 16 minutes. He had eight points and a pair of assists, with Tanner Groves coming off the bench to score six points and grab three rebounds. Casson Rouse also had five points off the bench, and Jack Perry made his first start of the season and scored five with three assists and a pair of steals in 38 minutes of action. Peatling also had three assists and a blocked shot. Eastern had a slow post-Christmas start and trailed early 9-0, but used its own 9-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. Eastern continued to add to the lead, and led 39-28 late in the half on a 3-pointer by Robertson. Eastern led 41-32 at intermission and led for the final 9:29 of the first half, and eventually the last 29:29 of the game. The Eagles then scored the first seven points of the second half and went up 48-32 on a steal and basket by Magnuson. But Weber State wasn't done, and used an 8-0 run to pull within four with 9:28 to play. But back-to-back baskets by Peatling stopped the bleeding, then Aiken hit clutch 3-pointers at the 5:38 and 4:17 marks to put EWU up 74-66. Yet another 3-pointer by Rouse at the 3:18 mark upped EWU's lead to 77-66. Weber State cut the lead to two before Aiken's free throws gave EWU a 79-75 lead. But he would miss the front end of two bonus free throw opportunities as Weber State cut the lead to two, but EWU was able to gain possession after his second miss with 1.6 ticks left and run out the clock.
 
 
 
 

Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Portland State Win: "As the games keep coming and we keep fighting, every game is going to be this way. Games are going to come down to important possessions, and the PSU game came down to one possession and we came out victorious. The league is going to be a lot of fun, and up and down like this one. We want to keep getting our players to understand what it takes to win these ballgames. I think we are getting there -- we are having a good season so far. But we have to do the things that win games, and making free throws is huge."
 
On Improvement: "You have to keep getting better every game, and learning lessons in each of them. There are always going to be some growing pains and learning pains. We have a really good ballclub, but there are things we have to learn and improve. That's called coaching and experience, and we have some great leaders."
 
On Road Split to Start League Season: "I love that we went 1-1 on the road, but that's not this team. We have a championship-caliber ball club. We are going to play that way from here on out – we are going to do a better job coaching, playing and preparing. We are going to come out and have a great practice on Wednesday when we get back. This is what can happen – you have to respect your opponent. Idaho State kicked us right in the teeth, and we have to be ready and prepared the next time."
 
On Weber State Win: "We have some players who have played a lot of games, so we have great leaders out there. They've been in these moments and we rely on those guys. Kim had a late turnover, but he went and made two free throws to win the game basically. That's huge for us and what we've been pushing towards, and we're excited for him. But it has been tough here. (Weber State's) Randy Rahe is a great coach – he's been coach of the year in this league and taken teams to multiple NCAA Tournaments. They'll be right there at the end."
 
On Gonzaga Loss: "It wasn't our day against Gonzaga. I wish we would have given them a fight for 40 minutes, but we gave a fight for 20 minutes. We can learn from that and push ourselves into the Big Sky Conference season with an effort like that. It didn't go the way we thought it would. The first half we didn't come out ready – we were excited but we were a little nervous and played a little tight. We had some uncharacteristic turnovers and some plays where we didn't make smart moves."
 
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 Omaha Win: "Pace of the game was the key and that is what we put on the white board in the locker room. We wanted to play fast and push the ball up the court to make sure they had to run back. As they game wore on they were getting tired. We have a smart basketball team and they are going to do what's best for our team. We have some great leaders out there and they played really well. Our assistant coaches had our team revved up and ready to go and there were no letdowns. They understood exactly how important this game was. We wanted to come out of it 7-3 and win every game at home during the non-conference schedule and we did that. That was an important thing for us to do."
 
On Running and Running: "I give a lot of credit to Omaha – they have been all over the country playing games. We've been down that road, and you don't want to give the road team life early. But you need to run them into the ground and go non-stop, then keep running and running. You would have thought one of our plays was 'run' because that's what we were yelling at our guys. We just had to get into their legs and they were tired. We did a really good job of exposing that."
 
On 7-3 Start: "Our guys are understanding what you need and are playing the game the right way. They are playing with passion and energy, and that makes it really easy to coach. Everybody is sticking with it and working to get better. The teammates, leadership and their involvement together is huge."
 
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 Washington Loss: "We're disappointed to lose to UW, but you just have to keep getting better. We competed – I thought it was a winnable game. We appreciate the hospitality of the University of Washington and got to play a great game, but I thought we left some points out there and had too many fouls. We have be smart, and make sure our guys know how important it is to have them stay on the court and not get into foul trouble too early."
 
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."