­­­­­­­Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (20-8/13-4 Big Sky) Saturday, Feb. 29 – at Northern Colorado – 6 p.m. Thursday, March 5 – Idaho State – 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
­­­Webcast:	Fans can also watch the broadcast via Pluto TV channel 534 for EWU home games (541 for Northern Colorado) or via https://bigskyconf.com/sports/2015/11/19/WatchBigSky.aspx
Live Stats:	EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com . . . Click Here for UNC Live Stats
Weekly Coaches Show:	The next show hosted by Larry Weir and featuring head coach Shantay Legans is scheduled for Monday, March 2 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.

The Eagles and Bears have finally hunted down the Grizzlies.
 
With a three-way tie at the top of the Big Sky Conference standings, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team plays its final league road game of the season when it plays at Northern Colorado Saturday (Feb. 29) in a showdown for first place and a rematch of an overtime contest in late January in Cheney.
 
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.
 
Tipoff Saturday in Greeley, Colo., is 6 p.m. Pacific time. Eastern defeated UNC 89-84 in overtime on Jan. 27 at Reese Court. Northern Colorado is coming off an easy 93-49 home victory over Idaho, and matches EWU's records of 20-8 overall and 13-4 in the Big Sky.
 
Meanwhile, the Eagles led most of the way in a 69-51 win at Southern Utah on Feb. 27 on the first leg of a challenging season-ending road trip. Eastern won for the 11th time in its last 13 games and hit the 20-victory mark for just the fifth time in EWU's 37-year history as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
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 16.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and the 6-foot-6 Hume is averaging 14.4 points, 4.8 boards, 1.3 assists, 1.0 blocked shots and 0.9 steals and per outing. A third guard, Trent Harris, is averaging 10.7 points.
 
In the home victory over Idaho in which the Bears led by as many as 48, Radebaugh had 13 points, 10 assists and five steals, and Hume led the way with 17 points. Northern Colorado hit 14 3-pointers to improve to fifth in NCAA Division I with a league-leading average of 10.3 per game.
 
 "It's going to be a fun game – Senior Day for them," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "Radebaugh has been great for Northern Colorado. They are going to come out and have a lot of energy."
 
The Bears are efficient on offense and stingy on defense. Besides their 3-point shooting, their 10.2 turnovers per outing are the fewest in the Big Sky and rank fifth in the nation. Northern Colorado also leads the league in ranking 15th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage offense (.381) and 12th nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense (.289). As a result, the Bears have a league-best +12.2 scoring margin to rank 13th nationally, and are 22nd nationally and second in the league in scoring defense (62.6).
 
Radebaugh leads the Big Sky and is 10th in the nation in assists (6.5). Harris leads the league in 3-pointers per game (3.04 to rank 19th in the nation) and 3-point field goal percentage (.390, 38th).
 
"They will try to speed us up and shoot a bunch of threes, and let Radebaugh go to work," said Legans. "They were 14-of-29 from the 3-point line against Idaho, and they do a good job of protecting the 3-point line."
 
In Eastern's win over SUU, defense and big advantages in rebounds and turnovers helped Eastern overcome a 33 percent shooting night, including 8-of-37 from the 3-point arc (21.7 percent). Eastern won on the boards 40-35 to move to 13-0 this season when EWU has a rebounding advantage. The Eagles held the Thunderbirds to 33 percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers while having just six themselves.
 
"Obviously, we can win a game without making threes as we saw against Southern Utah," added Legans. "We have to come with our hard hat, play some defense and win a road game."
 
Eastern is gunning for its fourth Big Sky regular season title in school history (2000, 2004, 2015), and has won two Big Sky Tournament titles (2004 and 2015) to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles also have national postseason appearances in the NIT (2003) and the College Basketball Invitational (2016, 2017, 2018).
 
Eastern has already equaled the school's fifth-highest win total in 37 seasons as a member of Division I, with the only seasons better than 18 wins coming in 2014-15 (26), 2016-17 (22) and 2017-18 (20) and 1985-86 (20). Eastern has also equaled the second-most wins in 33 seasons in the Big Sky, with the record set in 2014-15 with 14 victories.
 
Eastern has won 11 of its last 13 games in the league. The Eagles are 9-6 on the road and 11-2 at home this season, and will return to Reese Court to close the regular season on March 5 versus Idaho State and March 7 against Weber State. The Eagles have lost twice to league-leading Montana, plus once each to the two bottom teams in the league – Idaho and Idaho State.
 
Eastern recorded 13 and 12 wins, respectively, in the first two seasons with Legans at the helm, with an overall high of 20 wins in his rookie season in 2017-18. Eastern also won 13 league games in 2016-17. A former Eastern assistant, Legans has been a part of all but one of EWU's three seasons of at least 20 wins and all three of EWU's campaigns with 13 league victories.
 
Eastern fell out of first place in the Big Sky Conference standings with a 92-82 loss at Montana on Jan. 6, then regained the top spot when Montana lost its second-straight game, 88-81 to Portland State on Jan. 30. 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. With a season sweep over EWU, the Grizzlies have a tiebreaker advantage over the Eagles.
 
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
A Glimpse at the Big Sky Conference Playoff Race
 
The Eagles have already wrapped up a first-round bye and will finish no lower than third in the league standings. But seeding for the Big Sky Conference Tournament March 11-14 in Boise, Idaho, is still an important consideration for the Eagles and their remaining opponents. The top five teams receive a bye to the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 12, while the other six play on Wednesday, March 11, and must win four games to win the title and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
Eastern is now 20-8 overall and 13-4 in the league, having fallen out of first place in the Big Sky Conference standings with a 92-82 loss at Montana on Feb. 6. But the Eagles are back on top after games played on Feb. 27, including a 57-56 loss by Montana at Northern Arizona. Eastern joins Montana (13-4) and Northern Colorado (13-4) in a three-way tie for the top spot. That trio is followed by Northern Arizona (10-8), Portland State (9-8), Montana State (8-9), Sacramento State (8-10). Weber State (7-9) and Southern Utah (7-10). Idaho (3-14) and Idaho State (3-14) round out the current standings.
 
Besides Eastern's game at Northern Colorado, another key game in the league title chase will be Northern Colorado's game at Montana on March 5. The Bears also play at Montana State on March 7, and Montana is at Sacramento State on Feb. 29 and hosts Southern Utah to wrap up the regular season on March 7. Eastern's remaining games are versus Idaho State on March 5 and Weber State on March 7.
 
If Eastern finishes as the No. 1 seed, they will open Big Sky Tournament play on Thursday, March 12 at 11 a.m. Pacific time versus the winner of the game between the No. 8 seed and No. 9 seed the previous day. As the No. 2 seed, EWU would play at 4:30 p.m. on March 12 against the No. 7 versus No. 10 winner. As the No. 3 seed, Eastern would play the late game on March 12 (approximately 6:45 p.m. Pacific) against the victor between No. 6 and No. 11.
 
At this point, hurting EWU in a tiebreaker scenario are a pair of losses to Montana. Eastern beat Northern Colorado in a previous meeting, and the Bears knocked off the Grizzlies in their lone previous meeting thus far.
 
 
Eagles Seventh in NCAA Division I in Scoring
 
Through games of Feb. 26, Eastern is seventh in NCAA Division I in scoring with a league-leading average of 80.8 points per game, with Gonzaga leading at 87.8. The Eagles also rank fourth in assists (17.6 per game) to lead the league, and are and 18th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.33 per game), 25th in 3-point field goals per game (9.4) and 50th in scoring margin (+7.6) to rank second in the Big Sky. Eastern is also 77th in field goal percentage (.456) to rank third, and join Northern Colorado with the league's best winning percentage (20-8, .714) to rank 45th nationally.
 
Individually, sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. is fourth in NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.1) and 37th in rebounding overall (9.7). He leads the Big Sky in both categories, and is also 36th in the nation with 11 double-doubles. Senior Mason Peatling is 59th in rebounding overall (9.0 to rank second in the league behind Aiken) and 34th in offensive rebounds per game (league-leading 3.3). He has 12 double-doubles to rank 32nd nationally and lead the Big Sky. Junior Jacob Davison is 81st nationally and fourth in the Big Sky in scoring (17.9) and Aiken is third in the league and 73rd in the nation in steals (1.79). True freshman Ellis Magnuson is 98th in the nation in assists (4.4 to rank fourth in the Big Sky) and is 114th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.84 per game to rank fourth in the league). Davison, Aiken and Mason Peatling all rank in the top 14 in the Big Sky in scoring, with Peatling averaging 17.3 (fifth) and Aiken at 13.7 (14th).
 
 
Trio of Eagles Averaging in Double Figures
 
The Eagles thus far are 11-2 at home and 9-6 on the road, having won their first road contest of the season 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 came 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).
 
Leading EWU in scoring with a 17.9 average to go along with averages of 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals is junior Jacob Davison. He is Eastern's newest member of the 1,000-point club, going over that mark with a 21-point effort versus Idaho on Feb. 13. He followed that with 30 points in a win at Portland State on Feb. 15 to give him four performances in his career with at least 30 (three this season) and 20 with at least 20 points (11 this season). He had 34 points in a Feb. 6 loss at Montana, and a pair of 26-point performances in wins over Montana State on Jan. 18 and Portland State on Jan. 4. He had a 39-point effort earlier this season 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 ranked second in school history (now third). His career high of 41 – now the eighth-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 84-game career (54 as a starter), he's averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals while sinking 45.5 percent of his shots from the field, 34.9 percent from the 3-point stripe (102-of-292) and 77.3 percent of his free throws. He now has 1,077 career points to rank 19th on EWU's all-time list of 1,000-point scorers, joining teammate Mason Peatling as one of 23 in the club.
 
Senior Mason Peatling is averaging 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks, including a pair of monster games in late January. Peatling came three assists from a triple double in an 89-84 win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 27, finishing with 21 points and 22 rebounds – second most in school history. He also had seven assists and three blocked shots as he had the 12th performance in school history to come within a combination of three points/rebounds/assists from a triple double, in addition to the lone triple double in school history. That game was part of his current stretch of nine double-doubles in 12 games, including five in a row from Feb. 8 to Feb. 22 in which he averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds against Montana State on Feb. 6, 21/10 versus Idaho on Feb. 13, 22/11 plus five assists and three blocks at Portland State on Feb. 15, 28/10 and six assists in a home win over Sacramento State on Feb. 20, and 27/15/6 against Northern Arizona on Feb. 22. Peatling hit a significant milestone on Jan. 25, hitting the 1,000-point mark in his career in an 81-78 overtime home victory over Southern Utah. He finished that game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and five assists.  One game prior to the Southern Utah game, he had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Montana State on Jan. 18, and also had 14 points, 14 boards and four assists at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3. Peatling has now played 115 games in his career to rank 13th in school history, and he became the 22nd player all-time at Eastern to hit the 1,000-point mark (he currently ranks 13th with 1,201). His .556 shooting percentage in his career currently ranks seventh, his 695 rebounds are sixth and his 107 blocked shots are third as he became the third Eagle in school history to hit the century mark in blocks. In his career (93 games as a starter), Peatling has averaged 10.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 blocked shots and 0.7 steals. He now has 20 double-doubles in his career – including 12 this season and nine in the last 12 games -- with a record of 18-2. He is now just the sixth player in school history to have at least 1,000 points and 525 rebounds in his career. Coming to Eastern from Melbourne, Australia, Peatling is only the second player to couple that with 50 blocked shots. Fellow Australian Venky Jois had 1,803 points, 1,015 rebounds and 240 blocks in his career from 2013-16. 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 as he earned the first of his two Big Sky Player of the Week accolades. 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 35-17 (15-9 last year, 20-8 this season) heading into EWU's game versus Southern Utah on Feb. 27.
 
Nearly averaging a double-double is sophomore Kim Aiken Jr., who is averaging 13.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. In fact, he was averaging a double-double from Nov. 9 until Feb. 13 when he had just four boards in a 74-71 home loss to Idaho to drop below that. He is also averaging 1.8 steals, as well as 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocked shots. He had a career-best 26-point effort at Washington on Dec. 4, and thus far has 11 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 58-game career (39 as a starter), he is averaging 10.0 points and 7.2 rebounds with 15 career double-doubles (11-4 record).
 
That trio has combined for 60 percent of EWU's scoring, 59 percent of its rebounding and 79 percent of its blocked shots. In addition, they have combined for 64 percent of the team's free throws made, 55 percent of its steals, 50 percent of its 3-pointers made, 61 percent of its field goals overall and 47 percent of the total minutes for the Eagles.
 
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 6.3 points and 2.6 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 made five 3-pointers in the second half to finish with 15 points in a 77-66 win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, coming three points from his career high. He is currently just off EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 39.4 percent (122-of-310). He started EWU's Big Sky Conference opener on Dec. 28 versus Weber State in a 79-77 road win, then scored 10 in a loss at Idaho State. He also had 10 versus Portland State on Feb. 15. He's played 89 total games as an Eagle (57 as a starter) and has averaged 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
 
Eastern's youth movement has also been impressive, with true freshman Ellis Magnuson cracking the starting lineup. Magnuson has started all 28 EWU games at point guard and has averaged 4.4 assists and 5.5 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. His other double figure game in league play was 14 at Southern Utah on Feb. 27 when he hit four 3-pointers, including three in the second half, in EWU's 69-51 win.
 
Redshirt freshman Casson Rouse has chipped in 6.2 points and 1.6 assists while making 34-of-90 3-pointers (37.8 percent), and sophomore Tanner Groves has come off the bench to average 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 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. He came off the bench to score 16 versus Montana State on Feb. 8, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers. Thus far in his 56-game career (three as a starter) he's averaged 4.2 points, 2.6 boards and has 36 blocks. His brother, true freshman Jacob Groves, is averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in the 21 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 5.2 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 46-game career (19 as a starter), he's averaged 8.4 points and 2.5 assists per outing.
 
 
 
 

2019-20 Honors

 
 
Peatling Earns CoSIDA All-District VIII Academic Honors
 
Eastern senior Mason Peatling has been selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District VIII first team, and moves on to voting for prestigious Academic All-America accolades. Peatling is from Melbourne, Australia, and has a perfect 4.0 grade point average thus far while pursuing a graduate degree in business administration. He had a 3.89 GPA as an undergraduate and received his degree in finance.
 
"Mason clearly has had an amazing senior year on the court," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "But what he's done academically in his four years here is just as impressive. He graduated with his finance degree in three years with a 3.89 GPA, and now has a 4.0 with one quarter left in his MBA program. He has been an amazing role model for our young team, and has led us in every area."
 
His honor is the eighth to be won by an Eagle in the school's NCAA Division I history, and the first since 2016. Peatling was joined on the squad by Northern Arizona's Brooks DeBisschop. The two selections for the league are the most for the Big Sky Conference since the 2014-15 season when Eastern's Tyler Harvey was among the selections and went on to win first-team Academic All-America honors.
 
The 2019-20 Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team (if applicable) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in mid-March.
 
 
Peatling Earns Another Big Sky Player of the Week Honor
 
For the third time this season and in his career, senior Mason Peatling was honored as the Big Sky Conference Ready Nutrition Player of the Week, the league office announced Feb. 25. He also earned the same honor from College Sports Madness – his second of the year.
 
In a weekend sweep over Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, the 6-foot-8 Peatling averaged 27.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 steals as he continued his tear through the Big Sky. He made 66.7 percent of his field goal attempts (22-of-33), 5-of-8 3-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 12-2.
 
In an 80-70 win over NAU, he had 27 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He sank 11-of-17 field goals and nine of his boards were on the offensive end. One game earlier versus Sac State, he had 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while making 11-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-6 from the 3-point arc.
 
Those games were part of stretch of nine double-doubles in 11 games, including five EWU games from Feb. 8 to Feb. 22 in which he has averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
 
 
Peatling Earns Big Sky POW Honors for Monster Weekend
 
Senior Mason Peatling followed a monster game with a monster sweep, and won a pair of awards for it. Producing huge statistics in a pair of overtime victories for EWU, Peatling was honored as the Big Sky Conference Ready Nutrition Player of the Week on Jan. 28 and received the same honor from College Sports Madness on Feb. 3. It's was the second time this season and career that he was honored by the league, and the fourth such accolade for an Eagle this season. In two overtime victories at home, Peatling averaged 25.6 points, 16.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 blocked shots per game. He sank 52.6 percent of his field goal attempts (20-of-38) and 71.4 percent of his free throws (10-of-14). He followed those games with a performance of 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists at Sacramento State on Feb. 1, then had 14 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in a road win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3.
 
Peatling came three assists from a triple double in an 89-84 win over Northern Colorado, finishing with 21 points and 22 rebounds – second most in school history. Peatling also had seven assists and three blocked shots as he had the 12th performance in school history to come within a combination of three points/rebounds/assists from a triple double, in addition to the lone triple double in school history. In overtime, Peatling saved the ball after an EWU miss for his 20th rebound of the game, and that play ended up as a 3-pointer by Aiken with 1:04 to put EWU up by two and gave the Eagles the lead for good. Peatling had a rebound basket with 41 seconds left that put the Eagles up 84-79.
 
Peatling hit a significant milestone on Jan. 25, hitting the 1,000-point mark in his career in an 81-78 overtime home victory over Southern Utah. The Eagle senior hit the mark with his second basket of overtime, which gave Eastern the lead for good. Peatling finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and five assists, and hit a key 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game to OT. In helping EWU rally from an 11-point deficit in the second half, he made 11-of-16 shots from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line in the game.
 
 
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. 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.
 
 
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.
 
 
 

Other Season Notes

 
 
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 (Bogdan 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)
 
 
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."
 
 
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 14-12 all-time versus UNC (10-3 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. Eastern has lost the last two times they've played in Greeley, but the Eagles have won the last six times the squads have met in Cheney dating back to an 88-80 Bear win in overtime on Feb. 28, 2013. Eastern has won eight of the last 11 overall since that loss, including a recent stretch of five victories in the last seven meetings.
 
* Earlier this season in Cheney, Eastern had a dominating performance in overtime for the second-straight game and beat Northern Colorado 89-84 in a battle for second place in the Big Sky Conference standings on Jan. 27 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Eastern's big three of senior Mason Peatling, junior Jacob Davison and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr., combined for 64 of EWU's points, including yet another monster game by Peatling with 21 points and 22 rebounds – second most in school history. Peatling also had seven assists and three blocked shots as he had the 12th performance in school history to come within a combination of three points/rebounds/assists from a triple double, in addition to the lone triple double in school history. Aiken led the Eagles with 23 points and Davison finished with 20. Peatling sank 9-of-22 shots from the field, Davison was 7-of-18 and Aiken was a sparking 8-of-11 with a pair of 3-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws. He also had eight rebounds and three assists, with Davison chipping in a pair of assists and three blocks. Freshman redshirt Casson Rouse came off the bench to score eight points and finish with a pair of assists, and true freshman Ellis Magnuson had six points and three dimes. Sophomore Tanner Groves added six points and a pair of rebounds as EWU won the battle of the boards 49-43. The game featured nine lead changes and seven ties, with most of those coming in the second half. The Eagles used a 33-13 run to turn a 13-point first-half deficit into a seven-point advantage after intermission. The Eagles went the final 1:48 of regulation without scoring, but dominated overtime 15-10, including baskets by Aiken and Peatling – both after offensive boards by Peatling – to give EWU an 84-79 cushion with 41 seconds left. The win pulled EWU to within a half-game of first place in the league standings. The Eagles have now won the last six meetings in Cheney versus UNC, having not lost at home to the Bears since 2013.
 
* 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

 
Eagles Get 20th Win, 69-51 Over Thunderbirds to Move Back Into First
 
When defense, rebounding and turnovers were the best things going for the Eagles, Ellis Magnuson provided the offensive spark. The true freshman sparked the Eagle offense with a trio of 3-pointers in the second half and Eastern went on to a 69-51 victory at Southern Utah on Feb. 27 in a Big Sky Conference game in Cedar City, Utah.  The victory, coupled with a Montana loss at Northern Arizona and a Northern Colorado home win, helped EWU into a three-way tie for first in the league race at 13-4. Magnuson finished with four treys in the game and had a key driving layin with 2:35 to play to finish with his best scoring game in over a month with 14 points. It was his only double figure scoring game in the last 12 games since finishing with 16 at Idaho on Jan. 16. Senior Mason Peatling paced EWU with 17 points and nine rebounds, and Jacob Davison scored 14 with a career-high nine boards. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. was the fourth Eagle in double figures with 12 points and had seven boards. Defense and big advantages in rebounds and turnovers helped Eastern overcome a 33 percent shooting night, including just 8-of-37 from the 3-point stripe for 22 percent. Davison made just 3-of-20 shots and Aiken was 5-of-16. But Eastern out-rebounded Southern Utah – the Big Sky's top rebounding team statistically -- 40-35 to move to 13-0 this season when EWU has a rebounding advantage. The Eagles held the Thunderbirds to 33 percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers while having just six themselves. Eastern used an early 5-0 run to take a lead it held the rest of the half, and eventually went up 19-10 with 9:32 left on a 3-pointer by Casson Rouse. But EWU would miss its next eight shots and not score again until the 5:04 mark – a total of 4:28 without a basket. The Eagles would go on and lead at halftime 26-18, but it wasn't pretty as both teams made less than 30 percent of their shots from the field. Eastern had its second-best defensive effort in a half this season by allowing just 18 points – fourth-best overall. But EWU also had its third-lowest scoring half of the year. The Eagles were at 25 percent shooting in the second half and nursing a 38-34 lead when the Eagles finally got untracked. Magnuson hit his third 3-pointer of the half, then Aiken made a basket before Jack Perry completed an 8-2 run with a 3-pointer to put EWU up 46-36 at the 11:11 mark. The Eagles led by as many as 13 and no less than nine the rest of the way. Eastern clinched the win by making its last eight free throws in the final 1:11, including six by Perry, who chipped in nine points in the win.
 
 
Eastern Beats Lumberjacks 80-70 With Hot Stretch
 
With its offense and defense clicking late in the first half and early in the second, Eastern downed Northern Arizona 80-70 on Feb. 22 in a Big Sky Conference game at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.  Eastern out-scored the Lumberjacks 25-3 during a decisive run spanning halftime. The Eagles held NAU without a field goal during that 7:28 stretch and opened a 19-point lead early in the second half. Eastern dominated the glass, holding a 42-30 rebounding advantage and out-scoring NAU 42-28 inside the paint. The Eagles had a season-high 20 second-chance points thanks to 15 offensive rebounds, as well as a season-low five turnovers. Senior Mason Peatling continued his tear during Big Sky play with 27 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He now has had 12 double-doubles on the season with nine in his last 11 games, and nine of his boards were on the offensive end. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. finished the afternoon with 12 points and eight boards, and junior Jacob Davison scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half. Junior Jack Perry hit a trio of 3-pointers and was the fourth Eagle in double figures with 13. Redshirt freshman Casson Rouse came off the bench to chip in seven points and equaled his career high with five assists. Northern Arizona led for much of the first half until EWU used a 6-0 run to knot the score at 21 with 9:24 to play. The Lumberjacks led by three at 34-31 with 2:36 left, but would go 0-of-4 the rest of the half and trail 40-34 at intermission. Aiken, who scored 12 points in the first half, scored seven of EWU's points in a half-ending 9-0 run. Peatling added 10 points in a half in which EWU was out-shot 45 percent to 42 percent, but had advantages in turnovers forced at 5-2 and rebounding at 20-14. Northern Arizona missed its first six shots in the second half, giving it a stretch of 7:28 without a field goal and 10-straight misses. Eastern took advantage, taking a 56-37 lead with a collective 25-3 run spanning halftime. Back-to-back dunks by Davison and Peatling put the Eagles up 19 with 13:37 to play. The Lumberjacks did battle back to cut the lead to six at the 7:20 mark, but EWU responded with a 7-2 run. Peatling scored five of the points, including a 3-pointer with 5:55 left that put EWU up by 11. A triple by Perry gave EWU a 12-point cushion at the 4:23 mark. The closest NAU came the rest of the way was seven, and EWU closed out the game by making six free throws in the last 33 seconds to close out the victory.
 
 
 
 

Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Moving Back Into First With SUU Win: "All you can hope for is to have a chance to win the championship with three games left in the season. You accomplish a little bit, but you want to accomplish everything. We want to go in there and play our best basketball, put our best foot forward and win another game."
 
On Magnuson Versus SUU: "Sometimes you need that, and sometimes you just need to let guys play. We've been on him and he's a freshman – he's going to go through peaks and valleys and ups and downs. You have to make sure you're confident in him – he's our starting point guard and he's our guy. He's a great player and he's going to do great things for us. He and some other players have bright futures for us. They came out and played hard. They have confidence in Ellis to make shots, and he comes into the game and works hard all the time. He keeps working and we keep telling him to shoot the ball. He's a great shooter."
 
On SUU Victory Despite 33 Percent Shooting: "You can't tell me Kim will be 5-of-16 and Jacob will be 3-of-20 and we will win, but we did that tonight. That's a huge accomplishment, especially doing it on the road at a place we haven't won the last two years. It was a great win – our team played confident and they played smart."
 
On Jacob Davison and Rebounding: "We've been challenging him to do that, and tonight he had four offensive rebounds. That's how he should play, and he did great. That's all you can ask for from your captains and best players. They did well."
 
On Win Over Northern Arizona: "We have a team that plays really smart and we have some really good players out there. Not all the guys are hitting on all cylinders right now, but they are all competing and playing tough. When you get contributions from everybody in the game that makes it easy to coach a team like this. Our assistant coaches do an amazing job of getting us prepared, and we are ready for about anything. These types of games get us prepared and battle-tested. Northern Arizona is a really good team, so you have to make sure you come with your 'A' game. They got their 3-pointers, but they didn't win. There were a couple of stretches where our defense came up big."
 
On Bench: "We have players we can call on all the time. But that makes it hard because you have only 200 minutes in a game. We have a lot of players coming along and are ready for their moment. It's fun to watch them play and how they are developing and getting better through the year. You can't ask for anything more. It's awesome."
 
On Mason Peatling After Sac State/NAU Sweep: "He's a stud and doing everything for us. He's my pick for Big Sky Player of the Year. He's averaging a double-double in league play, in both games last week he had six assists and he's ranked in the top three in the league in blocks. Mason is unbelievable. And he has a chance to be an Academic All-American with a 4.0 grade point average as graduate student. You would be hard-pressed to find a better student-athlete in the country with what Mason is doing right now. It's amazing and fun to watch him play, and eventually it will be fun to see his professional career take off. He listens and handles the emotions of the game. That's what a senior leader does for you, and he's been like that since he's gotten here. He's been even keel, but he's excited when other players make plays and when he makes plays. He's showing our younger players what it means to be an Eagle, play for this university and how important everything is."
 
On Home Sweep After Win Over UNC: "We're in a fantastic league, we have fantastic coaches and there are some fantastic players who are underrated in this country. There were so many players on that court who are really good. It was a fun basketball game to coach and watch the guys play. There were so many emotions and a lot of stress throughout that game. But there was a lot of excitement too."
 
On Love of Basketball:  "You have to love basketball. It's something that brings you to so many highs and so many lows, but it's great to be able to do it with people you love and like to be around. This is a great community and we are doing it for a great university. It's so much fun and I can't get enough basketball right now."
 
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 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."