Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (3-5/2-1 Big Sky in 2020-21 - 23-8/16-4 Big Sky in 2019-20) Thursday, Jan. 21 – at Northern Colorado – 5:35 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 – at Northern Colorado – 11:05 a.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 watch this week's games via Pluto TV channel 1059 (EWU home broadcasts via Pluto TV are on channel 1053) or via https://bigskyconf.com/watchbigsky
Live Stats:	Click Here for the EWU at UNC games; EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com

Knocked out of the ranks of the unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team goes on the road in hopes of keeping pace with five teams with one loss or less in the league.
 
The Eagles will play Northern Colorado in a pair of games this week in Greeley, Colo., taking on the Bears on Thursday (Jan. 21) at 5:35 p.m. Pacific time, and then two days later on Jan. 23 at 11:05 a.m. Pacific time. Eastern enters this week's action 2-1 in the league and 3-5 overall, while the Bears have a 4-4 Big Sky record and are 7-6 overall.
 
Both games will be available via PlutoTV channel 1059 and via https://bigskyconf.com/watchbigsky. Eastern games are also 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.
 
Because of the Covid-19 protocols and a positive case within EWU's program, Eastern went a full 25 days without a game. But they returned and beat Southern Utah 75-63 on Jan. 14, and two days later the Thunderbirds rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat the Eagles 99-94.
 
Eastern led for 65 1/2 out of a possible 80 minutes against SUU, but came out with a split. Eastern led for 39:25 the first game, then 26:08 in the second. Eastern scored a season-high 94 points and had 19 3-pointers to come one from the school record in the loss, but the Eagles were out-scored by 21 points at the free throw line and were whistled for twice as many fouls (26-13) as the Thunderbirds.
 
This week's games will be a match-up of the No. 4 offense in the league and the No. 4 defense, as Eastern is averaging 73.9 points per game and UNC is surrendering 66.3. The Bears have the league's third-best 3-point shooting percentage (.361) and are tied at the top in the Big Sky in 3-point defense (.281). Eastern is seventh in the league in percentage (.333), but is second with an average of 9.3 3-pointers per game (Weber State is averaging 10.1). The Eagles, however, are third in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.294).
 
Eastern, which is scheduled to host Sacramento State on Jan. 28 and 30 in its next home games at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash., seeks to stay in the upper echelon of the league race in a season impacted by numerous cancellations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Montana State sits on top at 4-0, followed by Southern Utah (5-1), Sacramento State (3-1), Idaho State (4-2), Eastern (2-1) and Weber State (1-1). Northern Colorado is 4-4, followed by Northern Arizona (3-4), Montana (2-4), Portland State (1-3) and Idaho (0-8).
 
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
More About the Bears
 
Northern Colorado was picked to finish third by the media and fifth by the coaches in the Big Sky Conference preseason polls. Led by first-year head coach Steve Smiley, UNC is 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big Sky following a 74-54 road victory at Idaho on Jan. 14 and a 75-61 victory there two days later. The Bears suffered a pair of home losses to Montana State recently, falling 79-67 on Jan. 7 and then 76-74 in overtime on Jan. 9.
 
Preseason All-Big Sky selection Bodie Hume leads the Bears with averages of 15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 junior guard is supported by 6-4 junior guard Daylen Kountz with averages of 12.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, and 6-2 guard Matt Johnson averages 11.6 points, 2.3 assists and 2.2 boards. Hume is seventh in the league in scoring and fourth in rebounding, and his average of 2.2 3-pointers per game ranks fourth and his 1.3 blocks per game is third.
 
A year ago, the Bears were 22-9 overall and 15-5 in the Big Sky to finish second behind EWU.


More About the Eagles
 
Junior forward Tanner Groves had another productive week and leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (8.9 per game) and field goal percentage (.541). He is also sixth in scoring (16.6), fourth in blocked shots (1.3) and fifth in free throw percentage (.810). In the split against Southern Utah, he played just 52 minutes because of foul trouble but finished with 46 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and three assists, and made all 14 of his free throws.
 
Preseason All-Big Sky MVP Jacob Davison also had a 46-point weekend, including 31 in the second game versus Southern Utah when he hit nine 3-pointers to come one from the school record of 10. The senior is averaging 14.6 points to rank 10th in the league, and is second in 3-pointers made per game (2.25).
 
Pre-season All-Big Sky Conference selection Kim Aiken Jr. is second behind in Groves in rebounding in the league, averaging 8.0 per game to go along with 11.8 points per outing. He also joins Groves in ranking fourth in the BSC in blocked shots (1.25). Sophomore Tyler Robertson is also averaging in double figures for EWU at 11.6 points per game, and is also 10th in the league in assists (2.7).
 
The Eagles had their best showing of the season in a relatively easy 80-64 victory at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19 in Flagstaff, Ariz. Eastern took a 32-28 lead at halftime, then used a 48-point second half to pull away. The Eagles, who had entered the game averaging just 29.0 points in the second half through its first five games, led by as many as 22.
 
On the same road trip as the NAU victory, Eastern fell 80-75 at Saint Mary's in a game in which the Eagles led for 28 1/2 minutes. The first victory for the Eagles came on Dec. 11 when they took a 17-4 lead over The College of Idaho and cruised to an 80-56 win. Previously, Eastern fell to Oregon 69-52 on Dec. 7, just two days after a heart-breaking 70-67 loss at Arizona. Eastern opened the season with a 71-68 loss at Washington State on Nov. 28.
 
Eastern has had a trio of losses to top-notch NCAA Division I competition by a total of just 11 points after leading at halftime and with 10 minutes left in each.  One of those was an 80-75 loss on Dec. 15 at Saint Mary's, which had entered the game ranked fourth in the CollegeInsider.com top 25 poll of mid-major teams. Two of those losses were versus Pac-12 Conference foes Washington State and Arizona.
 
In each of EWU's first two games, Eastern led at halftime, led with 10 minutes left and led with five minutes remaining. Eastern led for 33:09 versus WSU, but a late 13-5 run by the Cougars was the difference; a 14-4 run by Arizona cost the Eagles that win after they led for 13:49 in the game. Eastern also led by as many as six in the first half against Oregon and trailed by just four at halftime. Against Saint Mary's on Dec. 15, the Eagles led for 28:30 and had the lead at halftime and with 10 minutes to play.
 
A year ago, Eastern was 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the Big Sky Conference to win the outright regular season title. The Covid-19 Pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the season, including the conclusion of the Big Sky Conference Tournament and the entire NCAA Tournament. Eastern was on site for their league tournament opener on March 11, 2020, when the news hit. The Eagles entered the 2020-21 season with four starters back from last year's squad.
 
Legans, the reigning Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, led EWU to a final record of 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the league in the 2019-20 season. Legans entered the 2020-21 season  59-41 in his three years as head coach for a .590 winning percentage. In league games, he directed EWU to 13, 12 and 16 victories, winning 71 percent for a record of 41-17. Both percentages are currently the best among the eight men who have been head coaches in EWU's tenure in the league, and his 41 league wins is the best three-year stretch in school history.
 
More recently, in the spring of 2020, Legans was selected to ESPN's "40 Under 40" list of the top NCAA Division I basketball coaches under the age of 40. He was selected No. 11 -- eighth among head coaches -- in the list of coaches ranked by achievement and potential.
 
Eastern's school-record 16 Big Sky wins a year ago included sweeps over seven of the league's 10 other teams, and a split versus Idaho State and Idaho. Eastern was swept by Montana, which had won the two previous regular season and tournament titles. The Eagles had just two seniors – Mason Peatling and Tyler Kidd – so EWU has high aspirations for 2020 and beyond.
 
Eastern won its fourth Big Sky regular season title in school history (2000, 2004, 2015, 2020), but now joins the 2004 team with the only outright titles. Eastern has gone on to win 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 Eighth-Toughest Strength of Schedule in Initial NCAA NET Rankings
 
While ranking 110th in the nation overall and tops in the Big Sky Conference, the ranking that popped out most in the initial NCAA NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings released on Jan. 4 was No. 8. That was the team's national ranking in strength of schedule, which was aided by pre-conference games versus three Pacific-12 Conference foes (Arizona, Oregon, Washington State) and another powerhouse from the West Coast Conference (Saint Mary's).
 
The second-highest Big Sky Conference school in the initial rankings was Southern Utah at 135, followed by Weber State (162), Sacramento State (188) and Montana (190) in the top 200. The remainder of the league ranked from No. 224 (Montana State) to No. 333 (Idaho) among the 340 NCAA Division I programs who had played at that point of the season. Among EWU's non-conference foes, Oregon (19), Arizona (21), Saint Mary's (53) and Washington State (101) were all in the top 101.
 
The NET rankings serves as the primary sorting tool for the selection and seeding process for the NCAA tournament. The NET is in its third season for men's basketball and was modified in the offseason when it was simplified to a two-component system. The two components are the Team Value Index, which rewards teams for beating quality opponents, especially away from home, and a team's efficiency rating, which is adjusted for the strength of an opponent and the location of a game.
 
Through games of Jan. 18, Eastern has fallen to second among Big Sky schools with a ranking of 138th, and is 64th in strength of schedule. Weber State is No. 1 in the league at 133rd, followed by EWU, Southern Utah (160), Montana State (171), Sacramento State (197), Montana (237), Northern Colorado (259), Idaho State (261), Portland State (283), Northern Arizona (328) and Idaho (343) among the 247 schools who have now played.
 
 
Eagles Nearly Set 3-Point Records Versus SUU
 
With 10 3-pointers in the first half and nine in the second, the Eagles as a team and Jacob Davison as an individual flirted with school records for 3-point shooting in EWU's 99-94 loss to Southern Utah on Jan. 16. Eastern came one make from the team record of 20 set against Portland State on Jan. 28, 2016. Eastern finished the SUU game with 43 3-point attempts, and the school record of 45 came against Oregon on Nov. 9, 2018. Eastern's high through the first seven games of the season was 10 3-pointers made on two occasions, and 35 attempts versus The College of Idaho on Dec. 11.
 
Davison sank nine of 18 3-point attempts, and his previous high for 3-pointers made was seven. The school record is 10 set previously by Tyler Harvey (2/1/14 vs. Northern Colorado) and Kevin Winford (12/4/10 vs. New Hope). The record for 3-pointers attempted is 23 (Winford versus New Hope).
 
 
On the Horizon
 
The Eagles return to Reese Court on Jan. 28 to host Sacramento State at 6:05 p.m. Pacific time, then host the Hornets two days later on Jan. 30 for a game that starts at 12:05 p.m.
 
With only seven games played thus far, the Hornets have played the fewest games as any team in the Big Sky thus far (Eastern's eight is the second-fewest). Sacramento State is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the league after falling to Idaho State 57-56 on Jan. 16 and then beating the Bengals two days later by a 70-65 score.
 
The Hornets are led by a quartet of seniors all averaging in double figures. Six-foot-7 forward Ethan Esposito is averaging 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds, and UC Santa Barbara transfer Christian Terrell is averaging 14.8 points, 5.2 boards and 2.4 assists. Bryce Fowler is averaging 11.6 points and 4.0 assists, and William FitzPatrick is the fourth Hornet averaging in double figures at 11.4 points per outing.
 
Brian Katz is in his 13th season as head coach of the Hornets making him the dean of coaches in the league. He enters a pair of home games versus Montana this week with a 147-222 record in Sacramento. A year ago, Sac State was 16-14 overall and 8-12 in the league to place in a tie for eighth, and this year were picked to finish ninth by both the coaches and media in the league's preseason polls. The Eagles and Hornets were set to meet in last year's Big Sky Conference Tournament before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
 
 
 

Player Notes

 
MVP Davison and Aiken are on Preseason All-Big Sky Team
 
Senior Jacob Davison was selected as the MVP as he joined junior Kim Aiken Jr. on the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference Preseason All-Conference Team announced by the league office on Nov. 10. Davison earned second team honors a year ago and Aiken was on the third team as they led Eastern to the regular season Big Sky Conference title.
 
"I love seeing our players receive accolades because I see all the hard work they put in behind the scenes to get there," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "Both on and off the court, our guys work harder than any group I've ever been around, and I am so proud of all they have achieved, and eager for all that is to come."
 
Davison was a unanimous selection on the preseason squad. The Eastern duo was joined on the all-conference team by Bodie Hume of Northern Colorado, Jubrile Belo of Montana State, Cameron Shelton from Northern Arizona and Michael Steadman of Montana. Steadman is a 6-foot-10 transfer from San Jose State.
 
In the 2019-20 season, Davison was 70th nationally and fourth in the Big Sky in scoring (18.4), to go along with averages of 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  In league-only statistics, Davison was fourth in the league in scoring (18.7), as well as ranking 11th in field goal percentage (.439), 10th in free throw percentage (.752), 12th in steals (1.2) and 14th in assists (2.7).
 
"A lot of times teams have to pick their poison with us," said Legans. "Jacob is 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. We watch the way teams defend him in games and then we adjust."
 
Davison 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, 2020. He now has 1,267 career points to rank 12th on EWU's all-time list of 1,000-point scorers, joining 2019-20 Big Sky MVP Mason Peatling as one of 23 in the club.
 
In his now 95-game career (65 as a starter), he's averaged 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals while sinking 45.1 percent of his shots from the field, 34.6 percent from the 3-point stripe (124-of-358) and 76.6 percent of his free throws. In his career, Davison now has 24 performances with at least 20 points (14 in the 2019-20 season and one in 2020-21) and five with at least 30 (three in the 2019-20 season and one in 2020-21).
 
So far this season, Davison is averaging 14.6 points, 2.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds, making 39.6 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from the 3-point stripe (18-of-52). He's also made 15-of-20 free throws and has five steals and five blocked shots. He more than doubled his season-high of 15 points when he had 31 points in loss to Southern Utah on Jan. 16. He hit nine 3-pointers in that game, coming one from the school record.
 
Aiken, meanwhile, has averaged 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds, while making 44.1 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from the arc (16-of-45). He's also made 18-of-24 free throws and has nine steals, 10 blocked shots and 13 assists. He scored 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the 3-point stripe in EWU's 80-64 win at Northern Arizona, and also had nine boards. He had his first double-double of the season and 17th of his career with 23 points and 12 rebounds versus Southern Utah on Jan. 16.
 
Aiken averaged nearly a double-double in the 2019-20 season, finishing fourth in NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.2) and 36th in rebounding overall (9.7). He led the Big Sky in both categories, and was also 38th in the nation with 12 double-doubles and averaged 13.3 points per outing.
 
Aiken's overall rebound average was Eastern's best since Ron Cox averaged 12.3 in the 1976-77 season when the school was affiliated with the NAIA. Aiken's average broke the school's previous DI record of 9.1 in the 2016-17 campaign, and his single-game high of 22 is the second-most in school history and EWU's DI record.
 
The 6-foot-7 Aiken also finished his sophomore season third in the league and 85th in the nation in steals (1.74). In league games only, Aiken finished second in rebounding (9.0), first in defensive rebounds (7.5), third in 3-pointers made per game (2.3), fifth in steals (1.7), 12th in blocked shots (1.1) and 21st in scoring (12.1).
 
At times his shooting was inconsistent, but he still managed to sink a team-leading 76 3-pointers on 229 attempts for 33.2 percent. Overall, he shot at a 39.8 percent clip from the field and 78.7 percent from the free throw line (59-of-75).
 
He had a career-best 26-point effort at Washington on Dec. 4, 2019, and had five total performances of 20+ points (eight in his career). Against Belmont in a huge 87-82 victory, he scored eight of EWU's last 12 points and had four defensive boards in the final 44 seconds on his way to final tallies of 11 points and 11 boards.
 
Aiken had 14 double-figure rebounding performances as a sophomore (20 in his career), and thus far in his 69-game career (50 as a starter), he is averaging 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds with 17 career double-doubles (12-5 record). He has 80 career steals, 61 blocked shots and 69 assists. His 500 rebounds currently rank 14th in school history and his 61 blocks are 10th.
 
 
The Elder of the "Groves Bros" Tandem, Tanner Groves on Mid-Season All-BSC Team
 
Junior Tanner Groves has had a stellar start to the 2020-21 men's basketball season, and he was rewarded Dec. 31 by being selected to the HoopsHD.com mid-season All- Big Sky Conference team. Other players selected to the team included guards Bodie Hume (Northern Colorado), Cameron Shelton (Northern Arizona) and Isiah Brown (Weber State), as well as forward Maizen Fausett (Southern Utah). Brown was selected as the mid-season "Player of the Year So Far."

Through his first six games of the season, Groves led the Eagles with averages of 14.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game, and made 55.2 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. For the season, he leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (8.9 per game) and field goal percentage (.541), and is sixth in scoring (16.6), fourth in blocked shots (1.3) and fifth in free throw percentage (.810).
 
In a January split against Southern Utah, he played just 52 minutes because of foul trouble but finished with 46 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and three assists, and made all 14 of his free throws.
 
In December, Groves sank 82 percent of the shots he took in a pair of games for the Eagles, and for his efforts he was selected Dec. 21 as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. He earned the same honor from College Sports Madness. Groves averaged a double-double as he equaled, then broke, his career-high in scoring in two games – a narrow 80-75 loss at Saint Mary's on Dec. 15 and then an 80-64 win at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19 to open the league season. In the two games combined, Groves averaged 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds, while also contributing four assists and two blocked shots. He sank 16-of-23 field goals for 69.6 percent and 11-of-13 free throws for 85 percent – a combined 27-of-33 for 81.8 percent.
 
Groves hit 7-of-10 shots and 3-of-4 free throws at Saint Mary's to finish with 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. The 6-foot-9 junior had the fourth double-double of his career, hitting 9-of-13 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws to finish with 26 points and 13 rebounds at NAU. That eclipsed his previous high of 17 on three occasions, including twice this season. His 13 boards equaled the 13 he had earlier this season at Oregon, and he also had three assists.
 
 "Tanner is a stud and our players did a great job looking for him," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans after the NAU game. "He scored 26 but didn't shoot any threes, and he loves to shoot threes. He did a great job of getting the ball and making himself available. He's got a lot more games like that in him. I saw him go against (2019-20 Big Sky MVP) Mason Peatling in practices and we saw the flashes of what he is capable of. He's playing really, really good basketball and is very confident. You love to see that, especially out of a player with so much character, how hard he plays, how much he loves his teammates and how much he gives his team every game."
 
The aptly named "Groves Bros" – including sophomore Jacob Groves – have given Eastern a boost this season. Jacob has averaged 8.0 points and 4.1 boards as a sophomore and has made 44.4 percent of his shots. Jacob added seven points and seven rebounds in the road victory at Northern Arizona.
 
Tanner scored 13 at Arizona on Dec. 5, a week after equaling what was then his career high of 17 versus Washington State. He also had nine rebounds and three assists versus the Cougars as he equaled the career high for scoring he had as a sophomore with 17 points. Jacob chipped in 10 points – all in the first half at Arizona after having a career high with 16 points at WSU. He sank 6-of-16 shots in the first start of his career, and had eight rebounds, as he eclipsed his previous high of eight points as a freshman, and his eight rebounds was also a career high as well. Versus Oregon on Dec. 7, Tanner pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, eclipsing his previous high of 11 as a freshman.
 
Tanner came off the bench to average 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in his sophomore season, and this year helps fill the role left by 2019-20 Big Sky Conference MVP Mason Peatling. Tanner scored a career-high 17 points versus Multnomah on Dec. 13, 2019, including a rebound dunk that was the No. 1 play by ESPN's Sportscenter that night and had 2 1/2 million views. Groves also came off the bench to score 16 versus Montana State on Feb. 8, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers.
 
Thus far in his 67-game career (11 as a starter) he's averaged 5.6 points, 3.4 boards and has 46 blocked shots, while sinking 53.1 percent from the field.
 
Jacob averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in the 24 games he played as a freshman in the 2019-20 season. His first two appearances came in victories against High Point and Belmont, and he had his high game with eight points versus Multnomah. In his 32-game career (one as a starter), he's averaging 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds, and has 13 steals and nine assists.
 
Both Groves brothers are graduates of Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash. Tanner stands 6-foot-9 and graduated in 2017, and Jacob is 6-7 and graduated two years later. Their parents are Randy and Tara Groves. Randy played basketball at Shadle Park HS and Community Colleges of Spokane, and Tara (formerly Tara Flugel) still owns the Whitworth scoring record of 2,040 points and is in the school's Hall of Fame. She's formerly from Colville, Wash.
 
 
Sophomores Continue Solid Contributions as Starters
 
Sophomores Tyler Robertson and Casson Rouse made their season debuts against Arizona on Dec. 5, and combined for 28 points in the narrow three-point loss. They followed that with a combined 21 points at Oregon on Dec. 7, and thus far have a combined six double-figure scoring performances.
 
Robertson had a career-high 17 points with five 3-pointers in seven attempts at Saint Mary's on Dec. 15 in the second start of his career. In his first start against The College of Idaho on Dec. 11, he assisted on four of Eastern's first five baskets en route to a 17-4 lead. He finished the game with 12 points, a career-high six rebounds and five assists.
 
Robertson made 5-of-7 shots from the floor to finish with a career-high 15 points in his first game of the season versus Arizona, eclipsing his previous high of nine set as a freshman. He also had five rebounds, and drew the foul that disqualified Arizona 6-11 forward Jordan Brown from the game.
 
Rouse, who also didn't play in EWU's opener at Washington State, had 13 in his first game of the season against Arizona. He sank a trio of 3-pointers and had four assists to share team-high honors. Robertson and Rouse both hit 3-pointers in a 9-1 run as the Eagles took their biggest lead of the half at 56-48 with 8:42 remaining. In the next game, Robertson scored 11 points and Rouse had 10.
 
In seven games played thus far, Robertson is averaging 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists (fifth in the Big Sky) while sinking 45.5 percent from the field (12-of-35 3-pointers for 34.3 percent) and 69.2 percent from the free throw line (9-of-13). Rouse is averaging 5.4 points and 2.3 assists, and has made five 3-pointers (in 22 attempts for 22.7 percent, 31.8 percent overall).
 
A year ago as a redshirt freshman, Rouse started seven games and chipped in 6.5 points and 1.7 assists while making 37-of-96 3-pointers (38.5 percent). He exceeded his previous career best by seven points when he scored 21 points in a 100-75 victory over Idaho State on March 5 to help EWU wrap-up at least a share of the Big Sky title. So far in his career, he's played in 38 games (12 as a starter) and is averaging 6.3 points, 1.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds while sinking 42-of-118 3-point attempts (35.6 percent).
 
Robertson played in 26 Eastern games a true freshman in 2019-20, averaging 8.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high eight points at Boston College and one game later had his high for rebounds with three at High Point. In a 68-64 victory at Northern Colorado in a battle for first place in the league standings, Robertson came off the bench to provide some of the defense on UNC's Jonah Radebaugh, who needed 24 shots to score 21 points. In his career thus far, Robertson has played 33 games (his first 28 off the bench) and has averaged 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists while sinking 23-of-66 3-pointers for 34.8 percent.
 
 "Casson and Tyler are really good, and they are two reasons why I'm so high on this team," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans after the Arizona game. "We have a lot of depth on this team and we can call on a lot of players when we need to."
 
 
Senior Jack Perry Continues Marksmanship from 3-Point Line
 
With more than 100 games of experience as an Eagle, so far this season senior Jack Perry has averaged 3.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while sinking 6-of-16 3-point shots.
 
He adds senior leadership in the back court after averaging 6.2 points and 2.5 assists during a junior campaign that was limited to 26 games because of a high ankle sprain. In league-only statistics last season, Perry was 14th in assists (2.7) and 11th in 3-pointers made per game (1.7). He has also provided some clutch moments through the years for EWU, including the 100th 3-pointer of his career to give EWU the lead for good in a 78-75 victory at Idaho on Jan. 16, 2020.
 
Perry has played in 100 games (64 as a starter) to become just the 24th player in school history to hit the century mark (he now ranks 23rd). He is currently 13th on EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 40.0 percent (134-of-335), and has averaged 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with 49 total steals.
 
 
Ellis Magnuson, a 31-Game Starter from a Year Ago, Makes Debut Versus Oregon
 
Ellis Magnuson started all 31 Eagle games as a true freshman in the 2019-20 season, but missed the first two games of his sophomore season because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He made his season debut versus Oregon on Dec. 7 and finished with two assists and no points in eight minutes of action. In six games thus far, he's averaged 14.3 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
 
A year ago, Magnuson finished 118th in the nation in assists (4.2 to rank fifth in the Big Sky) and was 112th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.84 per game to rank fifth in the league). In Big Sky-only statistics, he was eighth in assists (3.4), and was the only freshman ranked in that category in the top 15. He was also the only freshman in the top 11 in assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking seventh (+1.5).
 
In his 37-game career (33 as a starter), Magnuson is averaging 389 assists, 5.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He's made 35.4 percent of his field goal attempts, including 22-of-76 (28.9 percent) from the 3-point arc. He's also made 32-of-39 career free throws for 82.1 percent.
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* The Eagles are 15-12 all-time versus UNC (10-3 in Cheney, 5-9 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. A year ago, Eastern swept the Bears with an 89-84 overtime victory at home followed by a 68-64 win in Greeley.
 
* Eastern had lost the last two times they've played in Greeley until the victory last season, 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 nine of the last 12 overall since that loss, including a recent stretch of six victories in the last eight meetings.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Despite Big Offensive Night, Eastern Falls to Thunderbirds 99-94
 
Lots of lead changes, lots of ties, lots of 3-pointers and lots of Jacob Davison, Kim Aiken Jr. and Tanner Groves. But two Southern Utah scoring runs were the difference in the game as Eastern fell to SUU 99-94 on Jan. 16 in a Big Sky Conference game at Reese Court. It was EWU's first league loss in three tries this season, while the Thunderbirds improved to 5-1. The Eagles scored a season-high 94 points, but the 99 they surrendered were also a high. The Thunderbirds sank 56 percent of their shots from the field, and had a 12-0 run to overcome a nine-point deficit. A late 6-0 run gave them an insurmountable nine-point advantage with 25 ticks of the clock left, and they secured the win at the free throw line where they were an impressive 30-of-34 for the afternoon for 88 percent. The game featured a total of 15 lead changes and 10 ties – both highs for the season for EWU. The Eagles led for 26:08 in the game compared to just 11:11 for SUU. Eastern's trio of Aiken, Groves and Davison combined for 75 Eagle points, and EWU finished with a season-high 19 3-pointers – one from the school record. Davison led the way with 31 points and nine 3-pointers – one from the school record of 10 – and Aiken finished with 23 points and five treys. Aiken also had 12 rebounds to finish with the 17th double-double of his career – but his first this season. Groves scored 21 and sophomore Tyler Robertson chipped in 12 points. Much like its win two days earlier, Eastern led much of the early going thanks to eight early points by Groves. After the Thunderbirds took a short-lived lead, EWU used a flagrant foul on SUU to spark a 10-2 run and go back up by five with 6:13 left in the half. Eastern, though, suffered through a 1-of-9 shooting stretch and the Thunderbirds regained the lead. But Aiken scored EWU's last 11 points in the final 1:37, including a trio of 3-pointers. His double-clutch trey at the buzzer gave EWU a 49-47 halftime advantage. Eastern used an early 11-2 run in the second half to go up by nine, then a 3-pointer by Aiken – EWU's 14th of the game – put EWU up by double digits at 63-53 with 15:58 remaining. The Eagles led by nine on a 3-pointer by Davison with 13:24 remaining, but the Eagles missed their next eight shots and went exactly five minutes without scoring. The resulting 12-0 Thunderbird run gave SUU the lead, and it was a back-and-forth battle after that. Neither team led by more than three points in the next six minutes before SUU took a four-point lead with 2:23 remaining. They expanded it to six moments later before Davison hit EWU's 17th 3-pointer at the 1:29 mark. But the Eagles would follow with a pair of misses and a turnover to allow the Thunderbirds to take their biggest lead of the weekend at nine with 25 seconds left. Davison hit a pair of 3-pointers after that, but EWU could never cut it to less than three. Davison missed a desperation 35-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer, which could have tied both the EWU individual and team 3-point records.
 
 
Eagles Beat Southern Utah 75-63 in Long-Awaited Return to Court
 
After nearly a month without a game – and over a month without playing on its home court – Eastern edged Southern Utah 75-63 on Jan. 14 in its league home opener at Reese Court. The game was a match-up of teams who had yet to lose a Big Sky Conference game, and EWU's first after a full 25 days without a game. Junior Tanner Groves paced the Eagles with 25 points, and EWU led for 39:25 of the game and by as many as 13. The Thunderbirds never led, and the game was tied for just 35 seconds. The Eagles, who led by as many as 13, will take on SUU again on Saturday (Jan. 16) at 12:05 p.m. Eastern snapped Southern Utah's nine-game winning streak, dating back to a season-opening loss on Nov. 25. Eastern senior guard Jack Perry finally got the opportunity to play in his 100th career game, and he was able to do it on EWU's home court. Perry closed the night with five points, three steals and a pair of assists. Groves hit 7-of-15 field goals, 2-of-3 3-pointers and all nine of his free throws to finish with 25 points in just under 23 minutes of action. He also had seven rebounds. Junior Kim Aiken Jr., a preseason All-Big Sky selection, had nine points and 10 rebounds, coming a single point from his first double-double of the season. Senior Jacob Davison, the preseason MVP in the Big Sky Conference, hit a trio of 3-pointers to finish with 15 points. Overall he sank 4-of-8 shots from the field and 4-of-5 free throws, and also had four rebounds. Sophomore Tyler Robertson chipped in nine points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sophomore Jacob Groves, the younger brother of junior Tanner Groves, added six points. The Eagles jumped out to an early 9-2 lead, thanks to seven early points by Tanner Groves. Later in the half, a 7-0 EWU run gave Eastern a 27-19 advantage at the 5:34 mark. Aiken's rebound basket with 4:17 left in the half opened EWU's biggest lead of the half at 10 points, and the Eagles led at halftime 35-30. Eastern maintained its lead in the second half, although the Thunderbirds were able to cut the lead to a single point twice. But EWU was able to respond each time, and a Davison 3-pointer with 6:37 to play put EWU up again by 10 at 59-49. Another trey by Davison gave EWU's its biggest lead of the night at 68-55 at the 3:04 mark.
 
 
 

2019-20 Highlights

 
* The Eagles had their-second highest win total in 37 years as a NCAA Division I member with 23 victories.
* Their 16 league triumphs were the most in their 33 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
* The Eagles finished sixth in the nation in scoring offense (80.9 per game) and were fourth in assists (17.5).
* Eastern was able to celebrate heartily on March 7, 2020, after the Eagles beat Weber State 78-69 to wrap-up the outright Big Sky Conference title.
* The Coronavirus pandemic resulted in cancellation of the Big Sky and NCAA Tournaments, and ended a historic run by EWU and senior Mason Peatling, who won the league's MVP award after averaging a double-double in 20 league outings.
Mason Peatling also was a first team Academic All-America selection, and finished his career with 118 games played, 1,250 points, 725 rebounds, 112 blocked shots and a .555 field goal shooting percentage – all marks which rank in the top 12 in EWU history.
* Mason Peatling and Jacob Davison were rewarded for the historic season by receiving All-District 6 honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
* Peatling was a first team All-Big Sky selection, while junior Jacob Davison was picked for the second team and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. was on the third squad.
* Head Coach Shantay Legans himself was the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year after leading EWU to a final record of 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the league.
* Legans is now 59-41 in his three years as head coach for a .590 winning percentage. In league games, he has directed EWU to 13, 12 and now 16 victories, winning 71 percent for a record of 41-17. Both percentages are currently the best among the eight men who have been head coaches in EWU's tenure in the league, and his 41 league wins is the best three-year stretch in school history.
* Mason Peatling was on fire during the league season, closing with averages of 18.5 points on 56 percent shooting from the field, 10.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 0.8 steals. He had 11 double-doubles in his last 15 games.
* Mason Peatling was honored three times during the year as Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, and Jacob Davison earned the honor twice.
* Eastern's school-record 16 Big Sky wins included sweeps over seven of the league's 10 other teams, and a split versus Idaho State and Idaho. Eastern was swept by Montana, which had won the two previous regular season and tournament titles.
* The Eagles had just two seniors – Mason Peatling and Tyler Kidd – so EWU has high aspirations for 2020 and beyond.
Eastern won its fourth Big Sky regular season title in school history (2000, 2004, 2015, 2020), but now joins the 2004 team with the only outright titles. Eastern has gone on to win 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).
* A Big Sky Conference-best eight players were named to the league's All-Academic squad, including four-time recipient Mason Peatling. The others were Kim Aiken Jr., Jacob Groves, Tanner Groves, Ellis Magnuson, Michael Meadows, Jack Perry and Tyler Robertson.
* A trio of Eagles – Kim Aiken Jr., Jacob Davison and Mason Peatling – were honored during the year as the EWU Scholar-Athletes of the Month.
* Six different players earned team awards at the conclusion of the season. Mason Peatling was chosen as the MVP after earning the same honor from the league. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr., received the team's Best Defender award, and Peatling, Aiken and junior Jacob Davison were recognized as EWU's co-captains for the 2019-20 season. In addition, junior Jack Perry received the team's Most Improved award, true freshman Ellis Magnuson was the Top Newcomer and sophomore Tanner Groves out of Spokane's Shadle Park High School was Most Inspirational.
 
 
 
 

More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On 19 3-Pointers Versus SUU: "We can do that – we have great shooters all the way around. But we have to make sure our defensive play is better. I think we are a good defensive team, and we have to come back next week and focus on that side of the ball. I think we'll be okay."
 
On Victory Over SUU: "We're glad to be back playing. Our guys were excited to play but had a lot of rust. Our team toughened in the second half for a couple of stretches. We did what we needed to do to win this game."
 
On Tanner Groves in First SUU Game: "I was on him at halftime to be more aggressive and more assertive. There were some 50-50 calls that could have gone either way. That was tough, but when you are the biggest guy on the court you get those foul calls. So he has to be a little smarter than that. He's doing everything we've asked and he did a great job of being our general on the defensive end. Defensively he was a stud, and he made some shots. He really did some things that really stretched the game open for us."
 
On Intensity Level in First SUU Game: "It's huge. I think we are one of the better defensive teams in the league, especially when we focus on it – and we did that tonight. We have players on the court with experience, and they came through tonight. We are the only ones in the gym and we have to bring our own energy. The team did a great job of being there for one another. If they weren't playing they were cheering. That's huge in these types of settings and it's going to be huge for the rest of the season."
 
On Long Layoff: "We over-prepare. Our players early in the (first SUU) game were doing a lot of thinking, and that had a lot to do with me for putting so much into this game. This is the only game we've played in a month. We put so much into one game, and watched all their other games and tried to figure out the best way to win. If we just let our team play, get downhill and have some fun, they will show you exactly what they can do – and they did that in stretches. I slowed them down tonight."
 
On NAU Win: "Sitting in the hotel and not doing anything for 50 hours and then coming out and playing that way was amazing. For this group of players it shows mental toughness. They were really excited to play this game. I couldn't be happier to watch them get out and play. Everybody on the roster played and they deserved it. I was proud of their effort for what they had to go through. We tried to make it as normal as possible, but it's not normal. We got punched in the mouth early because they were playing really good basketball. But our team battled through it and made all the right plays and took the easy baskets. When you shoot that well on the road, you have to be proud. Our players defended well and held them to 37 percent."
 
On Kim Aiken Jr. at NAU: "It was great to see his scoring, but it was great to see him rebound and get offensive boards. It's good to see him shoot with confidence, and play upbeat and happy. And when he's defending like he did today, I think he's the best defender in the league. He did a great job. He got seven 3-point attempts and made five – that's a big-time game for him."
 
On Depth: "We have a lot of depth, and we like to give players opportunities to see what they can do and see if they run with it. We have a lot of players, and we have to figure out who can get in there and do certain things and play roles. That's the fun of coaching to figure that part out."