Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (4-6/3-2 Big Sky in 2020-21 23-8/16-4 Big Sky in 2019-20) Sunday, Jan. 31 – Sacramento State – 11:05 a.m. Monday, Feb. 1 – Sacramento State – 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 1053 or via https://bigskyconf.com/watchbigsky
Live Stats:	EWU Home Games: http://ewustats.com

It's brunch time for the Eagles on back-to-back days.
 
After a three-day delay because of a positive Covid-19 case within its program, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team returns to Reese Court on Sunday, Jan. 31 to host Sacramento State at 11:05 a.m. Pacific time, then host the Hornets a day later at the same time. The games were originally going to be played on Thursday/Saturday.
 
At this time, no spectators will be permitted to attend home basketball games due to institutional, regional, and state guidelines in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Both games will be available via PlutoTV channel 1053 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. Live statistics from all Eastern home games are available via http://ewustats.com.
 
Sitting at 3-2 in the Big Sky Conference as the preseason favorites to win the league title, Eastern is still looking for its first back-to-back Big Sky wins of the season. Eastern is coming off an 82-76 win at Northern Colorado in which EWU followed its third-fewest points in a half (27) with its most points in any half all year (55).
 
The Eagles are 4-6 overall and still looking to get on the roll like they did a year ago en route to the regular season league title. Last year at this juncture of the league season, the Eagles were also 3-2, and had won the first game of what would become a six-game winning streak. Eastern ended the regular season with a streak of seven-straight victories to win the league title with a 16-4 mark.
 
"We're getting in the flow and need to get on a roll a little bit," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans following last week's win at Northern Colorado. "Getting a split at UNC was a good job, even though we obviously want to get sweeps everywhere. You can have toughness, energy and communication everywhere you go. That's what we are teaching these players, and they are getting there. They'll be ready to go when Sac State comes to town."
 
With only nine games played entering action this week, the Hornets have played the fewest games as any team in the Big Sky thus far (Eastern's 10 were the second-fewest). Sacramento State is now 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the league after a home split versus Montana (78-66 loss on Jan. 21 and 89-83 double-overtime victory on Jan. 23). The prior week, they fell to Idaho State 57-56 on Jan. 16 and then beat the Bengals two days later by a 70-65 score.
 
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 is in a logjam in a league season impacted by numerous cancellations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through a single game that was able to be played on Thursday (Jan. 28), Montana State sits on top at 6-0, followed by Southern Utah (6-2), Sacramento State (4-2), Idaho State (5-3), Eastern (3-2) and Weber State (3-2). Northern Colorado is at .500 with a 5-5 record, followed by Montana (3-5), Portland State (2-4), Northern Arizona (3-6) and Idaho (0-9).
 
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
More About the Hornets
 
The Hornets are led by a quartet of seniors all averaging in double figures. Six-foot-7 forward Ethan Esposito is this week's Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, and is now averaging 18.7 points to rank second in the league and 8.2 rebounds to rank second. UC Santa Barbara transfer Christian Terrell is averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 boards and 2.4 assists in five games played. Bryce Fowler is averaging 13.2 points to rank 13th in the Big Sky and 4.2 assists to rank second, and William FitzPatrick is the fourth Hornet averaging in double figures at 10.6 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 this week's games with a 148-223 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.


More About the Eagles
 
Junior forward Tanner Groves continues to be a dominant force in the Big Sky, registering a pair of double-doubles in EWU's split against Northern Colorado, with the Eagles falling 78-76 in the first game on Jan. 21 and winning the second 82-76 two days later. Groves sank 73.7 percent of his shots from the field (14-of-19) and 87.5 percent from the free throw line (7-of-8) in averaging 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the two games. He also had a blocked shot and three assists.
 
Groves continues to lead the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (9.1 per game). He is also fifth in scoring (16.8), second in field goal percentage (.577), fifth in blocked shots (1.1) and fifth in free throw percentage (.820). Preseason All-Big Sky MVP Jacob Davison is averaging 13.9 points to rank 12th in the league, and is sixth in 3-pointers made per game (2.0). He scored 31 versus Southern Utah on Jan. 16 when he hit nine 3-pointers to come one from the school record of 10.
 
Pre-season All-Big Sky Conference selection Kim Aiken Jr. is third in rebounding in the league, averaging 7.9 per game to go along with 11.9 points per outing to rank 21th. He also joins Groves in ranking fifth in the BSC in blocked shots (1.10), and is also 10th in steals (1.1) and 13th in free throw percentage (.758). Sophomore Tyler Robertson is also averaging in double figures for EWU at 11.8 points per game, and is 13th in the league in assists (2.4) and 14th in 3-pointers per game (1.56).
 
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. 28, Eastern has fallen to second among Big Sky schools with a ranking of 166th, and is 125th in strength of schedule. Weber State is No. 1 in the league at 114th, followed by EWU, Montana State (176), Southern Utah (184), Montana (215), Sacramento State (225), Northern Colorado (258), Portland State (266), Idaho State (281), Northern Arizona (329) and Idaho (344) among the 347 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
 
Idaho was idle last week, and the Vandals will look for their first win of the season under former Eagle player Zac Claus when they host Weber State on Saturday (Jan. 30). Claus lettered for EWU in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons after transferring from Nebraska, and is in his second season at the helm at UI.
 
A year ago, Eastern slipped past the Vandals in Moscow by a 78-75 score in a game that featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes. But Claus had a happy homecoming in his first game back at Reese Court as Idaho's head coach, with the Vandals winning 74-71. Eastern's furious comeback fell short as the Eagles trailed at halftime by 18 and by as many as 24 in the second half.
 
Idaho is 0-12 overall and 0-9 in the Big Sky after an 81-56 loss to Weber State on Jan. 28. Six-foot-8 senior forward Scott Blakney is averaging 12.0 points per game to lead Idaho, and 5-11 senior guard Damen Thacker averages 11.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Gabe Quinnett, a 6-4 sophomore guard, chips in 9.3 points and 2.2 assists. His father, Brian Quinnett, starred at Cheney High School and Washington State University before playing three seasons in the NBA for the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
 
 
 

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 1,289 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 97-game career (66 as a starter), he's averaged 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals while sinking 45.0 percent of his shots from the field, 34.5 percent from the 3-point stripe (126-of-365) and 77.0 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 13.9 points, 1.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds, making 39.4 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from the 3-point stripe (20-of-59). He's also made 19-of-24 free throws (79.2 percent) and has seven steals and six 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 11.9 points and 7.9 rebounds, while making 45.3 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from the arc (16-of-40). He's also made 25-of-33 free throws (.758) and has 11 steals, 11 blocked shots and 21 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 Henson Award Watch List
 
Junior Tanner Groves has had a stellar start to the 2020-21 men's basketball season, and has been rewarded on a trio of occasions thus far. On Jan. 26, he was selected on the mid-season watch list for the 2020-21 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award. He is one of 40 players listed as a candidate for the award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in NCAA Division I college basketball. This year's recipient will be announced in April, and the award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
 
Groves 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."

Groves continues to lead the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (9.1 per game). He is fifth in scoring (16.8), second in field goal percentage (.577), fifth in blocked shots (1.1) and fifth in free throw percentage (.820). He also averages 1.4 assists per outing and had made 7-of-21 3-point shots (.333).
 
Most recently, he registered a pair of double-doubles in EWU's split against Northern Colorado, with the Eagles falling 78-76 in the first game on Jan. 21 and winning the second 82-76 two days later. Groves sank 73.7 percent of his shots from the field (14-of-19) and 87.5 percent from the free throw line (7-of-8) in averaging 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the two games. He also had a blocked shot and three assists.
 
In the second meeting with UNC, he missed his first free throw of the game, snapping his streak of 27 made free throws in a row dating back to making his last seven at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19. He made 8-of-14 to start the year, but is 33-of-36 since (91.7 percent). Groves now has four double-doubles this season and six in his career.
 
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 8.1 points and 4.0 boards as a sophomore and has made 46.2 percent of his shots. Jacob added seven points and seven rebounds in the road victory at Northern Arizona, and had 10 points in a loss at Northern Colorado on Jan. 21.
 
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 69-game career (13 as a starter) he's averaged 6.0 points, 3.6 boards and has 47 blocked shots, while sinking 54.5 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 34-game career (two as a starter), he's averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds, and has 14 steals and 11 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 nine games played thus far, Robertson is averaging 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists while sinking 42.3 percent from the field (14-of-40 3-pointers for 35.0 percent) and 62.2 percent from the free throw line (23-of-37). Rouse is averaging 4.2 points and 2.6 assists, and has made five 3-pointers (in 24 attempts for 20.8 percent, 29.8 percent overall).
 
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 35 games (his first 28 off the bench) and has averaged 4.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists while sinking 25-of-71 3-pointers for 35.2 percent.
 
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 40 games (12 as a starter) and is averaging 6.0 points, 1.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds while sinking 42-of-120 3-point attempts (35.0 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 3.7 points, 156 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while sinking 9-of-21 3-point shots (.429). In an 82-76 win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 23, he helped spark the Eagles in the second half with eight points as he sank both of the 3-pointers he attempted and had a team-high three steals in the game.
 
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 in the 2019-20 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 103 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 12th on EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 40.3 percent (137-of-340), and has averaged 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with 52 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 eight games thus far, he's averaged 16.7 minutes, 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 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 39-game career (35 as a starter), Magnuson is averaging 3.7 assists, 5.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He's made 36.1 percent of his field goal attempts, including 22-of-79 (27.8 percent) from the 3-point arc. He's also made 33-of-40 career free throws for 82.5 percent.
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, the Eagles are now 38-15 versus Sacramento State, and the two schools did not play against each other prior to that. A nine-game winning streak overall and five at home came to an end with a 59-56 home loss on Feb. 28, 2019. Prior to that setback, EWU hadn't lost in the series since falling in Sacramento by a 90-77 score on Jan. 17, 2015, and had not lost at home since a 60-53 defeat on Jan. 12, 2013. Eastern has won the last four times the two teams have played in Sacramento State, dating back to a 90-77 loss there on Jan. 17, 2015.  Eastern has a 22-4 record versus Sacramento State in Cheney, are 14-11 in Sacramento and 2-0 on a neutral court. Eastern is 2-0 versus Sac State in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, winning 89-70 in the 2017 quarterfinals in Reno, Nevada, and 91-83 in the 2015 quarterfinals in Missoula. En route to the 2015 title, the Eagles had a 16-of-17 shooting stretch versus the Hornets, including seven of its last eight in the first half and their first nine of the second half.
 
Since 1996 when Idaho first left the Big Sky Conference, the two schools have now played 28 times, with Eastern winning 16 of them. Idaho leads the all-time series 58-31. Since EWU became a NCAA Division I member in the 1983-84 season, EWU is 19-37 against Idaho (10-16 home, 8-17 away, 1-4 neutral). In the 14 meetings since Idaho re-joined the Big Sky Conference in the 2014-15 season, EWU is 8-6, but the average winning margin is just 6.9 points (total of 65). Not including a 25-point Eagle win in 2019, the average margin of the other 13 games is 5.5 points.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Team Effort Gives Eagles an 82-76 Victory
 
If their battle wasn't close enough two days earlier, Eastern used another hard-fought effort to beat Northern Colorado 82-76 Jan. 23 in Greeley, Colo., for a split in two games versus the Bears.  Eight Eagles scored at least six points, and EWU used a late 7-0 run to break open a close game that featured 20 lead changes and six ties. Eastern changed up the starting lineup with sophomore Michael Meadows making the first start of his career, and sophomore Jacob Groves getting his second. Although the Eagles had just 27 points at intermission – a low in a first half and third-lowest overall – the Eagles responded with his highest scoring half of the season with 55 after halftime. Eastern made all 10 of its free throw attempts in the last 52 seconds to preserve the victory. Northern Colorado's last lead came with 5:56 to play as the Eagles took the lead for good 15 seconds later. Junior Kim Aiken Jr., a preseason All-Big Sky selection, led the Eagle with 17 points, making 5-of-10 shots from the field and 7-of-9 free throws. He also finished with eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Junior Tanner Groves had his second-straight double-double – and fourth of the year -- with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He missed his first free throw of the game, snapping his streak of 27 made free throws in a row dating back to making his last seven at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19. He made 8-of-14 to start the year, but is 33-of-36 since (91.7 percent). Senior Jacob Davison, the preseason MVP in the Big Sky Conference, came off the bench to score 11 for EWU. He also had five rebounds and a pair of steals. He had started 59-straight games, with the last time he came off the bench coming on Nov. 17, 2018, at Washington. Sophomore Tyler Robertson scored nine with a pair of assists and two rebounds. Sophomore Michael Meadows made the first start of his now 24-game career and finished with nine points and three rebounds in 32 minutes of action. He sank all five of his free throws. Senior Jack Perry, playing in his 103rd game as an Eagle, helped spark the Eagles in the second half with eight points. He sank both of the 3-pointers he attempted and had a team-high three steals. Sophomore Jacob Groves, the younger brother of junior Tanner Groves, made the second start of his career and had seven points and four rebounds. Sophomore Ellis Magnuson chipped in six points but was held without an assist. The first half was close throughout, and included eight lead changes and five ties at the point EWU used a 6-0 run to take a 27-22 lead. Aiken made a basket after a steal by Davison to spark the run, then Meadows hit back-to-back buckets to give EWU its largest lead of the game at five. But EWU would go the final 3:49 of the half without scoring, and Northern Colorado scored the final eight points to lead 30-27 at intermission and provide the ninth lead change. Keeping the Eagles in the game at that point were four rebound baskets, as Tanner Groves and Jacob Groves each scored seven for the Eagles. The 27 points were the fewest in the first half for the Eagles this season and third-fewest overall. The Bears continued to expand on the lead in the second half, going up 43-34 with 14:33 to play. The Eagles, however, battled back, and a basket by Aiken and a 3-pointer by Davison cut the lead to 46-44 with 12:27 remaining. At that point, the Eagles had made just 1-of-12 3-pointers, and would make four of its last five to finish 5-of-17 for the game. Eastern completed the comeback with another steal by Davison and basket by Aiken, putting EWU up 47-46 with the game's 11th lead change at the 11:44 mark. The two teams traded blows after that, with the largest lead by either team in the next 6 1/2 minutes at three points until Perry hit a 3-pointer with 5:11 left that gave EWU a 65-61 advantage. Soon after that, the Eagles went on a game-deciding 7-0 run on baskets by Aiken, Tanner Groves and a 3-pointer by Robertson at the 2:48 mark, giving EWU a 72-64 lead. The last Northern Colorado lead came at the 5:56 mark, and EWU took the lead for good on a basket by Tanner Groves with 5:41 to play.
 
 
Rally by Eagles Ends in Heartbreaking 78-76 Loss at Northern Colorado
 
There was disappointment in Greeley, Colo., for the Eagles at Northern Colorado in a 78-76 setback Thursday Jan. 21 in the first of two games versus the Bears. Trailing by 11 in the second half, Eastern rallied behind 6-foot-9 junior Tanner Groves to take a late lead. Eastern had the ball and a chance to win with 11 seconds left, but a turnover and foul led to a pair of game-winning free throws by the Bears with one tick of the clock left. Groves led four Eagles in double figures with 20 points, and he also had 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Eastern sank 49 percent of its shots and 88 percent from the free throw line, and had a season-high 52 points in the paint. But the Eagles made just three 3-pointers compared to 13 for the Bears, who sank 43.3 percent of their treys compared to 18.8 percent for EWU. Sophomore Tyler Robertson scored 16 points, including 12 in the first half. Senior Jacob Davison, the preseason MVP in the Big Sky Conference, scored 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from inside the 3-point arc and 1-of-4 outside of it. Sophomore Jacob Groves, the younger brother of junior Tanner Groves, came off the bench to score 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and had three rebounds. Junior Kim Aiken Jr., a preseason All-Big Sky selection, scored all eight of his points in the second half. He also had seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Ellis Magnuson chipped in a season-high seven points and also had five assists. There were four ties and three lead changes in the early going, but the Bears got hot to take command. Tied at 11, UNC went on a 7-0 run and took an 18-11 advantage. Eastern trailed 33-30, but UNC scored the next five points and eventually led at halftime 47-38. Eastern hit 50 percent of its shots, but so did the Bears, who sank eight 3-pointers to EWU's three. Robertson scored 12 in the opening 20 minutes to lead the Eagles. The Bears took their biggest lead of the night at 62-51 with 13:20 to play, but Eastern used a 14-4 run over the next six minutes to knot the score at 65. The Eagles capped that run with six-straight points, including a dunk and basket by Tanner Groves, and a tying bucket by his brother Jacob Groves. Tanner gave Eastern its first lead since the opening minutes with a 3-point play with 7:13 to play that was the fifth lead change of the game. There were four more lead changes and four ties down the stretch, and the game was knotted at 76 in the final minute as neither team hit a field goal in the final two minutes. Northern Colorado missed a field goal attempt with 13 seconds to play to set-up EWU for a potential game-winning possession. But a steal by UNC's Matt Johnson was followed by a backcourt foul by EWU, and Johnson nailed both charity shots for the win.
 
 
 
 
 

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 UNC Win: "We are relying on players we trust, and they did a great job. I couldn't be any prouder. We're trying to find the right recipe and we'll get there -- we have some really, really good groceries to work with. You have to be happy for these young men. They did a great job."
 
On Target on Their Backs as Preseason Picks: "We need to understand we are the guys being hunted now, and we have to have a different mentality for every game. We'll get there because we have guys stepping up all over the place and they are giving us great contributions and great toughness. That's what's going to win games. We'll always recruit players who can score, but we need to play tough, defend and rebound the ball well, and against UNC we did that. When you do that and not give up easy baskets, you put yourself in a great position to win games."
 
On Second Half in Win at UNC: "We just said 'go make baskets boys.' We had great contributions in the second half. Tanner was all beat up, but he came out and gave us a double-double. You can't say enough about that young man and the great basketball he is playing. Kim Aiken played the same way and made big shots and big plays. Jacob was taken out of the starting lineup so we could switch some things out, and he was rooting louder than anybody else on that bench. When he got in he stretched the game out for us and did some amazing things. Jack Perry hit two huge 3-pointers and got some huge steals. That's what you can hope for from you leaders. But this was the result of this week's game, and next week will be different."
 
On Toughness in UNC Win: "Mike Meadows hasn't played a lot because of an Achilles injury, but he came in and played 32 minutes. He has toughness, and our other players do too. When you have tough guys and things go wrong, they stick together. That's what we need to achieve and understand, and we are trying to fill roles. At the same time, we have players with great character. They've worked their tails off every single day and do anything we ask. They are great in the community, and you couldn't ask for better guys to root for."
 
On Rebounding: "Rebounding is toughness. We have talent, but if you have toughness to go along with that talent you will win a lot of games. That's what we did last year and that's what we'll do this year."
 
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 Intensity Level in SUU Win: "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 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, 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."