After a one-week hiatus from competition, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team is back in action this Saturday, Nov. 27, at Washington State. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. in Pullman, Wash., at the Beasley Coliseum.
 
Bob Castle will have the call on 700-AM ESPN and 103.5 FM in Cheney. The game will also be available online HERE on Pac-12 Networks with live stats available at EWUStats.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Washington finished runner-up at the Good Sam Empire Classic in Northridge, Calif., on Nov. 19-20. The Eagles opened up the tournament with a 67-64 win over the hosts CSUN after trailing by as many as 13 in the second half. The Eagles led for 15:06 in the first half but trailed 31-26 heading into the locker room. After CSUN went on a 12-2 run late in the second half, EWU responded with a 15-2 run of its own. Venters tied the game with a pair of free throws, and the Eagles outscored the Matadors 7-4 in the overtime period and en route to the win. Defensively, Eastern Washington held the Matadors without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes to end the game.
 
The next day, Eastern took on Texas State in the Championship game where it was a tale of two halves. The Eagles led for the entirety of the first half and the Bobcats took their first lead with 14:05 left to play in the second and never looked back, as Eastern Washington fell 81-74. Eastern Washington was a perfect five-of-five from the field to start the game, and four different Eastern Washington Eagles made a three-pointer in the first two and a half minutes of play. The Bobcats were held to 32.1 percent from the field (9-28) in the first half and improved to 64.0 percent (16-25) in the second. The Eagles were 12-of-26 (46.2) in the first and 9-of-25 (36.0) in the second.
 
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington is 2-3 on the young season. Besides the win over CSUN, the Eagles topped Walla Walla 111-71 in the team's only home game so far this season.
 
A quartet of Eagles average double figures. Steele Venters leads the way with 19.0 points per game which is second in the Big Sky Conference. Venters ranks in the top-ten in the conference in field goal percentage (5^th, 53.3), free throw percentage (10^th, 84.0) and three-point field goal percentage (4^th, 41.7). He is also second on the team in assists (2.6) and steals (1.4) per game. Venters has scored in double figures in all five games.
 
Linton Acliese III is close behind with 18.2 points per game, which is fourth in the Big Sky, and leads the way with 8.8 rebounds per game. He already has three double-doubles this season and has scored 20-or-more points in three out of five contests, scoring in double figures in all of them.
True freshman Ethan Price averages 11.8 points per game, scoring in double figures in four games with two double-doubles on the year. He leads the Eagles with 1.2 blocks per game.
 
Rylan Bergersen adds 11.8 points per contest. He leads the Big Sky with 4.8 assists per game, dishing at least six in three out of five games so far this year. He has one double-double and is tied for the team lead with 1.4 steals per game.
 
The Eagles are tied for second in the Big Sky with 80.8 points per game. They are shooting 42.8 percent from the field and average 9.0 three-pointers and 42.8 rebounds per game.
 
A LOOK AT WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougars are 5-0 on the season and have won 18-straight non-conference games dating back to last season, as this marks the final tune-up before WSU starts non-conference play.
 
Washington State is averaging 87.6 points per game and have scored over 90 points in its last two contests. From the field, they're shooting 50.2 percent and 35.7 percent from three-point range with 8.2 triples per game. They average 40.0 rebounds per game, out-rebounding their opponents by 9.4 per contest.
 
Three Cougars average double figures in Noah Williams (13.8 ppg), Michael Flowers (12.2 ppg) and Tyrell Roberts (12.2 ppg).
 
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Washington opened the 2020-21 season at Washington State last season, falling by a narrow margin of 71-68. The Eagles led for more than 33 minutes, including a 16-3 lead in the first six minutes. The Eagles led by as many as six in the second half, but the Cougars used a 13-5 run to take the lead for good. Isaac Bonton iced the win with a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining, coming four seconds after an offensive foul was called on Eastern's Kim Aiken Jr.
 
Eastern Washington has lost six-straight against Washington State, with its last win coming in 1997. The Cougars have won five-straight in Pullman where Eastern is 2-34. Eastern trails the all-time series, 11-56.
 
UP NEXT: Eastern Washington returns home for the first time in what will be two and a half weeks when it hosts Southern Utah for the start of Big Sky Conference play. It will be the battle of the defending champions, as Southern Utah claimed last year's regular season title and EWU won the tournament title. The Thunderbirds are picked as this year's preseason favorite. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ or on 700-AM ESPN & 103.5 FM in Cheney. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours are required for entry.