After being edged by Colorado 60-57 on Wednesday, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team will look to bounce back at North Dakota on Saturday (Dec. 11) morning at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. Pacific time on the Midco Sports Two Network.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Another upset bid against a Pac-12 opponent came up short for the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team at Colorado on Dec. 8. The Eagles, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, had a 55-51 lead with 2:55 to go, but the Buffaloes went on to win 60-57.
 
Three Eagles scored in double figures, led by Steele Venters with 23 points. It was the fifth 20-plus point outing of the year for Venters, and the third-straight. True freshmen Ethan Price and Mason Landdeck added 11 points each.
 
EWU trailed 39-31 at the break. Down 47-38 with 13:19 left to play in the second half, the Eagles began their comeback. An 8-0 run that consisted of four-straight points from Venters and four-straight from Rylan Bergersen put EWU back within a point, 47-46.
 
Both sides traded baskets as the game moved into a 51-51 tie with 5:39 to play. Landdeck then went on a 4-0 run of his own to give the Eagles a 55-51 advantage, their first lead since the early goings of the first half. As the game winded down, Colorado completed consecutive three-point plays and the Buffaloes pulled ahead 57-55. Venters was there immediately with a layup to tie the contest 57-57 with 1:51 to play. Eastern had three good looks at the end but they all rimmed out. One more layup plus a free throw for Colorado helped the Buffaloes hang on for the 60-57 win.
 
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington (4-5, 0-1 Big Sky) has played seven of its nine games so far this season on the road, going 3-4 during the stretch. The Eagles will play at home against Multnomah on Dec. 15, but then it's back on the road for three-straight leading up to the next home game on Jan. 6 against rival Montana.
 
Three Eagles rank in the top-25 in scoring in the Big Sky Conference. Leading the way is Steele Venters who ranks first with 19.6 points per game. Venters has scored in double figures in eight out of nine games, five of which have been outputs of 20-or-more points. He's made five-or-more three-pointers in three-straight games, leading the conference and ranking 13^th in the nation with 3.11 triples per game. He's accurate, too, making 50.9 percent of his attempts to rank 36^th in all of Division I. The 28 made triples are 31^st nationally.
 
Rylan Bergersen is averaging 13.0 points per game, but he stuffs the stat sheet in other areas as well. Bergersen leads the conference with 4.4 assists per game with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.7. He is also 12^th in the conference with 5.8 rebounds per game and is seventh in steals with 1.6 per contest.
 
Linton Acliese III has sat out the last three games due to injury, but the Eagles await his return as he was averaging 16.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game with three double-doubles so far on the year.
 
True freshman Mason Landdeck is averaging 8.3 points per game and has started the last three contests. He is 22-for-26 from the free throw line this year, making seven-straight attempts. He is also eighth in the Big Sky with 1.5 steals per game.
 
As a team, the Eagles rank second in the Big Sky and 73^rd in the nation with 78.3 points per game. They lead the conference with 16.1 assists per game, a mark that is 46^th across all of Division I. Additionally, the Eagles are 63^rd with 9.0 three-pointers per game and lock down on three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 29.5 percent behind the arc.
 
A LOOK AT THE FIGHTING HAWKS: The Fighting Hawks are 3-7 on the year with consecutive losses to San Jose State (72-55) and California Baptist (89-71). At home, UND is 2-1 so far this season, and they haven't played in Grand Forks since Nov. 30. UND has played one other Big Sky school in Montana, where they came away with a 79-77 win.
 
North Dakota likes to shoot the three as well, knocking down 7.7 per game and making 30.8 percent from behind the arc. They are 50^th in the nation with 250 three-point attempts so far this year.
 
Three Fighting Hawks average double figures, led by Caleb Nero (12.1), Paul Bruns (11.6) and Mitchel Sueker (11.4). As a team, UND averages 65.6 points and 34.8 rebounds per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday is the 14^th all-time meeting between the two squads, as North Dakota used to be a member of the Big Sky. The Fighting Hawks own a 7-6 overall record, but Eastern has won three-straight.
 
The last time the two faced off, the Eagles won 98-82 in Cheney on Dec. 8, 2019. North Dakota hasn't beaten the Eagles since Feb. 9, 2017 at home by a score of 95-86.
 
UP NEXT: Eastern Washington plays at Reese Court one last time in 2021 on Wednesday, Dec. 15 against Multnomah. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. in Cheney.