For the final time in 2021, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team will play at Reese Court. The Eagles host the Multnomah Lions tomorrow (Dec. 15) in Cheney, Wash., at 6 p.m.
 
The Eagles are 5-5 overall (0-1 Big Sky) and are coming off of a win at North Dakota on Saturday. Multnomah plays in the NAIA out of the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Lions are 6-5 overall and 2-1 in CCC play, coming off consecutive wins against Bushnell (99-92) and Corban University (81-77) last week.
 
Fans might remember Dec. 13, 2019, the last time Multnomah came to town. The Eagles won 146-89, breaking a single-game Big Sky Conference record. Former Eagle Mason Peatling scored 54 points in the win, which is also a single-game record, scoring 34 in the first half alone. The Eagles out-rebounded the Lions 67-27 and had 39 assists.
 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Tomorrow's matchup is the annual Toys 4 Tots game. Fans are asked to bring a new or gently used toy to be dropped off inside the main entrance of Reese Court. All toys that are collected will be donated to the Toys 4 Tots drive.
 
Santa Swoop will also be in town and is available at halftime for photos.
 
All fans ages 11 years or older must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours for entry at all men's and women's home games at Reese Court this season, per the state mandate. Additionally, all fans ages five years or older must wear a mask inside Reese Court unless actively eating or drinking.  
 
Tickets for tomorrow's matchup are available at GoEags.com/tickets.
 
HOW TO WATCH: The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Greg Talbott and Marc Axton on the call. The radio broadcast with the Voice of the Eagles Larry Weir will be on 700-AM ESPN/103.5 FM or the Varsity Network app. Live stats are available at EWUStats.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The defense shined and four players scored in double figures in a complete team win for the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team at North Dakota on Dec. 11. The Eagles won 76-60 at the Betty Englestad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D. to improve to 5-5 (0-1 Big Sky) on the season.
 
Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by Rylan Bergersen with 20 points. Angelo Allegri followed with 14 and Ethan Price added 12. In his first game back after missing three due to injury, Linton Acliese III added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Mason Landdeck and Ellis Magnuson led the way with six and five assists, respectively.
 
The Eagles shot 50 percent from the field and held the Fighting Hawks to 29.9 percent.
 
EWU used a 14-0 run in the first half to lead 35-26 at the break. Eastern stretched the lead to as many 20, 70-50, thanks to a 10-2 run down the stretch. The closest the Fighting Hawks would get for the remainder of the game was within 14 points after a 6-0 run cut the lead to 70-56 with 2:30 left to play. The Eagles stayed collected, holding UND to just four more points after the run en route to the 76-60 victory.

 A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington (5-5, 0-1 Big Sky) has played eight of its 10 games so far this season on the road, going 4-4 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 second with 18.9 points per game. Venters has scored in double figures in nine out of ten games, five of which have been outputs of 20-or-more points. He's made five-or-more three-pointers in three out of the last four games, leading the conference and ranking 55th in the nation with 2.9 triples per game. He's accurate, too, making 48.3 percent of his attempts to rank 11th in all of Division I. The 29 made triples are 50th nationally.
 
Linton Acliese III played in his first game since Nov. 27 at North Dakota and is averaging 15.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game with three double-doubles so far on the year, ranking seventh in both categories.
 
Rylan Bergersen is averaging 13.7 points per game, but he stuffs the stat sheet in other areas as well. Bergersen is second in the conference with 4.4 assists per game with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.8. He is also 14^th in the conference with 5.5 rebounds per game and is sixth in steals with 1.3 per contest.
 
Angelo Allegri (9.1 ppg) and Ethan Price (10.3 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers for EWU.
 
True freshman Mason Landdeck is averaging 7.9 points per game and has started the last four contests. He is 22-for-27 from the free throw line this year, making seven out of his last eight attempts. He is also ninth in the Big Sky with 1.6 steals per game.
 
As a team, the Eagles rank second in the Big Sky and 75th in the nation with 78.1 points per game. They lead the conference with 16.2 assists per game, a mark that is 40^th across all of Division I. Additionally, the Eagles are 66th with 9.0 three-pointers per game and lock down on three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 30 percent behind the arc.
 
UP NEXT: Eastern Washington closes non-conference play in Lubbock, Texas, next week (Dec. 22) at Texas Tech. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. Pacific time.