GAME NOTES

Three non-conference games remain for the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team, beginning with the Husky Classic hosted by the University of Washington on Dec. 18-19 in Seattle, Wash. The Eagles open play on Saturday against the hosts before taking on Nevada on Sunday, both games are slated for 2 p.m. Pacific time.
 
Both contests will have live stats, and will be streamed online on the Washington Live Stream on Pac-12 networks.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Washington hosted its annual matchup with Boise State last Friday, Dec. 10. The Eagles battled the Broncos, only trailing 34-33 at the half, but Boise State won the third quarter 24-14 and that would wind up being the difference. In all, the game saw 10 lead changes and seven ties, but resulted in a 72-63 loss for EWU.
 
Four true freshmen led the Eagles in scoring, combining for 50 of Eastern's 63 points. Jaleesa Lawrence led the way with a career-high 22 points plus seven rebounds, while Jaydia Martin added 15 and six rebounds. Alexis Pettis scored seven and Andie Zylak added six.
 
With 26 seconds left in the first half, the game moved into a 31-31 tie. Boise State completed a three-point play, but Lawrence hit a shot at the buzzer to make it a one point, 34-33, BSU lead at the half.
 
Boise State pulled ahead in the third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 24-14. Lawrence had nine points during the stretch. The Broncos gained their largest lead of the game 58-47 at the end of the third after shooting 58.8 percent from the field and holding the Eagles to 27.8 percent.
 
Eastern worked to erase the third quarter deficit, outscoring the Broncos 16-14 in the final frame, but fell just short of the upset bid.
 
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: The Eagles are 2-5 on the year (0-1 Big Sky). True freshman Jaydia Martin, who has scored in double figures in all seven games so far this season, ranks second in the Big Sky, first on the team, and 78^th nationally with 17.1 points per game.
 
Martin leads the Big Sky with 3.0 three-pointers per game, a mark that is also 26^th nationally. Fellow true freshman Jaleesa Lawrence is coming off consecutive career-highs in scoring with 15 against Multnomah and 22 against Boise State, she now averages 8.7 points per game while Alexis Pettis added 9.3.
Jacinta Buckley, who has played in four games and has sat out the last two due to injury, adds 10.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Milly Knowles is the team leader in rebounds per game (5.5) while Andie Zylak is the facilitator with a team-high 3.3 assists per game, which ranks ninth in the Big Sky. Zylak's assist/turnover ratio of 1.9 is second in the Big Sky.
 
As a team, EWU ranks 39^th nationally with 8.4 three-pointers per game and 34^th in percentage, draining 36.4 percent of its attempts. The Eagles rank 90^th in Division I with 40.14 rebounds per game and are shooting 39.3 percent from the field with an average of 69.1 points per game. Eastern dishes 14.1 assists per contest.
 
A LOOK AT THE HUSKIES: Washington is 3-3 overall so far on the year, with wins over Seattle, San Diego and fellow Big Sky foe Northern Arizona. Most recently, the Huskies topped Seattle on Dec. 10 by a score of 77-59.
 
The Huskies average 57.2 points per game and are shooting 41.5 percent from the field. As a team, they are 55^th nationally in three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 35.2 percent behind the arc. Haley Van Dyke leads UW with 12.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Nancy Mulkey, the 6-9 center, follows with 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds a contest. Mulkey is first in the nation with 4.33 blocked shots per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Eagles and the Huskies have met 15 times dating back to 1983, with EWU losing all 15 matchups. Eastern and UW last met on Nov. 11, 2016 in Seattle where the Eagles lost 52-100. In 2013, the Eagles and the Huskies met in the WNIT where Eastern was edged 60-65 in overtime in Seattle.
 
Against Pac-12 schools, Eastern is 8-57 all-time.
 
A LOOK AT THE WOLF PACK: Nevada is 7-3 overall and will enter Saturday's game on a six-game winning streak dating back to Nov. 27 when they beat Idaho 61-60. A trio of players in Da'Ja Hamilton (12.0), Audrey Roden (11.8) and Nia Alexander (10.6) average double figures.
 
Kylie Jimenez, a grad transfer from Portland State, averages 2.10 steals per game to help Nevada rank 51^st in the nation with 10.6 steals per game. The Wolf Pack is also ninth in the nation in turnover margin with 7.40, forcing 19.70 turnovers per game. Nevada likes to shoot from three-point range, averaging 6.8 three's per game with 68 on the year.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Washington and Nevada also have an extended history, as they used to both be members of the Big Sky Conference. The Eagles lead the all-time series 11-4 dating back to 1982. Eastern has lost two-straight, with the last matchup coming on Nov. 14, 2008 when EWU lost 49-64 in Reno. EWU's last win came on Nov. 30, 2002 by a score of 54-51, also in Reno.
 
This is the third Mountain West opponent EWU has faced this season, falling to both San Jose State and Boise State by 10 and nine points, respectively. All-time, Eastern is 36-49 against MWC opponents.
 
UP NEXT: Eastern Washington will have a quick turnaround for its final non-conference game of the year, hosting Gonzaga at Reese Court on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed regionally on SWX as well as ESPN+. Santa Swoop will be available for photos at halftime.
 
As a reminder, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours for fans ages 11 or older is required for entry to home games. Masks must be worn for fans ages five years old or older unless actively eating or drinking.
 
Tickets are available at GoEags.com/tickets.