After a brief hiatus for the holidays, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team resumes Big Sky Conference play this week. First, the Eagles travel to Portland, Ore., for a 7 p.m. matchup against Portland State on Dec. 30. Eastern then rings in the New Year with a Jan. 1 game in Flagstaff, Ariz., against Northern Arizona where tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Pacific time. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, and Larry Weir will have the call on 700-AM ESPN.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Washington enters the weekend 6-6 overall and 0-1 in Big Sky play. The Eagles opened conference action at home against Southern Utah on Dec. 2 where they lost 89-76 to the preseason favorites. Most recently, Eastern closed the non-conference portion of the schedule on Dec. 22 at No. 25 Texas Tech where they suffered a 78-46 loss.
 
Eastern trailed 50-27 at the half. After a 50-point first half that saw the Red Raiders shoot 71 percent from the field and 55 percent from three-point range, the Eagles held Texas Tech to just 28 second half points. Eastern's defense also held the Red Raiders to 48 percent from the field and 22 percent from three-point range in the second half, but were limited to just 19 points themselves, shooting 20 percent from the field and 16 percent from three-point range. Rylan Bergersen was the lone Eagle in double figures, adding 10 points to go with four rebounds, three assists and a steal which also led Eastern Washington.
 
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Five Eagles average double figures, three of which rank in the top-12 in the Big Sky Conference. Steele Venters ranks third with 17.8 points per game, followed by Linton Acliese III with 14.3 points per game to rank eighth. Rylan Bergersen averages 12.9 to ranks 12th, and Ethan Price (10.2) and Angelo Allegri (10.2) round things out.
 
Four Eagles also rank in the top-20 in rebounding in the Big Sky, led by Acliese who ranks eighth with 6.8 per game, while Allegri adds 5.3 to rank 15^th and Price adds 4.9 to rank 19^th. Bergersen is fourth with 4.2 assists per game, and Mason Landdeck ranks seventh with 1.5 steals per game and 13^th in assists with 2.4.
 
Venters leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (46.3), is second in three-pointers per game (2.8) and ranks third in free throw (85.7%) percentage and fourth in field goal (49.2%) percentage.
 
As a team, the Eagles are third league in points per game with 76.8. They are shooting 42.9 percent from the field and average 8.9 triples per contest. The Eagles lead the league with 16.5 assists per game, are fourth in steals with 6.75, and grab 39.2 rebounds per game to rank third. Eastern allows opponents to shoot just 29.3 percent behind the arc, which leads the conference.
 
A LOOK AT THE VIKINGS: Portland State enters the weekend 3-7 overall with a 1-1 mark in league action. The Vikings beat Idaho State on the road on Dec. 2, but have since lost four-straight. Like Eastern Washington, home games have been sparse for the Vikings, playing just once at home since Nov. 23.
 
The Vikings have been solid defensively, leading the Big Sky in steals per game (9.6), turnovers forced (16.5) and field goal percentage defense (40.7), allowing opponents to score just 67.5 points per game.
 
James Jean-Marie paces the Vikings with 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, while Marlon Ruffin adds 12.8 points per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Last season's games were wiped out due to COVID-19 issues, as Thursday's games will be the first between the two foes since the 2019-20 season. The all-time series is tied, 27-27, and the Eagles have won three-straight and six out of the last eight. In Portland, Eastern is 8-15 all-time.
 
A LOOK AT THE LUMBERJACKS: Northern Arizona is 4-8 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play. The Lumberjacks are on a three-game losing streak, with their last win coming at Idaho State in Big Sky action on Dec. 4. NAU will play Idaho before hosting the Eagles, marking the first games in Flagstaff since Nov. 27.
 
The Lumberjacks are fourth in the Big Sky with 37.7 rebounds per game with a +2.0 rebounding margin. Carson Towt leads the way with 9.6 per game, and has had five games with double-digit rebounds, ranking 24^th nationally in rebounds per game.
 
It will be a matchup against two of the Big Sky's leading scorers, as Jalen Cone ranks second in the conference with 17.8 points per game, ranking 70^th nationally.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Washington puts an eight-game winning streak over Northern Arizona on the line on Saturday. Last season, the two teams met twice. First, an 80-64 victory over the Lumberjacks on Dec. 19 in Flagstaff. Then, in the Big Sky quarterfinal, Eastern squeaked out a 66-60 victory.
 
Eastern leads the all-time series, 39-37 and are 13-23 on the road against Northern Arizona.
 
UP NEXT: Eastern Washington will play at home for the first time since Dec. 15 next week. The Eagles welcome Montana to Cheney on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. Pacific time, then host Idaho on Saturday (Jan. 8) afternoon at approximately 3:30 p.m. after the Idaho and Eastern Washington women play. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
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.