Eastern Washington women's basketball team returns to the road this weekend, traveling away from Reese Court for a pair of games. The Eagles begin the week against Sacramento State on Thursday, Jan. 20, tipping off at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. Eastern then faces Northern Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m.

Last Time Out
In the team's homestand finale on Monday, Eastern Washington delivered one of its best performances of the season with a 68-44 win over Portland State.
 
The Eagles started fast and ended strong in the game, racing out to a 15-3 lead in the first quarter. Eastern was up 22-6 at the end of one, shooting a hot 55.6-percent from the floor. They shut Portland St. down on offense, allowing an 8.3 shooting percentage.
 
The team cooled off in the second quarter and shot only 23.1-percent. Eastern was able to keep the Vikings in check and limited them to an 11.8-percentage. PSU, however, outscored the Eagles in the quarter, 13-11. Eastern had a 33-19 lead going into the half.
 
In the third quarter, the Vikings made a push on the Eagles, scoring 22 points on 8-of-15(53.3%) shooting. Eastern was held to 23.8-percent shooting and scored 13 points. The Vikings closed the deficit to five points going to fourth.
 
Eastern returned to its success from the first quarter, scoring 22 points and limiting PSU to only three points in the quarter. The Eagles went on to win the game 68-44 after holding the Vikings to a 8.3-shooting percentage in the final quarter.
 
Jaydia Martin led the team with 19 points and recorded her second double-double with 11 rebounds. Jacinta Buckley scored 13 points and a career-best, 16 rebounds for her fourth double-double.

A Look at the Eagles
Eastern Washington looks to have turned around its season this past weekend at Reese Court, winning two-of-three games over a five-day period. The Eagles are now 4-11 overall this season, with a 2-4 record in conference games.
 
Eastern has benefited from the dynamic duo of two-way players in Jaydia Martin and Jacinta Buckley. Martin leads the team and is third in the Big Sky with 16.1 points per game, while Buckley leads the team and is fifth in the conference with 8.3 rebounds per game. Buckley is second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game and Martin is third in rebounds, adding 5.0 per game. The pair have combined to record five double-doubles this season, as both posted one in the win over Portland St.
 
The Eagles have been a threat from deep the entire season, ranking second in three field goals made(109), while ranking third in three-point field goals attempted(348) and three-point, field-goals per game(7.3).
 
After returning to the lineup, Andie Zylak has been key to facilitating the Eagles' offense, averaging 10.3 points per game and 4.7 assists per game over the weekend. The true freshman was 10-of-23(43.5%) from the floor and 5-of-9(55.6%) from three in the three games.
 
The defense for Eastern has been key this season and is second in the Big Sky, 56th nationally in field-goal percentage defense, allowing a 36.6-percent mark. The Eagles average 39.3 rebounds per game with 590 total this season, both ranking fifth in the conference.

A Look at the Hornets
Sacramento State comes into the week with a 5-9 record and 1-4 in conference games. The Hornets have played two games in January and are also coming off their first Big Sky win, with a 70-58 victory over Portland State. Sac St. lost its last home game against Northern Arizona, 68-57.
 
Grad student, Lianna Tillman is the top scorer in the Big Sky with a 19.2 points per game average and is shooting 40.9-percent from the floor. Tillman also leads the conference in minutes played, with a 38.06 per game.
 
The Hornets also have the Big Sky's top rebounder in sophomore Isnelle Natabou, who averages 10.2 boards per game. In addition, Natabou's 58.2 shooting percentage ranks first in the conference as well. She is scoring 13.6 points per game this season.
 
Ball control is a staple for Sac. St. this season, committing 13.9 turnovers per game with 195 total to date; both are second in the Big Sky

Series History
Eastern Washington holds a 37-19 advantage in the series history against Sac. St. winning six out of the last eight contests. The Eagles are 19-9 against the Hornets away from home and 16-8 against them at Reese Court. The teams are tied 2-2 in neutral site matchups. 
 
Last season, Eastern defeated Sac. State in Sacramento, 73-61; the team's most recent meeting. The win split the two-game series played in Sacramento, with the Hornets winning the first game, 82-76.

A Look at the Bears
Northern Colorado has been on an extended break and will return to the court on Tuesday, Jan. 18 for its first game in almost a month. The Bears are 4-6 this season and 0-2 in the Big Sky, dropping games against Montana State(57-63) and Montana(44-57). UNC won its last game against Kansas Wesleyan, 82-54 back on Dec. 28.

The Bears' offense runs through sophomore guard, Hannah Simental, who averages 11.8 points per game and is shooting 39.2-percent from the floor.

Junior Kurstyn Harden defends the paint for UNC, averaging 5.9 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 8.7 points per game.

UNC is good defensively, allowing 58.9 points per game to rank second in the Big Sky. The Bears are fourth in the conference in field-goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 39.7-percent.

Series History
Eastern Washington trails Northern Colorado in the all-time series, with a record of 11-19 against the Bears. The Eagles are 4-9 on the road against UNC and 6-9 at home. On neutral sites, Eastern and UNC have split the series, 1-1. Eastern currently is on a four-game losing streak to the Bears.

UNC defeated the Eagles twice last season in Cheney, winning 58-55 in the first game and 74-55 in the second.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will be back at home on Monday, Jan. 24 and take on Northern Arizona, with tip-off at 6 p.m. The Eagles will host Montana State the following Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. and Montana on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.

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.