The regular season is coming to an end for Eastern Washington women's basketball as the team plays its final two games on the road. Eastern will face Northern Arizona on March 2 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time in Flagstaff, Ariz. The Eagles will then close out the regular season against Portland State on Friday, March 4 at 6 p.m. in Portland, Ore.
 
Last Time Out
During its last game, Eastern Washington honored five players in their final game at Reese Court. Megan Fossen, Tatiana Reese, Britt Van Buren, Bria Rice and Jordyn Boesel all suited up for the last time in front of the home fans. Eastern played Sacramento State on Saturday in the team's home finale for the 2021-22 season, dropping the game 67-58.
 
The Hornets started the game lightning fast, shooting 66.7 percent and taking a 22-9 lead on the Eagles. In the second quarter, Eastern rebounded with an impressive 66.7 percent shooting performance of their own and they out-scored Sac. St., 23-15. The Eagles went into halftime trailing 32-37.
 
The second half was a back-and-forth contest between the two teams, with Eastern making a run on the lead, followed by a counter run from the Hornets. Sac. St. added two points to its lead after three quarters, pushing it to 53-46. Now in the fourth, Sac. St. clamped down on the Eagles, holding them to 25 percent shooting.  The Hornets would maintain their lead and went on to win, 67-58.
 
Jacinta Buckley led Eastern with 17 points in the game on 5-of-13(38.4%) shooting and Jaydia Martin had 14 points on 5-of-13(38.4%) shooting as well. Buckley and Martin each grabbed five rebounds.
 
The Eagles shot 39.3 percent for the game and Sac. St. held a 42.6 percent mark from the floor.
 
A look at the Eagles
Eastern Washington enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 6-12 record in the Big Sky and 8-19 overall. The Eagles are 2-9 on the road and 6-9 at home, with a 0-1 record in neutral site games. Eastern split its final two home games this past week, defeating Northern Colorado(62-56) and dropping the home finale to Sacramento State(58-67).
 
The Eagles ability to create turnovers this season is an important strength that has translated into more scoring opportunities. Eastern is averaging 8.9 steals per game and recorded 239 total this season. Jaydia Martin leads the team with 41 steals, while Jacinta Buckley and Jaleesa Lawrence each have 36. Alexis Pettis and Milly Knowles have each earned 26 steals for the Eagles. Overall, Eastern forces 15.9 turnovers per game and holds a 1.41 turnover margin.
 
Along with creating turnovers, the Eagles defend opponents shooting effectively. Eastern allows opponents to shoot 38.1 percent from the floor to rank second in the Big Sky. Against three-point shots, the team is allowing a 29.7 percentage.
 
Martin is the go-to scorer for the Eagles, averaging 14.9 points per game to rank fourth in the conference, while shooting 32.9 percent. Scoring from behind the arc is where Martin does the most damage, averaging 2.33 made three-point shots a game. The true freshman leads the conference with 63 made three-pointers and 207 total attempts from three. Her total attempts rank 19th in the NCAA and her made shots ranks 53rd.
 
Buckley contributes to the Eagles in all areas of the game, leading the team with 8.9 rebounds and is second with a 12.8 points per game average. Buckley has eight double-doubles this season, tied for the second most in the conference. In addition to ranking second on the team in steals, Buckley is tied for second on the team in blocks with 14 and is also second in assists with 38. The sophomore has an 87.1 free-throw percentage and is shooting 41 percent from the floor.
 
Knowles provides a steady presence in the paint for Eastern, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game and adding 5.7 points per game. Knowles is tied with Buckley after accounting for 14 blocks this season. The redshirt-sophomore is shooting 45.9 percent this season.
 
A Look at the Lumberjacks
Northern Arizona heads into the home stretch with a 10-8 Big Sky record and 13-13 overall this season. At home, NAU has a 7-6 record, while going 6-7 on the road. The Lumberjacks played three games on the road last week, dropping games against Southern Utah(67-90) and Idaho State(66-76). NAU salvaged the week with an 89-77 win over Weber State.
 
The Lumberjacks lead the Big Sky in scoring with a 72.3 points per game average and top the conference in shooting with a 44.3 percentage. Three-point shooting is another strength for NAU as the team boasts the top shooting percentage in the conference at 37.9.
 
Regan Schenck facilitates the Lumberjack offense, averaging 5.8 assists per game to hold the second-best average in the Big Sky. Schenck has a 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank sixth in the Big Sky.
 
Lauren Orndoff scores 11.3 points per game to lead NAU and Khiarica Rasheed adds 11.0 for a versatile attack. Rasheed is also the team's best rebounder, averaging 6.4 a game.
 
Series History
Eastern Washington has the advantage in the all-time series against Northern Arizona with a 40-31 record. On the road, the Eagles are 13-19 against NAU and 25-11 at Reese Court. Eastern has a 2-0 record in neutral site matchups against the Lumberjacks. NAU has pulled closer with the Eagles in recent years, winning the last five contests.
 
Last month in Cheney, Eastern Washington fell to NAU, 54-69, after a balanced offensive effort from the Lumberjacks. Jacinta Buckley led the Eagles with 17 points and Alexis Pettis scored 10. 
 
A Look at the Vikings
Portland State has struggled this season with a 0-18 record in the Big Sky and 5-21 overall. The Vikings have played four games in the last seven days, starting with a home loss to Montana State, 57-82. Portland St. then fell in three road games to Weber State(65-73), Idaho State(64-67) and Idaho(39-64).

Esmeralda Morales averages 12.0 points per game scoring to lead the Vikings, while Jada Lewis averages 10.5 points to complement Morales. Lewis leads the Big Sky with 63 made three-point shots and averages 2.42 per game.

Lewis is shooting 36.4 percent from three to rank third in the conference.

Savannah Dhaliwal takes care of the boards for PSU, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game, while adding 9.8 points.
 
Series History
Eastern Washington leads the Portland State in the all-time series with a 39-32 record. The Eagles are 14-19 on the road, 23-9 at home and 1-1 in neutral site games against the Vikings. Eastern is currently on a one game win streak against PSU.

In mid-January, the Eagles defeated the Vikings, 68-44, in Cheney. Jaydia Martin was the high scorer for Eastern with 19 points and had 11 rebounds. Jacinta Buckley recorded 13 points and a career-best, 16 rebounds in the win.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will travel to Boise, Idaho for the Big Sky Tournament from March 7 to March 10.

Single-game tickets for all games are officially on sale now. They can be purchased through the Idaho Central Arena website or the EWU ticket office by calling 509-359-6059 or online HERE.