Carrying a six-game winning streak and a 4-0 record in the Big Sky, Eastern Washington men's basketball looks to stay atop the conference standings this weekend. The Eagles will host Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 14 with tipoff at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time. It will be the second game of a double header with women's basketball. Eastern closes out its four-game homestand on Monday, Jan. 16 against Montana at 6 p.m.

Both games will be broadcast live on SWX and streamed live on ESPN+. Listen to action live on 700-AM ESPN or the Varsity Network App with the voice of the Eagles, Larry Weir. Live stats can be seen on GoEags.com.

Fans who purchase a ticket to the men's game get free admission to the earlier women's game at 1:00 p.m. The game will be Eastern's Diversity and Inclusion game, as the team is partnering with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion to recognize staff, organizations, multicultural clubs & orgs, and celebrating 50 years of Title IX. The first 300 students attending the game will get a free corndog.

Tickets can be purchased by clicking the link HERE.

Last Time Out
Eastern Washington was pushed to almost the last second in its previous game against Sacramento State. The Eagles led by as many as 26 points before the Hornets rallied in the second half to tie the game in the final minute. With 15 seconds left on the clock, Eastern had an opportunity to escape with the win. Steele Venters took the pass from Angelo Allegri and lined up his three-point shot. Venters shot fell through the net, with two seconds left in the game, and the Eagles won the game, 78-75.

Venters finished with a game-high 25 points, going 5-of-7(71.4%) from three-point range. As a team, Eastern shot 13-of-31(41.9%) from behind the arc. Tyreese Davis added 11 points and team-high eight rebounds, along with assists. Allegri had eight points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals.

A Look at the Eagles
Eastern is undefeated in conference games and 10-7 overall, earning a 5-1 record at home, 3-5 on the road and 2-1 in neutral site games. The Eagles are 4-0 in the Big Sky for the first time since the 2014-15 season when they won the Big Sky and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The offense is productive, averaging 74.6 points per game this season and has a plus-4.0 scoring margin. Both rank fourth in the Big Sky. During the first four conference games, the Eagles are averaging 81.8 points per game to lead all Big Sky teams, along with a 51.2 shooting percentage. The team is shooting 46.9 percent overall this season, while holding opponents to a 42.2 percent that is second in the conference. For three-point shooting, Eastern leads the Big Sky with 8.9 made shots per game (42^nd in the NCAA) and 11.0 in conference.

On the glass, Eastern is the top rebounding team, averaging 37.6 with a plus-5.9 rebounding margin. The team's rebounding margin ranks 34^th in the nation and its total rebounds rank 84^th. Adding to the defensive effort is Eastern's 3.3 blocks per set that leads the Big Sky.

After averaging 25.0 points per game last week, Venters earned Big Sky Co-Player of the Week, his second weekly honor of the season. Venters shared the honor with Idaho's Isaac Jones. The redshirt-sophomore is averaging 15.7 points per game to rank ninth in the Big Sky. He has elevated his scoring in conference games to 19.9 points per game to rank fifth. Venters holds a 46.7 shooting percentage to rank ninth in the conference and his 2.3 made three-pointers a game ranks sixth. At the free throw line, Venters is a perfect 17-of-17 in four conference games.

Angelo Allegri and Tyreese Davis both hold a 3.4 assists per game average to rank seventh in the Big Sky. Allegri is seventh in the conference with a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Davis is ninth with a 1.3 ratio. The two Eagles are also key scoring pieces for the team, with Allegri averaging 11.9 points per game and Davis is adding 9.7 points per game.

Ethan Price leads Eastern's defense at the rim, averaging 1.1 blocks per game and has 18 total this season. Price is fourth on the team with 9.0 points per game.

Casey Jones leads the team and is tied for seventh in the Big Sky with 6.8 rebounds per game. Jones has 25 offensive rebounds this season and 106 total. The sophomore is also tied for the team lead with 17 steals.

Cedric Coward is a steady all-around contributor for Eastern, tying for the team lead with 17 steals. He is tied for second on the team in blocks (9), tied for second in rebounds per game (5.5) and third in assists (31).

Scouting the Vandals
Idaho is 0-4 to begin Big Sky play, most recently falling to Portland State on the road by a score of 58-74 (Jan. 7). The Vandals average 75.9 points per game and allow 69.6. They hold the top field goal percentage in the conference (48.3%) while allowing opponents to 45.4 percent. Idaho holds the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big Sky (1.15).
 
The Vandals are led by Isaac Jones, who sits atop the Big Sky rankings with 19.8 points per game (tied for 23rd in Division I) on 70.6 percent shooting (fifth in the nation). The transfer from Wenatchee Valley College also leads the conference in blocks per game (1.3) and averages 7.7 rebounds to rank fifth. The two-headed scoring attack is supported by Divant'e Moffitt, who ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 16.4 points per game, also dishing out 5.2 assists per game to rank second.

Series History
At the Division I level, Eastern is 22-38 against Idaho, with a 12-16 record at home. The Eagles and Vandals split the season series last time around, with Eastern winning at home (96-93) and falling on the road (80-83). Steele Venters (25), Angelo Allegri (21) and Ethan Price (17) combined for 63 points in the home win. Allegri scored 23 while Venters had 18 in the road loss.
 
Scouting the Grizzlies
Montana is currently 2-2 in conference and 8-8, with a 2-6 road record, 5-2 at home and 1-0 in neutral sites. The Grizzlies were on the road last week, defeating Northern Colorado (79-74) and losing to Northern Arizona (74-75 OT). Prior to the game against Eastern, Montana will play Weber State (Jan. 12) and Idaho State (Jan. 14). This season, the Grizzlies are averaging 70.1 points per game and allowing opponents 69.9 per game. Three-point shooting is a strength for the team and they average a 36.0 percentage to rank second in the Big Sky. Montana also defends the three well, limiting opponents to 30.7 from behind the arc, second-lowest percentage in the conference.

Junior forward Josh Bannan is fourth in the Big Sky and leads the Grizzlies with 16.9 points per game. Bannan is shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and that puts him at fourth on the conference leaderboard. Adding to his offense, Bannan is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 8.4 per game to rank third in the Big Sky. Redshirt-senior guard Aanen Moody is second on the team with 14.2 points per game, while shooting 41.7 percent.

Series History
Eastern is 27-57 against the Grizzlies at the Division I level with a 14-23 record at home, 12-30 on the road and 1-4 in neutral sites. Overall, the Eagles are 47-74 all-time against Montana. The two teams played earlier this season to begin Big Sky competition, with Eastern rallying to defeat the Grizzlies, 87-80. Six Eagles scored in double figures led by Angelo Allegri, who had 19, and Dane Erikstrup added 17 points and seven rebounds.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will be on the road the following weekend, playing Northern Colorado on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. The Eagles then travel to Flagstaff, Ariz. to play Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m.