Eastern Washington women's basketball is back at Reese Court to host the first game of a double-header with men's basketball. Eastern will play Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. The Eagles then have a quick turnaround and travel to play Montana on Monday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. in Missoula, Mont.

The game against the Vandals will be broadcast live on SWX and streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats can be seen on GoEags.com.

Fans who purchase a ticket to the women's game get free admission to the men's game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday 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.

Eastern's game versus the Grizzlies will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats can be seen on GoGriz.com.

Last Time Out
The Eagles were last on the court this past Saturday (Jan. 7), playing the conference-leading Sacramento State Hornets. Eastern was in a six-point hole after the first quarter, and the lead grew to eight at halftime. After the third quarter, Sac. St. had built a 59-48 advantage over the Eagles. In the fourth quarter, Eastern cut the lead down to seven but could not get any closer to the Hornets and lost the game, 82-74.

Eastern had five players score in double figures, with Jaydia Martin leading the team with 21 points. Jacinta Buckley added 14 points and eight rebounds, along with getting 13 points from Alexis Pettis. Jaleesa Lawrence and Jamie Loera each scored 10 points. The Eagles forced 15 turnovers and had six of their own in the game.

A Look at the Eagles
Eastern Washington is 1-3 in the Big Sky and 8-6 overall this season. They hold a 5-3 record at home and 3-3 on the road. Eastern is second in scoring offense, with a 71.3 points per game average, and 73.3 points per game in conference games. The team holds a 41.7 shooting percentage to rank fourth in the Big Sky. With a 5.36 turnover margin that ranks 25^th in the NCAA, the Eagles are efficient on offense. They also carry a 1.34 assist-to-turnover ratio to lead the conference and rank 11^th in the nation. Averaging 11.9 turnovers per game, the Eagles rank seventh in the NCAA. Eastern leads the conference in assists per game (15.9) and steals per game (10.0).

Jaydia Martin moved up on the conference leaderboards, now ranking seventh in scoring with 14.6 points per game. Behind the arc, Martin ranks sixth in the Big Sky in three-point percentage (34.8) and made three-pointers per game (2.3). In four conference games, Martin is averaging 16.5 points per game. Martin has scored in double figures in 12 of the team's 14 games this season and has 38 double-digit scoring games in 44 career games.

A consistent double-double threat, Jacinta Buckley is sixth in the Big Sky with 7.7 rebounds per game and 16^th with 11.6 points per game. The junior is also eighth in the conference with 0.9 blocks per game, recording 13 total this season. Since the beginning of the conference schedule, Buckley is shooting 53.2 percent from the floor. 

Jamie Loera is piling up the stats this season, averaging 4.6 assists per game, the third best mark in the conference and 50^th in the nation. On the defensive end, Loera averages 2.3 steals per game to rank second in the Big Sky with 32 total. Loera's 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio is the second-ranked statistic in the Big Sky, and she ranks 48^th in the NCAA. The graduate transfer is the team leader with 30.1 minutes per game played.

Scouting the Vandals
Idaho is 2-2 through the first two weeks of Big Sky play, sitting at 6-9 overall. They most recently played at Portland State on Jan. 7, losing by a score of 43-53. The Vandals average 69.4 points per game while allowing 74.3. Idaho takes care of the ball, ranking second in the conference with a 1.13 assist-to-turnover ratio and third with 14.33 assists per game. They hold opponents to the second-lowest three-point percentage in the conference (31.2%), grabbing the second-most defensive rebounds per contest (27.9).
 
The Vandals are led by Beyonce Bea, the top scorer in the Big Sky and seventh in the nation, at 22.0 points per game. Bea shoots 46.0 percent from the floor and 80.5 percent from the free throw line. She has scored in double figures all but once this season. Bea has nine games with 20+ points and four with 30+, including a season-high of 34 against both Navy (Nov. 27) and Nevada (Dec. 3). Her 8.9 rebounds per game is third in the conference, while her 1.5 blocked shots rank second. Sydney Gandy (10.6) and Rosa Smith (10.2) also average double-digit points for Idaho, with Smith ranking in the top five in assists per game (4.0).

Series History
In the series history between Eastern Washington and Idaho, the Eagles trail, 32-43, with a 19-17 home record. Eastern is 9-24 on the road and 4-2 in neutral site games. Idaho is currently on a nine-game winning streak in the series. Last season, the Vandals won both meetings between the two teams (63-42 and 79-72). Jacinta Buckley recorded a double-double in both games for the Eagles.
 
Scouting the Grizzlies
Montana is 2-2 to begin conference play and is 6-9 overall this season, going 4-3 at home, 2-4 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites. The Grizzlies went 1-1 at home this past week, defeating Northern Colorado (82-60) after losing to Northern Arizona (74-76). The offense has not been an issue for Montana this season, averaging 69.7 to rank third in the conference. From the floor, the Grizzlies are shooting 41.9, second in the Big Sky. The team also defends the net well, averaging 3.8 blocks per game for the second best mark in the conference.

Fifth year guard Sammy Fatkin leads the team and is 10^th in the Big Sky with 12.9 points per game. Fatkin as aided by redshirt-junior guard Gina Marxen and freshman guard Libby Stump who each average 10.9 points per game. Leading the net defense is redshirt-freshman forward Keeli Burton-Oliver who averages 1.1 blocks per game, recording 15 total.

Series History
Eastern Washington has a 19-70 overall record against Montana in program history, going 6-41 on the road and 13-27 at home, while being 0-2 in neutral games. This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, after playing on Dec. 29. The Grizzlies defeated the Eagles, 81-70, in Cheney. Eastern had four players score in double figures, but Montana shot over 60 percent in the first half to build a 12-point lead that was too much to overcome.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will spend the following weekend at home, hosting Northern Colorado at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19. They then host Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m.