It's back to road for Eastern Washington women's basketball, but the team is on a four-game win streak heading into the week. The Eagles will play Idaho State on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time in Pocatello, Idaho. On Saturday, Jan. 28 Eastern will play Weber State at 12 p.m.

The two games can be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats can be seen on ISUBengals.com for Thursday's game. Saturday's game will have live stats through WeberStateSports.com.

Last Time Out
Eastern Washington played Northern Arizona on Saturday (Jan. 21) and defeated the Lumberjacks, 96-89 in overtime. It was the first overtime game for the Eagles in nearly three years. The game was tied going into halftime, but Eastern pulled ahead in the third quarter with an 11-0 run. They would lead by seven going to the fourth. NAU used an 8-0 run to begin the fourth and then managed to tie the game with 4:06 left on the clock. The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch and were knotted up at 80 at the end of regulation. In overtime, the Eagles built a lead in the extra period with good free throw shooting and earned the win. Eastern held the Lumberjacks to 18.2 shooting in overtime.

Jaleesa Lawrence led the team in scoring with 23 points off the bench. Jamie Loera recorded her third double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Aaliyah Alexander scored 18 points, with Jaydia Martin adding 18 and Jacinta Buckley finishing with 16.

A Look at the Eagles
Eastern Washington is 5-3 in conference and 12-6 overall this season, winning five out of its last six games. The team has a 4-3 record on the road. On the conference leaderboard, Eastern is the second highest scoring team with 72.4 points per game, while shooting 32.6 percent also the second best mark. They have a plus-7.6 scoring margin that also sits at second in the conference. The Eagles hold the top assist-to-turnover margin in the conference with a 1.34 statistic, also ranking 10^th in the NCAA. The team averages 15.9 assists per game (47^th in the NCAA) and 11.9 turnovers per game (6^th in the NCAA). Contributing to the turnover effort, Eastern accounts for 9.56 steals per game for second in the Big Sky and 65^th in the nation.

Jamie Loera was in striking distance of a triple-double against Northern Arizona and the graduate impacts the game in every element. Loera is second in assists (5.0), first in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.1), 24^th in points per game (10.5), 10^th in rebounding (6.1), and first in steals (2.4). She is 42^nd in the NCAA in assists per game and 57 in steals per game.

The Eagles' leading scorer, Jaydia Martin, has not missed a beat in conference games, ranking fifth in points per game (18.3) and three-point percentage shooting (36.7). Martin is also fifth, overall this season, with a 15.9 points per game average and sixth with a 41.3 shooting percentage, along with a 37.3 three-point percentage for fifth. The sophomore has scored in double figures in 16 of the team's 18 games, recording 10, 20-point games and one 30-point performance. Martin has two Big Sky Player of the Week awards this season.

Cleaning up the boards continues to be Jacinta Buckley, who is seventh in the conference with 7.3 rebounds per game. Buckley is 16^th in the Big Sky with 11.3 points per game to round out as a two-way threat. In conference games, the sophomore carries the third-ranked shooting percentage at 53.9 percent. The sophomore has four games this season with double-digit rebounds, recording two double-doubles.

Aailyah Alexander returned to the lineup this past weekend after injury and made her impact felt, scoring 10 points against Northern Colorado and 19 against NAU. Alexander is averaging 13.5 points per game in conference games, ranking just outside the top 10 at No. 11 on the scoring leaderboard.

Scouting the Bengals
Idaho State is 3-4 in the conference standings, with an 8-10 overall record on the season. The team is 4-2 at home and 3-6 on the road. The Bengals are on a three-game losing streak after two road games last week. They fell to Sacramento State (52-66) and Portland State (47-48) this past Thursday and Saturday respectively. This season, the Bengals have the top scoring defense in the Big Sky, allowing opponents 56.3 points per game. The team scores 56.3 points per game.

Sophomore forward Laura Bello is the team's leading rebounder, posting a 9.3 per game average to rank second in the conference. Guard Callie Bourne leads ISU with 13.5 points per game, ranking 10^th in the Big Sky. The graduate student runs the offense, averaging 4.5 assists per game that put her at second on the conference leaderboards.

Series History
Eastern Washington has a 39-41 overall record against Idaho State in program history. Eastern is 14-24 against the Bengals on the road and 13-26 at home, going 2-3 at neutral site games. The two teams last met on Feb. 12, 2022 in Pocatello, Idaho, with ISU winning 79-62. Alexis Pettis scored a career-high 18 points, Jacinta Buckley finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Scouting the Wildcats
Weber State has struggled this season with a 0-7 record in conference and 4-15 overall. The Wildcats have lost 11 games in a row, dropping games to Portland State (64-65) and Sacramento State (44-70) this past weekend. The team has found success with defending opponents shots, limiting them to 38.1 percent shooting.

Senior forward Daryn Hickok provides the scoring for the Wildcats with a 17.9 points per game average to rank third in the Big Sky. Hickok also carriers a 44.0 shooting percentage to rank fifth in the conference. She has a 6.2 rebounds per game average to rank ninth. On the glass, senior forward Jadyn Matthews leads the rebounding effort with 8.2 per game, holding the fifth spot on the conference leaderboard.  

Series History
Eastern is 40-45 all-time against Weber State, going 13-27 on the road and 24-16 at home, with a 3-2 record in neutral games. Last season, Eastern swept the season series against the Wildcats, with a 74-61 win in the most recent matchup. Jacinta Buckley scored a career-high 25 points against Weber in the win.

Up Next
Eastern Washington plays Sacramento State on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. at Reese Court. The Eagles then host Portland State on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2 p.m.