The first road trip of the Big Sky schedule is coming up for Eastern Washington women's basketball this week. Eastern will be on the road to play Portland State on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, followed by Sacramento State on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m.

Fans can stream both games on ESPN+, while live stats for the Portland St. game can be seen on GoViks.com. Live stats for the Sacramento St. game will be through Hornetsports.com.

Last Time Out
Eastern opened Big Sky play last week at home, falling in its latest game to Montana State, 84-92. The Bobcats opened an 18-point lead over the Eagles in the first quarter and went into halftime with a 43-28 advantage. Eastern made a run against Montana St. in the third, cutting the lead down to 59-55 going to the fourth. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles tied the game at 61 with 7:57 left in the game and then took the lead on a made free throw from Camille Jentzsch. However, the Bobcats would retake the lead and extend it down the stretch, going on to win the game. Eastern had a 49.2 shooting percentage in the game, with Montana St. at 51.4 percent.

Jaydia Martin did everything possible to try and spark a comeback for the Eagles, scoring 22 points and getting 10 rebounds. It was Martin's third career double-double and first this season. Aaliyah Alexander finished with 18 points in the game.

A Look at the Eagles
At the halfway point of the season, Eastern is 7-5 overall and has a 0-2 record to start conference play. The team is 2-2 on the road and 5-3 at home so far this season. The Eagles account for the third highest scoring average in the conference with a 71.6 points per game. The team is second with a plus-6.2 scoring margin. Eastern's 41.4 percent shooting mark is fourth in the Big Sky. Avoiding mistakes is still a staple for the Eagles, maintaining a plus-5.08 turnover margin. They also hold a 1.30 assist-to-turnover margin as a team that ranks 14^th in the NCAA and average 15.67 assists per game to lead the conference. The Eagles are 11^th in the nation in turnovers per game, committing only 12.1.

Eastern has no shortage of scorers, with four players currently averaging in double figures. The team is led by Jaydia Martin and her 14.3 points per game average. Jamie Loera is second on the team (10.8), followed by Jacinta Buckley (10.4) and Aaliyah Alexander (10.4).

Martin is seventh in the Big Sky for scoring and has a 36.6 three-point shooting percentage to rank sixth. She has scored 20 or more points in two games this season and has scored in double-digits in 10 of the team's 12 games. The sophomore is second on the team in assists (28) and steals (20), while being third in rebounds (4.7). At line, Martin has a 78.9 free throw percentage, good for seventh in the conference. She averages 2.5 made threes per game to rank sixth in the Big Sky and 63^rd in the NCAA.

Buckley leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game, with two double-digit rebounds games this season and one double-double. The junior leads Eastern with 12 blocks and she averages 1.0 per game to rank seventh in the Big Sky.

Loera is tied for the conference lead in steals with 2.4 a game and 29 overall this season. She ranks 62^nd in the nation in steals. Her 4.3 assists per game is third in the Big Sky, while keeping a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank second. Loera is second on the team with 5.2 rebounds per game, placing 16^th in the conference.

Alexander gives Eastern a fourth scoring option, as the redshirt-freshman has scored in double digits in six games this season. Over the last three games, Alexander is averaging 17.0 points per contest.

Scouting the Vikings
Portland State is 0-1 to start the conference schedule and 5-6 overall this season. They are 4-3 at home and 1-3 away. The Vikings lost to Sacramento State, 56-65, this past Saturday (Dec. 31). Through 11 games, Portland St. is averaging 63.4 points per game and allowing 59.7 points per game. The team's defense is ranked third in the Big Sky. From behind the arc, the Vikings lead the conference with a 36.7 shooting percentage on 229 attempts. Portland St. is also the top Big Sky team on the steal's leaderboard, averaging 10.0 per game.

Sophomore guard Esmeralda Morales leads the Vikings' offense, averaging 15.3 points per game for the sixith-spot in the conference. Morales leads the Big Sky with a 46.9 three-point percentage and is fifth with a 44.8 overall shooting percentage. She is also tied for the conference lead in steals, with Loera, averaging 2.4 a game. Senior guard Jada Smith gives the Vikings potent second scoring option, averaging 12.8 points per game. Smith leads the Big Sky with 3.0 made threes a game and is fifth in three-point shooting percentage (39.8%).

Series History
Eastern Washington is 40-32 against Portland St. in program history, with a 23-9 record at home, 15-19 on the road and 2-4 at neutral sites. The Eagles swept the season series against the Vikings last season 68-44 at home and 68-50 on the road. Jaydia Martin scored 22 points in the team's most recent matchup on the road (3/4/22).

Scouting the Hornets
Sacramento State started conference play 1-0 with a 65-56 win over Portland State and is 10-2 overall this season. The team has a 3-1 home record, 5-1 on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites. The Hornets have the highest scoring margin in the conference at plus-7.2. Their defense is second, allowing 58.1 points per game. On the floor, Sacramento St. is shooting 45.7 percent to lead the Big Sky. They hold opponents to 39.5 percent shooting, the fourth-lowest averaged in the conference. The Hornets excel at block shots, leading all conference teams with 4.3 per game.

Junior center Isnelle Natabou is fourth in the Big Sky in scoring with 17.1 points per game and she leads the conference with 10.4 rebounds per game. Her 66.7 shooting percentage is also the top mark in the Big Sky. Powering the Hornet's net defense is sophomore guard Katie Peneueta and her 1.5 blocks per set. Peneueta has 18 total blocks this season.

Series History
In the series history between Eastern and Sacramento St., the Eagles lead 37-21 with a 19-10 road record. Eastern is 16-9 at home and 2-2 in neutral games. Last season, the Hornets won both meetings between the two teams (59-49 and 67-58).

Up Next
Eastern Washington will be back at home to play Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. for the team's only game the following week.