CHENEY, Wash. — The holidays are here, but Eastern Washington is still on the court away from home. The men's team will be in California tonight against Cal Poly and then back in-state on Thursday to play Washington. The women travel to Las Vegas, Nev. for a two-game tournament at the Vegas Holiday Hoops.
Men's Basketball — at Cal Poly (Monday; 7 p.m. PT), at Washington (Thursday, 6 p.m.)
The Eagles continue their road-heavy non-conference schedule with two games away from home before starting Big Sky play on Dec. 28 vs. Portland State.
Eastern faces familiar football opponent but less-familiar basketball foe Cal Poly on the road on Monday night for just the ninth-ever head-to-head matchup between the two programs, and the first since 2005.
The Eagles are 4-4 all-time against Cal Poly, winning two in a row — 76-62 W in Cheney on Dec. 23, 2005 & 76-61 W in SLO on Nov. 22, 2004. The Mustangs compete in the Big West Conference and, as of Dec. 14, were ranked 289th (NCAA NET) and 331st (KenPom) in the NCAA, with losses in three straight. They lost to Weber State, 78-50 at home on Dec. 9 and have been resting since. CP plays a slowdown pace, ranking 291st in the country at 66.6 possessions per 40 minutes.
On Thursday, Eastern faces the Washington Huskies for the 18th time ever and first since Dec. 4, 2019, when EWU lost 80-90 in Seattle.
The Eagles are 1-16 in the all-time series with losses in 12 straight. Their lone win came on Dec. 14, 2002, a 62-58 victory on the road. Alvin Snow led the upset with 24 points and 7 steals — one of just 12 times an Eagle has earned 7+ steals in a single game (9 vs. D-I opponent). Nate Robinson led the Huskies with 19 points.
UW enters the week 7-3 after a big win over Gonzaga, 78-73 at home on Dec. 9 and a nailbiting double-OT win over Seattle U, 100-99 on Sunday.
Dec. 21 will be the final of 7 games for EWU against Power 5 conference programs this season.
Women's Basketball — vs. Presbyterian (Thursday; 12 p.m. PT), vs. Wyoming (Friday; 12 p.m. PT)
TV: FlowSports.com
Eastern Washington continues its road trip with a pair of games on back-to-back days at the end of the week. EWU will participate in the 2023 Vegas Holiday Hoops tournament, starting with a matchup against Presbyterian on Dec. 21. The Eagles then meet Wyoming on the court the following day (Dec. 22). Both games tipoff at 12 p.m. Pacific Time.
Thursday's game will be the first ever meeting between EWU and Presbyterian. Eastern has a 2-2 record against Wyoming, winning the most recent game from Jan. 10, 2004, 53-30, in Laramie, Wyo.
This past week, Eastern was in Berkeley, Calif. to play Cal. The Golden Bears rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Eagles, 78-70. EWU led by as many as 15 points during the game, but Cal used an 18-1 run in the fourth quarter to take control. Jacinta Buckley scored 16 points and Aaliyah Alexander had 13 in support. Cal had a 40 to 26 rebounding advantage over the Eagles.
Defense continues to be a strength for the Eagles, as the team allows opponents 59.1 points per game and a 43.5 shooting percentage. The team ranks second and is tied for first in the two categories on the Big Sky leaderboard. EWU leads the Big Sky with 17.1 assists per game and a plus-1.45 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Leading the effort, Jamie Loera averages 5.5 assists per game and has a plus-1.83 ratio, both ranking second in the conference. The graduate student is also 13th in the conference with 11.6 points per game.
Alexander leads the offense with 15.8 points per game, good for third in the Big Sky. She carries the fifth-best shooting percentage in the conference with a 46.8 average.
Season tickets for EWU men's and women's basketball are now available and start as low as $100! Tickets for basketball and all EWU Athletics events are available at goeags.com/tickets or via the EWU Athletics Ticket Office at 509-359-6059.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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