CHENEY, Wash. — Fully into December, Eastern Washington will have three teams in action this coming Saturday. Coming off a dominating win on Sunday, women's basketball will host Walla Walla at Reese on Saturday night. Men's basketball continues its battle through non-conference with a road matchup against Air Force. The indoor season has finally arrived for Track and Field and they begin with the Spokane Invitational, starting Saturday morning.
Women's Basketball — vs. Walla Walla (Saturday) — 6 p.m. — Get Tickets
TV: ESPN+
Eastern Washington continues its homestand this week with a night matchup against Walla Walla. Tipoff for the game will be at 6 p.m. as the Eagles will look to start a winning streak before getting back on the road next week. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
EWU cruised to a 21-point victory against Boise State yesterday as the defense limited the Broncos scoring ability and won 64-43. Eastern forced 22 turnovers, while holding Boise to a 33.3 shooting percentage and 23.1 percent from three-point range. Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by 14 points from
Aaliyah Alexander and 11 from
Jaleesa Lawrence.
Jaydia Martin and
Jacinta Buckley each added 10 points.
The defense is consistent for EWU this season, allowing opponents 60.1 points per game that ranks second in the Big Sky. They allow a 42.7 field goal percentage and 38.6 from three, both rank third in the conference. Alexander boasts the third-best scoring average in the Big Sky with 16.7 points per game, while shooting 46.7 percent to rank second. In the paint, Milly Knowles leads the Eagles with 6.6 rebounds per game to also slide in at 10th in the conference. Buckley adds 5.9 rebounds per game to rank 12th.
Men's Basketball — at Air Force (Saturday) — 3 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. MT
TV: Altitude, MWN / Radio: 700 ESPN, 105.3 FM & Varsity App
The Eagles continue their gauntlet of a non-conference schedule at Air Force on Saturday afternoon, facing the Falcons in Colorado at 3 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. MT. EWU lost twice last week, both on the road against Pac-12 opponents in Washington State (72-82 on Nov. 27) and USC
(78-106 on Nov. 29). Transfer guard
Jake Kyman lit it up against the Trojans, hitting 7-of-10 shots from beyond the arc for a career-high 25 points.
Air Force is 7-2 to start the year with wins in six-straight, most recently an 80-58 handling of former EWU Head Coach Shantay Legans and the Portland Pilots on the road on Dec. 3. The Falcons are led by 6-5 junior guard Ethan Taylor, who ranks 4th in the country in minutes percentage, playing a whopping 95.9% of the time while averaging 18.2 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Eastern is 1-1 all-time against Air Force, with the last meeting a 42-62 loss in Cheney back in 1986. The Eagles won in 1985, 60-59, also at Reese Court.
The Eagles' next home game is Dec. 13 against Portland Bible College.
Track and Field — Spokane Invitational at The Podium (Saturday) — All Day
Track and Field season is officially upon us! The Eagles open their indoor season at The Podium, where they'll compete seven times this year, including as hosts — in partnership with Spokane Sports and the conference — of the 2024 Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships in February.
Saturday offers a chance for the Eagles to set their first marks of the season as they look to improve upon their 4th- (men) and 7th-place (women) finishes at the 2023 conference indoor meet.
Director of Track and Field Erin Tucker announced the team's 10 captains late last month. The team welcomes 37 newcomers for the 2023-24 campaign, including 17 women and 20 men. Among the returners include 2023 NCAA Regional qualifiers Ryan Rieckmann (javelin), Zach Klobutcher (pole vault), and Savannah Schultz (pole vault). Several newcomers, including transfer jumpers Egypt Simmons and Wayne Jamison, have already taken on leadership roles as the Eagles look to take the next step under Tucker and his staff.
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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