CHENEY, Wash. — Men's and women's basketball has carried over the momentum from 2023 into 2024 as both teams are in the middle of winning streaks. After winning a pair of tough road games, the men's team has a seven-game streak and hosts the number two team in the Big Sky, Northern Colorado, along with Northern Arizona. The women's team is on a record-setting nine-game streak and travels to play UNC and NAU this week, with the Lumberjacks sitting at second in the Big Sky. Track and Field splits its squad this week, traveling part of the team to Seattle, while another group will compete in Spokane.
Men's Basketball (11-7, 5-0 Big Sky) — vs. Northern Colorado (Thursday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m.), vs. Northern Arizona (Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 p.m.) — Get Tickets
The Eags return to Reese Court to face the second-place Northern Colorado Bears and their league-leading offense on Thursday evening, looking to remain unbeaten in conference play after back-to-back road wins last week. Cedric Coward posted 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way in an 80-78 win over preseason conference favorite Weber State on Thursday, then the Eags used a 17-point second half run to
take control at Idaho State on Saturday. The Eags are the only 5-0 team in the conference, leading the Big Sky in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage against. They are also unbeaten at home this year with a perfect 5-0 record.
They swept Northern Colorado a year ago, including the regular season title-clinching win in Cheney on Feb. 18 (89-77). The Eags also won in Greeley, Colo. last January, 83-75. With neither team a stranger to offense, six of the last seven head-to-head games have had 150+ combined points. Eastern is 18-15 all-time against the Bears, who are 4-1 to start their conference schedule including home wins over Portland State and Sacramento State last week. They are 11-7 overall entering the week as they also swept their Big Sky-Summit League Challenge games and boast a non-conference win over Air Force. Transfer Saint Thomas has four times been named Big Sky Player of the Week and leads the conference in scoring at 19.9 per game.
Eastern looks to avenge their Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal loss to Northern Arizona on Saturday, hosting the Lumberjacks for an early 1 p.m. tip. The Jacks beat the Eags on a buzzer-beater in Boise last March, 80-81. It was the first loss to NAU since 2017, a 13-game streak that included wins in both regular season games a year ago. NAU is 9-10 overall and 2-3 in Big Sky play, though they also swept the pair of Portland State and Sacramento State at home last week. They have struggled at times to score the ball, ranking 10th in the Big Sky at 65.8 points per game.
Women's Basketball (15-3, 5-0 Big Sky) — at Northern Colorado (Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m.), at Northern Arizona (Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 p.m.)
Eastern is back on the road this week for a pair of games, carrying a nine-game winning streak. The Eagles broke the program record of seven-straight wins last week after defeating Weber State, 56-38.
Jamie Loera led the team with 17 points and
Jaydia Martin scored 15 in support. EWU erased a halftime deficit against Idaho State in their second game,
topping the Bengals, 68-46. It was Loera again leading the team, scoring 19 points, with nine rebounds and eight assists.
The defense has set the tone for the Eagles this season, leading the Big Sky with 55.1 points allowed per game. They are limiting opponents to a 36.3 shooting percentage overall and 27.5 percent from three-point range, both top the conference leaderboards. Creating mistakes is central to Eastern's defensive effort as the team forces 17.6 turnovers per game. The team has a plus-5.9 turnover margin.
As the reigning Defensive player of the Year, Loera continues to be a disrupting force, averaging 2.5 steals per game, with 42 total, top marks in the Big Sky. She also leads the conference with 5.8 assists per game and is 17th with 5.3 rebounds per game. Providing a spark on offense is another of Loera's abilities, averaging 11.7 points per game, second on the team and tied for 10th in the conference. Aaliyah Alexander remains the team's top scorer, averaging 15.4 points per game, ranking third in the Big Sky.
Track and Field — UW Invitational (Friday and Saturday; University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.), Inland Northwest Invitational (Saturday only; The Podium powered by STCU, Spokane, Wash.)
Track and Field will continue their indoor campaign against elite competitors at the University of Washington's UW Invitational in Seattle, which starts Friday afternoon and continues into Saturday morning. See the full meet schedule here.
It will be their second true road competition of the season after a weekend at the 2024 Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open in Moscow, Idaho last weekend. Freshman Owen Higgins was the story last week as he broke a 46-year-old record in the rarely-raced 600 meters.
Some Eags will also compete at the Inland Northwest Invitational nearby at The Podium powered by STCU in Spokane. That meet, hosted by Whitworth University, will take place only on Saturday. See the full meet schedule here.
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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