CHENEY, Wash. — Forward
Dane Erikstrup picked up right where he left off. After posting a career-best 32 points in Eastern Washington's Wednesday night win at South Dakota, the junior forward scorched the visiting North Dakota State Bison (7-9; 0-1 Summit) on Saturday in Cheney, scoring 27 to lead the Eagles (8-7; 2-0 Big Sky) to their fourth-straight win, 91-83.
"I'm a big process guy," head coach David Riley said. "I think what Dane has done since, I want to say, the Stanford game… his mindset has been incredible. He's been taking great shots. He's been using his physicality a lot more. He's been making simple plays. His assists have gone up, his turnovers have gone down, and now the shots are starting to fall because he's getting more comfortable."
Fall they have. Saturday marked the eighth game in double digits for Erikstrup, but he has made a particular impact over the last five, starting on Dec. 21 at Washington, scoring totals of 17, 18, 5, 32 and 27. During that span, he has made 33 of 54 from the field (61.1%) highlighted by a sizzling 18-for-27 (66.7%) from beyond the 3-point line.
"I was trying to force it early (in the season)," Erikstrup said. "I just started playing with my teammates and not forcing stuff. The game just started coming to me easier and I feel like I'm finally, slowly getting the hang of it and really turning it on."
The Eagles needed every point against a tough NDSU club at Reese Court. EWU never trailed on Saturday, but in contrast to their last three games, when they pulled away with commanding leads and cruised to the finish, the Eags couldn't quite put the Bison away. Their largest lead was 13 with just under 12 minutes to go in the 2nd half — earned after Erikstrup scored 11-straight EWU points over a stretch of 2:30 — but NDSU cut that back to two at 70-68 with under seven minutes to go.
NDSU guard Tajavis Miller scored a career-high 23 points on 9-13 shooting and 5-6 from 3-point depth, matched by senior Boden Skunberg with 23 on 8-9 FG. Big man Andrew Morgan, after going scoreless on 6 FG attempts in the first half, scored 13 points in the second.
Eastern was able to do just enough to outpace NDSU, thanks in part to the play of redshirt freshman LeJuan Watts, who scored 9 of his 13 off the bench in the second half, and Preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection Ethan Price, who quietly added 15. Do-everything guard Cedric Coward had a difficult night from long range, shooting 1-for-5 from 3, but finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and, importantly, 0 turnovers.
Fifth-year senior point guard Ellis Magnuson, who is counted on for his tenacious on-ball defense and serves as the team's primary ball handler, recorded 5 assists to just 1 turnover while picking up 2 steals.
"He's the head of our snake," said Erikstrup of Magnuson's play. "When he turns it on and gets guards uncomfortable, that's when we start getting steals and tipping the ball… even though it might not show on the box score as much, he affects our team in a really positive way."
The Eagles took great care of the ball all game, turning it over just 8 times for their lowest total against a Division-I opponent this season.
Miller's fifth 3 put NDSU within 5 with 2:30 left, but EWU forward Casey Jones drew a foul and hit two free throws, then Coward hit his lone 3 of the day at just the right moment to make it 89-81 and effectively seal the game with 38 seconds left.
Eagle Odds & Ends:
- Making 31 of 51 shots (60.8%), the Eagles have now shot over 50% from the field in each of their last four games (all wins).
- Eastern went to the free throw line 25 times, good for their second-highest mark of the year (29 vs. Sacramento State on Dec. 30).
- Eastern also outrebounded their opponent for the 4th-straight game, 27-25.
- The Eagles' 6 blocks are the most they've had against a D-I team this year.
- Freshman guard Mason Williams returned to the lineup after missing six games with a minor injury.
- Saturday was the final game in EWU's 2023-24 non-conference schedule.
- The Eagles earned a perfect 2.5 points (1 home win and 1 road win) in their two games as part of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge, played for bragging rights between the two conferences. The EWU women also swept their games after a road win at North Dakota on Saturday.
The Eagles return to action a week from today, on Jan. 13, against the Idaho Vandals in Moscow. Tipoff against the nearby rival will be at 4 p.m., available on television via SWX and streaming via ESPN+. EWU women will also play the Vandals in the annual doubleheader, with the women's game starting at 1 p.m.
Eastern's next home game is Thursday, Jan. 25 vs. Northern Colorado, followed by EWU Alumni and Family Day on Saturday, Jan. 27 as the Eags host Northern Arizona. T-shirt and ticket packages are available. Tickets for those games and all EWU Athletics competitions are available at goeags.com/tickets.
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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