CHENEY, Wash. — The regular season is coming to a close for two Eagle teams, while two others are getting into their season's rhythm. Men's basketball travels for a "road" game at the Spokane Arena, against Washington State and former EWU head coach David Riley. Football looks to close out its 2024 season on a high note against a ranked Northern Arizona team. Volleyball travels for its final two regular season games, jockeying for seeding in next week's conference tournament. Women's basketball gets to escape the cold and play two games in Honolulu.
Men's Basketball – vs Washington State (Thursday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time), at Cal Baptist (Saturday, November 23 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time)
Eastern Washington enters the week with a 1-3 record after a tough 82-78 loss to Cal Poly at home. The Eagles mounted a remarkable second-half rally, erasing a 21-point deficit to come within just one point, with
Nic McClain leading the charge.
McClain set a new career high, scoring 28 points, surpassing his previous best of 16 points from last season. On the boards, Sebastian Hartmann led the team with eight rebounds, while Mason Williams added six.
Looking ahead, the Eagles face Washington State on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Spokane Arena. The game marks a reunion with former EWU head coach David Riley, who now leads the Cougars. Riley guided the Eagles to two Big Sky regular-season championships during his tenure at Eastern. Historically, Eastern Washington has struggled against Washington State, holding a 3-17 all-time record against the Cougars.
Two days later, the Eagles travel to Riverside, California, for a Saturday showdown with Cal Baptist on Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Football - at No. 21 Northern Arizona (Saturday, Nov. 23 at 12 p.m. Pacific Time)
Eastern has a road trip to close out this season, traveling down to Flagstaff to play No. 21 Northern Arizona on Saturday. The game is streamed live on ESPN+.
EWU has won the last two games and looks to finish the 2024 season with a .500 record in the Big Sky, currently sitting at 3-4. They are 4-7 overall this season. NAU is 5-2 in conference and 7-4 overall, riding a four-game winning streak.
This past Saturday, the Eagles racked up the broken records in a overwhelming, 77-42 win over Idaho State. The 77 points is a program record against a Division I opponent and the team had a record 478 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in the game. They finished with 704 yards of total offense, the most by the team in three seasons. Eastern scored on all 11 of its possessions in the game, including going 10-of-10 in the redzone.
Kekoa Visperas accounted for four total touchdowns - three rushing and one passing - while putting up 254 yards of total offense. He broke the program record with a perfect completion percentage of 14-of-14. Visperas was named Co-Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week yesterday.
Jared Taylor rushed for a career-best 163 yards and three touchdowns in the game as well.
Michael Wortham rushed for a career-best 109 yards on five carries, scoring twice in the game. Along with a career game on the ground, Wortham broke the EWU single-season kickoff return yardage record, getting 46 yards against the Bengals to give him 983 total. The previous record was held by Vernon Williams with 973 yards in 1988.
Eastern averages 238.0 yards per game this season ranking second in the Big Sky and fifth in the FCS. The Eagles' 37.5 points per game also ranks second and fifth in the conference and nation respectively.
Efton Chism III quietly caught 12 passes for 157 yards in the game and one touchdown. Chism now has 3733 career receiving yards and he passed Brandon Kaufman for third on the all-time list. The Monroe, Wash. native now leads the Big Sky and FCS in receptions (107) and receiving yards (1192). Chism's 12 receiving touchdowns is the top mark in the conference and third in the nation.
Volleyball - at Northern Arizona (Thursday, November 21 at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time), at Northern Colorado (Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time)
Eastern is gearing up for their final regular-season road matchup this week, looking to build on their recent 3-0 sweep over the Vandals on Senior Night last Saturday. Fans can catch the action live on ESPN+.
In the victory over Idaho, Kalista Lukovich and Bri Gunderson spearheaded the offense, each registering nine kills with hitting percentages over .400. Gunderson also set a new career high with six aces, while Sade Bacon contributed three. Jannie Blake led the team with 14 assists, and Kate Hatch added 13.
The Eagles will first face Northern Arizona on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 5:30 p.m. PT, before heading to Northern Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 23, for a 1:00 p.m. PT matchup. Earlier this season, EWU fell to Northern Colorado in three sets but defeated Northern Arizona 3-1.
Currently sitting fifth in the Big Sky Conference with an 8-6 record, the Eagles have secured a spot in the Big Sky Tournament, which will take place at Sacramento State from Wednesday, Nov. 27, to Friday, Nov. 29.
Women's Basketball - vs. Saint Mary's (Friday, Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m. PT), at Hawai'i (Sunday, Nov. 24 at 5:30 p.m. PT)
The Eagles have a big trip this weekend as they travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i for the Bank of Hawai'i Classic. On the islands, Eastern will play Saint Mary's on Friday, followed by a matchup against the host Rainbow Warriors on Sunday. The game against UH will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats are available for both games.
EWU is 1-3 to start the season, dropping its last two games. UH is 1-1 this season and the Gaels are 2-2.
The Eagles dropped their last game against Portland this past Sunday, 74-62 at Reese Court. Eastern led after the first quarter, but the Pilots eliminated the lead in the second quarter and were tied at half. The teams went back-and-forth in the third quarter, with Portland taking a slim one-point lead into the fourth. In the fourth, the Pilots asserted themselves, out-scoring EWU, 21-10. Portland held the Eagles to 12 percent shooting, while shooting 33.3 percent themselves.
Peyton Howard was the team's leading scorer with 16 points on 6-of-10(60%) shooting, adding two assists and three steals.
Howard has embraced the role of the team's go-to scorer this season, averaging 15.8 points per game to lead the team. She is shooting 58.5 percent overall and 52.9 percent from three-point range. She also leads the team with 11 assists.
On the glass, Paris Kirk holds the top mark with 6.0 rebounds per game, followed closely by Jaecy Eggers with 5.8 per game. Balancing the scoring effort, Ella Gallatin contributes 10.3 points per game on 50 percent shooting. Continuing her role as a spark off the bench, Alexis Pettis is averaging 9.5 points per game, carrying a 75 percent shooting mark (6-of-8) from three.
Season tickets for men's and women's basketball are now on sale. Reserve your seats at Reese Court for the 2024-25 seasons by clicking on the link here, emailing tickets@ewu.edu or calling the ticket office at 509-359-6059.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
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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