CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington athletics' teams have a lighter schedule this week as the quarter wraps up with finals week. Men's basketball has a quick trip to the west side on Wednesday to play Washington. Women's basketball has an even quicker trip on Saturday, as they drive up to Spokane to play Gonzaga. Track and field has the same short road trip as they begin their indoor season on Saturday at the Podium.
Men's Basketball – at Washington (Tuesday, December 10 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time)
The Eagles finished the Big Sky Summit League Challenge with a 1-1 record, defeating North Dakota 87-81 before falling to South Dakota State 74-53. As their preseason draws to a close, Eastern Washington now turns its focus to a major upcoming challenge: a matchup against Big Ten opponent Washington.
Historically, the Eagles have struggled against the Huskies, holding a 1-17 record all-time and currently on a 13-game losing streak. Their last meeting ended in a heavy 33-73 loss to UW in December of the previous year.
In their matchup against the University of North Dakota, the Eagles secured a hard-fought 87-81 victory, led by Andrew Cook, who scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds. The game was tightly contested, with both teams exchanging leads throughout the first half, which ended with UND holding a slight 42-40 lead.
In the second half, EWU responded to several UND pushes with key performances from Cook, who was active on both ends, and timely three-pointers from Sebastian Hartmann and Vice Zanki. A crucial three from Zanki at the 4:05 mark gave the Eagles a 7-point lead, and Cook sealed the win with free throws in the final moments, despite a late rally from UND.
However, the Eagles faced a tougher challenge in their 74-53 loss to South Dakota State. After a solid start, EWU struggled to maintain momentum as SDSU went on a dominant 16-0 run in the first half, taking a commanding 42-22 lead into halftime. The Eagles fought back in the second half with an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 13, but the Jackrabbits quickly regained control. Despite some late efforts, including a key three-pointer from Elijah Thomas, Eastern was unable to fully close the gap.
The game ended with SDSU securing a comfortable 74-53 victory, largely due to their strong rebounding and defensive pressure, which limited EWU's offensive flow and second-chance opportunities.
Women's Basketball - at Gonzaga (Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time)
Eastern Washington may be on the road Saturday, but the trip will be short as they head north to play Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane. The game will be broadcast live on SWX and streamed on ESPN+
The Eagles participated in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge last week, going 0-2 in a road and home game. Eastern fell on the road to South Dakota State (58-81) and at home to North
Dakota State (47-74). EWU had difficulty scoring in both games, shooting 35.4 and 27.5 percent from the floor in the two matchups respectively.
Peyton Howard led the team in scoring both games, averaging 16.5 points per game and six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Eagles continue to rebound the ball well, averaging 40.2 per game to rank third in the Big Sky. They average 13.3 offensive rebounds per game - ranking second in the conference - and 26.9 on the defensive side. EWU has a plus-4.1 rebounding margin, sitting at third in the Big Sky.
Howard is second in the conference with a 16.2 points per game average, while shooting 44.0 overall and 37.5 percent from three, both ranking third on the conference leaderboard.
Kourtney Grossman has stepped up her game on the interior for the Eagles, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game over the last three games. She is also averaging 9.6 points per game over the same stretch. Against SDSU, Grossman recorded her first collegiate double-double with a 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, also a career-high. The true freshman leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and is fourth in scoring with 6.4 points per game.
Track and Field – Spokane Invitational at The Podium (Saturday, December 14, All Day)
The indoor track and field season is officially underway for the Eagles, starting with their debut at The Podium—a venue where they'll compete four times this year.
This Saturday marks the team's first opportunity to set early season benchmarks as they aim to improve on their 9th-place finish (men) and 6th-place finish (women) at the 2024 conference indoor meet. The Eagles will return to The Podium after the holidays for the Spokane Indoor Challenge and Spokane Sports Showcase on January 17-18.
Next, Eastern will head to Moscow, Idaho, on January 24-25 for the Lauren McCluskey Memorial hosted by the University of Idaho. Some Eagles will also compete in the University of Washington Invite in Seattle (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), while others will stay close to home for a meet hosted by Whitworth University at The Podium.
As February rolls in, most of the team will travel back to Moscow for the Idaho Invite (Feb. 6-8), while the multis will stay local for the Riverfront Invite at The Podium. The regular season wraps up with two key meets: the Husky Classic in Seattle (Feb. 14-15) and the 4th Annual Whitworth Invite in Spokane.
The indoor season culminates with the Big Sky Indoor Championship in Flagstaff, Arizona, hosted by Northern Arizona, from February 27 to March 1.
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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