CHENEY, Wash. — February is about to end and Eastern Washington athletics is elevating its level of play. Men's and women's basketball each have three games in the next seven days with men playing two at home and the women playing one. Eagle fans can watch both the men's and women's tennis teams at home on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Women's golf is in Arizona for two days in its second competition of the spring.
Men's Basketball (15-8, 9-1 Big Sky) — vs. Montana (Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6 p.m.), vs. Montana State (Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m.), at Sacramento State (Monday, March 4 at 6 p.m.)
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The Eagles look to build off an emphatic 85-76 win on the road at second-place Northern Colorado last Saturday with a chance to clinch the regular season championship this week.
Cedric Coward scored a career-best 30 points and Ethan Price scored his 1,000th career point as EWU went into Greeley and took a commanding two-game lead for first place in the Big Sky.
The Eags return to Reese Court for the final two home games of the season this week before closing out the schedule at Sacramento State on Monday.
Thursday's game could clinch the Big Sky Title and the top seed in the Big Sky Tournament in Boise as EWU hosts the 10-5 Montana Grizzlies, with hopes of replicating their decisive 78-65 win in Missoula earlier this season. Eastern held UM to just 34.4% shooting overall to split the road trip in the Treasure State.
Saturday will be jam-packed with exciting events as it will be Senior Night at Reese Court, providing an opportunity to celebrate the NCAA careers of veterans Ellis Magnuson and Jake Kyman. On the court, EWU will look to avenge a 60-70 loss in Bozeman on Feb. 1.
The day will also include an honoring of the 20th anniversary of the 2003-04 men's team that became the first EWU squad to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Most of the team will be on hand for a halftime recognition at Reese Court.
The men close out their regular season on Monday at Sacramento State, aiming to repeat their first matchup against the Hornets, when they cruised to an 87-61 win at home.
Ethan Price posted a career-high 25 points as the Eags led by as much as 30 in the blowout, shooting 55.6% from beyond the arc.
Women's Basketball (23-5, 13-2 Big Sky) — at Montana (Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6 p.m. Pacific TIme), at Montana State (Saturday, March 2 at 1 p.m.), vs. Sacramento State (Monday March 4, at 6 p.m.) - Get Tickets
The Eagles are heading back on the road this weekend before returning home on Monday for the season finale. EWU plays at Montana on Thursday and Montana State on Saturday. The team will host Sacramento State on Monday. Eastern's game on Monday will also be senior day, where the team will honor four student-athletes, Gabrielle Jung, Jacinta Buckley, Milly Knowles and Jamie Loera.
Last week, the Eagles extended their winning streak to seven games and took over the top spot in the Big Sky conference standings. Eastern began with a 67-42 win over Northern Arizona, who was tied for the conference lead in the standings. The win was EWU's 22nd of the year, setting a new program record for wins in a single season. Head coach
Joddie Gleason also reached a milestone in the win, earning her 50th career victory at Eastern.
In a short turnaround, the Eagles played Northern Colorado on Saturday (Feb. 24), holding off the Bears, 68-63. UNC hung around in the game and cut the Eastern lead down to single digits in the fourth quarter. EWU had timely scoring from
Aaliyah Alexander and key free throws from
Jaleesa Lawrence to secure the win. Alexander surpassed 1000 career points against the Bears as well.
As a team, Eastern leads the Big Sky in allowing 56.0 points per game to opponents. The team's plus-14.1 scoring margin is the top stat in the conference, with the team averaging 70.0 points per game on offense.
Alexander is second in the Big Sky for scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game with 10-straight double digit scoring games. Jamie Loera is eighth in the conference with a 13.0 points per game average. Loera also leads the Big Sky with 2.3 steals per game and is second with 5.4 assists per game.
Men's Tennis (0-7, 0-0) — vs. Montana State (Saturday, March 2 at 10 a.m.)
Eastern Washington will have its home and Big Sky opener this Saturday, when the Montana State Bobcats come to town. The match will be held in the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse, with the first serve at 10 a.m. for doubles.
The Eagles have struggled to start the season, holding an 0-7 record and going 0-2 this past weekend. EWU was in Portland for two matches against Portland and Portland State. Eastern dropped both matches, 7-0. In the match against the Vikings,
Tyler Dalos and
Caden Kammerer won the No. 1 doubles, 6-2, over Andrea Brignacca and Jan Semerak.
Tyler Waddock and
Drew Dillon both won the opening set of their matches and battled tough in the third-set tiebreaker.
Women's Tennis (2-8, 1-0) — vs. Whitman College (Sunday, March 3 at 10 a.m.)
The Eagles get to stay at home this weekend after playing a home match and a road match in Spokane last week. They host Whitman College at the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse on Sunday, with first serve at 10 a.m.
The Eagles split match last week, but defended their home court against Montana State, topping the Bobcats 4-3. The match was the team's first Big Sky contest of the season giving the team an early edge in the conference standings. After dropping the doubles point, EWU won four singles matches to get the victory.
The following day, Eastern played Gonzaga at the Stevens Center, narrowly missing another win, 4-3. In this match, the Eagles won the doubles point, but dropped four-of-six singles matches.
Senior Jennifer Kida went 4-0 during the weekend, winning both singles and doubles matches, playing alongside Kenzington Mann in doubles.
Women's Golf — at GCU Invitational (Tues.-Wed, Feb. 27-28, All Day)
Following a two-week break, Eastern resumes its spring schedule on the course starting tomorrow. The Eagles are in Phoenix for the GCU Invitational, playing three rounds over two. Rounds one and two will be held tomorrow, with the final round on Wednesday. Each round will be 18 holes and a shotgun start at 7 a.m. Pacific Time.
EWU began the spring in Washington, Utah at the Zpas Trailblazer Invitational, hosted by Utah Tech. The team finished eighth on the team leaderboard, shooting 964 for the tournament.
Gabriella Ilardi placed 19th on the individual leaderboard with a 234 and
Brooke Mahler was 25th with a 235 score.
Morgan Baum competed as an individual, placing ninth after shooting 226 in Washington.
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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