CHENEY, Wash. — For the second-straight year, sixth time in program history and third in the last five seasons, the Eastern Washington Eagles are Big Sky Regular Season Champions.
Casey Jones scored a career-high 30 and Cedric Coward put in 25 to lead the way as the Eagles cut down the nets at Reese Court in Cheney on Thursday night, beating the visiting Montana Grizzlies, 89-79.
Eastern also boasts regular season championships in 2022-23, 2019-20, 2014-15, 2003-04 and 1999-00. Thursday's win locked up the top seed in the 2024 Big Sky Tournament and, with a loss by Northern Colorado, clinched the regular season title outright. EWU advanced through the conference tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, 2015 and 2004.
On Thursday, Eastern trailed by 3 at half as Montana's Aanen Moody had a spectacular night, scoring 18 in the first 20 minutes on 7-of-10 shooting including 4-of-6 from the field. He finished with a game-high 3, making 8 of 11 from beyond the arc.
The Eagle defense came to life in the second, however, forcing the Griz to under 40% shooting down the stretch while outrebounding them 18-11, earning 5 steals and 3 blocks. It seemed like every big play for the Eags came first off a defensive stop on the other end, including the highlight of the night as Coward picked up a loose ball at the Montana three-point line and took it the length of the court for a one-handed slam over a Griz defender to make it a 54-46 EWU lead with 12:59 remaining.
Montana fought back, tying the game at 60 apiece midway through the frame, but could never get over the hump.
Coward converted another big dunk, this time to earn an and-1, to make it 64-60, then converted a fastbreak layup — again off a defensive play as point guard Ellis Magnuson forced a steal in the Montana backcourt — to push EWU's lead to 10 at 75-65. Magnuson, who is Eastern's all-time leader in career games played, had 7 assists in the game, including the 400th as an Eagle.
Jones played his game throughout, attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. He ranked first in the NCAA in free throw rate (FTA/FGA) headed into the game and scored 13 of his 30 from the charity stripe on Thursday while going an incredible 8-for-10 from the floor, adding 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. He scored 8 of Eastern's final 12 points, all on free throws, as they held the Griz at arm's length, never dropping below a 10-point lead in the final six minutes.
Eastern dominated the paint, outscoring Montana 40-12 inside. They attempted only 11 3-point shots (making 5), marking their fewest attempts in a game all season.
The win ensures EWU will play at 5:30 p.m. MT on Sunday night (March 10) in the Big Sky Tournament in Boise, versus the winner of the #9 versus #10 game on March 9. They have two more games in the regular season before that as they stay home to host Montana State for Senior Night on Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m.
Eastern's next home game is Senior Night on Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m. Join us as we celebrate our outgoing seniors, plus we'll have a special 20th anniversary celebration for the 2003-04 EWU men's basketball team that became the first to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tickets for Saturday 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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