CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington athletics has six teams in competition this week, with three at home. Men's and Women's Basketball host Idaho on Saturday for a double-header at Reese Court. Women's Tennis will play on its home courts for the first time in 2024. Men's Tennis has two more matches on the schedule. Track and Field splits its squad, sending a group to Seattle and Spokane. Women's Golf begins its spring season in Utah with a three-day road trip.
Women's Basketball (17-5, 7-2 Big Sky) — vs. Idaho (Saturday, Feb 10 at 2 p.m.) - Get Tickets — Watch on SWX or ESPN+
Eastern Washington concludes its four-game homestand this weekend, hosting Idaho for the second matchup between the two teams this season. The two teams previously played in Moscow, with the Eagles winning handily, 67-44.
Aaliyah Alexander scored 27 points for the second time this season in the victory.
During its current homestand, the Eagles are 2-1, winning the past two games. Eastern had another commanding victory over Portland State, 63-49, last night, getting 14 points from
Jaleesa Lawrence and
Jaydia Martin. Eastern knocked off
Montana on Saturday (Feb. 3), 61-56, holding off a late rally from the Grizzlies.
Jamie Loera posted her second double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The first game of the homestand was
a 62-61 loss to Montana State. The Bobcats delivered with a key three near the end of regulation to snatch the victory from Eastern.
Eastern boasts the top defense in the Big Sky, allowing opponents 56.5 points per game overall and 52.7 in conference matchups. The Eagles are allowing a conference-low 34.0 shooting percentage opponents in these matchups, and 36.6 overall.
Aaliyah Alexander is second in the Big Sky with a 15.8 points per game average, while carrying a 45.2 shooting percentage, third in the conference. Loera coordinates the offense, averaging 5.4 assists per game, second on the Big Sky leaderboard. The graduate student leads the conference with 2.3 steals per game - 50 total - along with ranking ninth in scoring (15.8) and tied for 10th in rebounding (5.9)
Men's Basketball (15-8, 9-1 Big Sky) — vs. Idaho (Saturday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m.) — Get Tickets — Watch on SWX or ESPN+
The Eags return from their toughest conference road trip of the season at 9-1 in Big Sky play, good for a 2.5-game lead atop the standings with eight games remaining. They won two of three on the road last week, losing at Montana State before wins
at Montana and
at Portland State. Team-leading scorer
Cedric Coward had a career night at PSU, posting a personal best 26 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. The Eags led by as much as 25 before cruising to the finish.
They host the Vandals on the back half of the Saturday doubleheader as the Eags look to repeat January's road doubleheader against their travel partner, when both the women and men won in Moscow. The men pulled away in the second half for a comfortable win, 79-58, earning 33 points from the bench.
Idaho enters the week at 9-14 overall and 3-7 in conference play but winners in two-straight after impressive road performances at Montana State and at Sacramento State. They rank 8th in the conference in scoring but have climbed to 4th in scoring defense and 5th in opponent FG%. Eastern leads the league in FG% and FG% against.
Women's Tennis — vs. Seattle U (Saturday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m.), vs. New Mexico (Saturday, Feb 11 at 8:30 a.m.)
The Eagles will be on their home courts for the first time this season, when they host Seattle U on Saturday. The matchup will be held at the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse, with first serve at 10 a.m.
Eastern dropped its two road matches last week and is 0-4 on the season. The Eagles fell 7-0 to Oregon on Friday (Feb. 2) and
6-1 to Saint Mary's on Saturday (Feb. 2). Against the Gaels, redshirt-freshman
Anait Arutiunian dominated her matchup against Tian Yu Dong, winning 6-0 in both sets in the No. 2 singles spot.
Scout Mathews and
Isabella Foshee won their doubles matchup against Iman Khan and Olvia Rook, 6-4), playing at No. 1.
Track and Field — Husky Classic (Seattle, Wash.) and Whitworth Invite (Spokane, Wash.) — Feb. 9-10
Eagle Track and Field prepares for their final competition before hosting the 2024 Big Sky Indoor Championships at The Podium in Spokane later this month. A select few student-athletes will head to the University of Washington to compete in the Husky Classic while the rest of the team will head to The Podium for the Third Annual Whitworth Invite. Both meets will be Friday-Saturday only.
Eastern also competed at The Podium last weekend, taking on the Riverfront Invitational hosted by Spokane Sports, with notable performances in the distance medley relays, pole vault and women's 400 meters.
Men's Tennis — vs. Cal Poly (Friday, Feb. 9 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time), at Boise State (Saturday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m.)
EWU travels to Boise, Idaho this weekend for a pair of matches, starting against Cal Poly on Friday for a neutral site contest. The Eagles then play the home team Boise State on Saturday night. The team is 0-3 on the season, with one match being canceled.
This past week, Eastern was in Missoula, Mont. for matches against Montana and Grand Canyon. Against the Griz, EWU fell 7-0, followed by a
4-0 loss to the Lopes the next day. In the doubles round against Grand Canyon,
Brady Thomas and
Arshjot Bhatti picked up a win, playing at the No. 3 spot, against Jonathan Da Silva and Wyatt Anderson. The Eagle duo topped the Lopes, 6-3.
Erik Sarlvik and
Drew Dillon nearly earned Eastern the doubles point at the No. 2 position, falling just short of a win, 7-5, against Pal Rosati and Pablo Carretero Salvador.
Women's Golf — at Zupas Trailblazer Invitational (Feb. 11-13, All Day)
Eastern returns to the course for its first competition of the 2024 Spring season, traveling to Saint George, Utah for the Zupas Trailblazer Invitational, hosted by Utah Tech. The competition will run from Sunday through Tuesday, with one round each day.
The Invite is the first of four regular season tournaments Eastern plays this year. The 2024 Big Sky Championships will be held from April 14th through 15th.
The Eagles had four competitions in the fall of 2023, including their home tournament, The Eagle Invitational. At the Indian Canyon Golf Course, EWU finished fourth among 11 teams with a 897 total score.
Brooke Mahler led the team, tying for seventh on the individual leaderboard after shooting 222 over the two-day tournament. Eastern also
tied for sixth at the 54 for IX Tournament in September. The Eagles broke the program record with 881 total score and true freshman
Gabriella Ilardi placed 14th on the individual leaderboard after shooting 216.
In the 2023-24 Big Sky preseason coaches' poll, EWU was selected seventh after finishing in sixth at the 2023 Big Sky Championships.
Season tickets for EWU men's and women's basketball are now available and start as low as $100! Tickets for basketball 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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