CHENEY, Wash. — Big Sky competition intensifies this week for Eastern Washington basketball. The men and women both have three games on the schedule, with the women playing one at home tonight, while the men are on the road. The roles flip later this week as the men will be back at home for two games and women travel. After a strong start to 2025, track and field travels down south to Moscow for a two-day meet.
Women's Basketball - vs. Montana State (Monday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.) - Get Tickets, at Northern Arizona (Thursday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m.), at Northern Colorado (Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.)
Eastern Washington faces Montana State for the second time this season tonight at Reese Court with tipoff at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Bobcats defeated Eastern two weeks ago in Bozeman, 66-54, in the first week of Big Sky competition. EWU gets back to the road later this week, with games against Northern Arizona on Thursday and Northern Colorado on Saturday. Both games are also streamed on ESPN+.
Eastern had one road game last week, as they were in Moscow for a matchup against the Idaho Vandals. The Eagles fell to the Vandals, 67-57, to end the team's two-game winning streak. After a close first quarter, Idaho separated in the second to keep EWU at arms length for the rest of the game. The Vandales' Olivia Nelson dropped 29 points in the game and the team had a 52 to 44 advantage in rebounds.
Ella Gallatin scored 14 points to lead the Eagles, while
Kourtney Grossman had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Four players were in double figures for the Eagles.
Eastern is 2-3 in the Big Sky, currently tied for fifth in the standings, while being 6-11 overall this season.
Despite being out-rebounded on Saturday, Eastern has improved in the paint this season, averaging 40.9 per game, ranking third in the Big Sky. The Eagles grab 28.1 defensive and 12.8 offensive rebounds a game, both rank third in the conference. They have a plus-4.2 rebounding margin this season.
Leading the effort inside is Grossman, averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, fourth-best among Big Sky players. Through five conference games, Grossman holds a 12.4 rebounds per game average to lead the Big Sky. She has five double doubles this season. The true freshman is also third on the team with 8.7 points per game, increasing to 11.0 per game in conference.
This season, the scoring is led by Peyton Howard, averaging 14.1 points per game. Howard is shooting 40.0 percent from the floor to rank fifth on the conference leaderboard. Against Idaho, Howard scored 11 points for her 15th game in double figures this season.
Supporting Howard and Grossman on offense is Gallatin, who has also stepped up her game in the new year. Gallatin is second on the team with 10.3 points per game, and is up to 16.2 through five games in the conference slate. She has nine games scoring in double digits, including five-straight with two, 20-point games.
Men's Basketball – at Montana State (Monday, January 20 at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time), vs Northern Arizona (Thursday, January 23 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time), vs Northern Colorado (Saturday, January 25 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time)
The Eagles are looking to bounce back after a tough 76-83 loss to Idaho. Eastern Washington will face Montana State on the road on Monday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. PST, before returning to Cheney for two home games: Thursday, Jan. 23, against Northern Arizona at 6 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 25, against Northern Colorado at 2 p.m.
Mason Williams led the Eagles offensively with 21 points, while Andrew Cook chipped in 18. Nic McClain and Emmett Marquardt also contributed in double figures. On the defensive end, Sebastian Hartmann and Tyler Powell each pulled down seven rebounds, while McClain was active on defense, recording three steals.
Idaho dominated the first half, outscoring Eastern 35-14 in the paint and controlling the boards with a 22-14 advantage. The Eagles struggled offensively, enduring a six-minute scoring drought that allowed Idaho to build a 25-12 lead. Despite a late steal and fast-break layup by McClain, which cut the deficit to 12 points at halftime, Eastern entered the break trailing.
In the second half, Eastern mounted a determined comeback, trimming the lead to as few as three points with under a minute remaining. However, Idaho responded with key plays down the stretch, and despite Eastern's valiant effort, the Eagles' comeback attempt ultimately fell short.
Track and Field – Lauren McClusky Memorial at the University of Idaho (Saturday, January 24-25, All Day)
Eastern will take to the road for the first time this season, for the Lauren McClusky Memorial hosted by the University of Idaho on Friday and Saturday, Jan 24-25.
Over the weekend, the Eagles had multiple standout performances in track and field, with multiple athletes setting personal bests and breaking records. Maddy Shekhawat broke his own school record in the 60m hurdles, while Suzi Woodall placed second in the pole vault, clearing 3.96 meters.
Daniel Gaik set a new school record in the 300m, breaking a 38-year-old mark, while several other athletes achieved notable results. Azaria Purdy climbed to second on EWU's all-time triple jump list, and Caitlin Simmons placed third in the long jump. Kristian Phennicie made the 60m final, and distance runners Nattie Ruzauskas, Jenni Bissell, and Ellie Linnenburger all had strong finishes, with Linnenburger earning a spot on EWU's all-time list.
Reghan Skogen finished fourth in the long jump, and the Fonoti twins excelled in the women's weight throw, with Dyvhine taking second and Dyvhon fourth. Dyvhine also placed third in the shot put.
On the men's side, Jason Nwaka and Cort Gebbers had strong performances in the shot put, finishing third and fifth, respectively. Azaria Purdy earned second in the triple jump, and Kristian Phennicie led the men's 60m sprints with a second-place finish. In distance events, Madi Carr, Max Meadows, and Faith Martinez all placed in the top eight in their respective races.
Single game 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.
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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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