CHENEY, Wash. — The regular season is over and Eastern Washington women's basketball is going back to Boise for the 2025 Big Sky Conference Tournament. Eastern earned the No. 7 seed and looks to defend its tournament title, beginning on Saturday (March 8) against the No. 8 seed Sacramento State at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time and 2:30 Mountain Time.
The tournament begins on Saturday and concludes on Wednesday, March 12 at the Idaho Central Arena. The games will all be streamed live on ESPN+ with the championship game airing live on ESPNU next Wednesday. Each EWU game will also air on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voice of the Eagles Larry Weir. Live stats are available through the Big Sky Conference.
Staying Consistent Against the Hornets
Eastern Washington carries a 42-22 record against Sacramento State in series history. EWU swept the regular season series against the Hornets, winning 89-80 at Reese Court and 68-53 in Sacramento. Peyton Howard and Kourtney Grossman each scored 17 points in the most recent matchup on the road. The teams have met in the Big Sky Tournament twice, with the last matchup in the 2016 tournament quarterfinals. EWU won a barn-burner as the No. 2 seed against the No. 7 Hornets, 100-97, as Hayley and Delaney Hodgins scored 27 and 26 points respectively. Ashli Payne added 19 points and 18 rebounds.
Record-Breaking Freshman
Kourtney Grossman set the Eastern Washington freshman rebounding record last week after grabbing her 291st rebound against Idaho State. She has 302 total this season, ranking 8th in EWU history. Along with leading the team in rebounding (10.4), Grossman is 2nd in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game. She is also 4th on the team with 10 blocks and sits 3rd with 37 steals. Grossman has 13 double doubles this season and 12 in the last 19 games. She leads NCAA freshmen in double doubles currently. Grossman has 19 double digit scoring games and 16 double digit rebounding games. In Big Sky matchups, Grossman is averaging 12.4 rebounds per game. Grossman holds 3 of the top 5 rebounding games in the Big Sky season, with her 19 against Montana St. registering the most in the conference for 2024-25.
Success on the Boards
EWU's rebounding is its steady strength,averaging 39.6 per game to rank 3rd in the
Big Sky. The Eagles are averaging 27.3 defensive boards per game, also 3rd in the
conference. EWU is tied for 4th in the Big Sky with 12.3 offensive rebounds per game. EWU carries a plus-2.2 rebounding margin this season, 4th in the Big Sky. True freshman Kourtney Grossman has played above her years in the paint, leading the team and conference with 10.4 rebounds per game. Another true freshman, Jaecy Eggers, is 2nd on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game, good for 15th in the conference. Grossman and Eggers have 64 and 60 offensive rebounds this season respectively.
2024 Memories
Eastern Washington returns to Boise, Idaho as the reigning Big Sky Tournament Champions, winning their first conference tournament title in program history. The Eagles won the tournament last season as the No. 1 seed after defeating No. 2 Northern Arizona in the Championship game, 73-64.
Jamie Loera was named the tournament MVP, adding All-Tournament team honors.
Jacinta Buckley also earned All-Tournament honors, joining Loera. EWU
defeated Weber State, 71-58, in the quarterfinals and
Montana State, 56-39, in the semi.finals a year ago. EWU advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed, facing the No. 3 seed Oregon State in the first round. The Eagles season ended
against the Beavers 73-51. Eastern won a Big Sky-record 29 games last season.
Converting the Free
In the last 8 games, Eastern is 126-for-155(81.9%) at the free throw line. The Eagles have a 77.2 percentage in Big Sky games, ranking 3rd in the conference, and have a 72.8 overall mark this season.
Peyton of All Trades
Peyton Howard leads the team with 14.1 points per game, while shooting 38.5 percent from the floor and 29.3 percent from 3-point range. Howard is 6th in the Big Sky in scoring and has 3, 20-point games and 1, 30-point game this season. Howard adds to her versatility with a team-leading 102 assists and 45 steals. The Spokane Valley, Wash. native is 9th in the conference in assists per game(3.4) and tied for 9th in steals per game(1.5). In the win over Portland St, Howard scored 12 points to give her 1000 for her career between Eastern and Seattle U. From behind the arc, Howard leads EWU with 53 made three-point field goals, averaging 1.8 per game, and is tied for 4th in the Big Sky.
From the Bench to a Starter
Senior guard Alexis Pettis has been the steady presence for head coach Joddie Gleason in her tenure. In her three seasons, Pettis has played in 121 games, making 22 starts, averaging 17.6 minutes and 6.2 points per game. This season, Pettis is averaging 9.2 points per game - tied for 3rd on the Eagles - in 25.4 minutes played this season. She is shooting 39.3% from the floor and leading the team with a 34.9% three point percentage. With 43 steals this season, Pettis is 2nd on the team, and is also 4th with 42 assists, adding 4 blocks and tied for 6th on the team. Pettis has started in 20-straight games.
Efficiency is Key
Eastern continues to improve on taking care of the ball this season. EWU has a plus-0.43 turnover margin, with 440 turnovers committed and 453 forced. The stat ranks 3rd in the Big Sky. In league games, EWU has improved to plus-0.78 mark. The Eagles also carry a 0.83 assist-to-turnover margin that is good for 5th in the conference. The team has recorded 367 assists this season.
Freshman Control the Paint
Along with Kourtney Grossman excelling in the paint, Jaecy Eggers also continues to improve her game across the board. Eggers has 110 defensive rebounds to go along with her 60 offensive boards. She leads the Eagles with 30 blocks for a 1.0 per game average that is 3rd in the conference. Against Sacramento St. this season, Eggers raced past her career-best in points, scoring 20 against the Hornets for her first career-20 point game. She is 5th on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game, and has improved to 10.0 points per game in the Big Sky contests, while staying steady with 5.7 rebounds per game.
No Drop-Off at No. 2 PG
Rachel Harvey provides another strong option at point guard for the Eagles. Harvey is averaging 2.4 assists per game, tying for 15th in the Big Sky. She has 62 total assists this season. Over the past 4 games, Harvey is averaging 3.8 assists per game with 19 total. Harvey averages 19.9 minutes per game in Big Sky contests, playing in all 18 matchups. She is 2nd on the team with 62 assists, getting 46 in league games, ranking 2nd on the Eagles.
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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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