The Eastern Washington University men’s and women’s basketball teams have had a strong start to conference play, posting a combined 13-1 record so far this season. The men are 7-0, and the women are 6-1.
The men’s team challenged themselves with a tough out-of-conference schedule that included eight games against schools in Power 5 conferences. The Eagles were 4-7 before their first conference game against Portland State on Dec. 28.
However, their recent winning streak has propelled them to a 13-7 record, the second-best overall record in the Big Sky. EWU is the only team undefeated in conference play, while Northern Arizona is second in the Big Sky with a 5-2 conference record.
Eastern Washington’s leading scorer has been junior forward Cedric Coward, whose 13.8 points per game ranks eighth in the conference. Coward has become a full-time starter after primarily coming off the bench last season.
Coward also leads the team in rebounds per game with 6.5, just ahead of redshirt freshman forward LeJuan Watts. Watts has made an impact coming off the bench, averaging 5.8 rebounds and 9.8 points per game on a team-high 64.7% field goal percentage.
The Eagles are a team that shares the ball, as four other players besides Coward are also averaging double digits. Preseason All-Big Sky selection, junior forward Ethan Price, is averaging 12.5 points per game. Junior forward Dane Erikstrup is averaging 11.6, junior guard/forward Casey Jones is contributing 10.9, and senior Jake Kyman is at 10.2.
Senior guard Ellis Magnusson is fifth in the Big Sky in total assists with 78, good for 3.9 per game. In December, Magnusson became the 11th player in Eastern Washington men’s basketball history to reach 300 career assists.
As a team, EWU is atop the conference in both three-point percentage and made three-point shots, with Kyman’s 43 triples leading the team.
The men’s team needs to win 11 more games to accomplish the feat of two straight seasons with a perfect regular-season conference record.
The EWU women’s team was undefeated in conference play as well until Saturday night, when Northern Arizona defeated them 89-81. The Eagles sit at 6-1 in conference, tied with Northern Arizona. However, Eastern’s 16-4 overall record is first in the Big Sky.
Prior to their loss to NAU, Eastern Washington had won 10 straight games dating back to Dec. 21. They get another chance against the Lumberjacks on Feb. 22.
Redshirt sophomore guard Aaliyah Alexander is the team leader in points per game with 16.7, second place in the conference. Alexander was the Eagles’ second-leading scorer last season with 12.7 points per game.
Second on the team in points per game, first in assists, and second in rebounds is senior guard Jamie Loera, whose 12.6 points per game and 5.6 assists per game rank ninth and second in the Big Sky. Her 2.4 steals per game lead all players in the conference.
Senior guard Jacinta Buckley is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, leading the team and ranking 11th in the Big Sky. She is also first on the team in blocks per game with 0.8, which places her at 9th in the conference.
The Eagles scored 72.3 points per game, the third-most in the conference, while allowing just 57.2 points per game, the second-fewest in the conference. Their average point differential of 15.2 points is first in the Big Sky by over four points per game.
Eastern Washington is tied with NAU for the conference lead in rebounds. They also commit the fewest turnovers in the conference while forcing the second most, leading to a Big Sky-leading 5.55 average turnover margin.
EWU only needs to win four more games to finish with a better record than last season, but it certainly looks like they are going to close out the year much stronger than before.
Both the men’s and women’s teams are currently first or tied for first in the conference, with the men being led by three-point shooting ability and the women by defense and rebounding. The Big Sky Conference Tournament will take place from March 9 to March 13, where both teams will look to win the conference and receive a bid to the NCAA tournament.
