The Eastern Washington University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams combined for a perfect 4-0 record last week. Both teams defeated Portland State on Monday, Feb. 5, and Idaho on Saturday, Feb. 10 in a doubleheader at Reese Court. The two teams kept their conference ranking from last week, with the men in first place in the Big Sky and the women in second.
The men beat Portland State 90-77 behind a career-high 26 points from junior forward Cedric Coward, who scored 23 points in the second half alone. Junior forward Ethan Price had 15 points, and senior guard Jake Kyman had 13.
Junior forward Casey Jones tied Coward for the team lead in rebounds with 11, while also scoring 12 points. Jones and Coward’s 22 combined rebounds helped the Eagles dominate the glass, as Portland State had only 30 rebounds across the entire team. EWU finished the game with 53 total rebounds.
Eastern Washington is only ranked 7th in the Big Sky in points allowed per game, but the defense showed up on Monday, especially in the first half. The Eagles held Portland State to just 29% shooting from the field in the first period, allowing them to gain a 45-32 lead that they never relinquished.
The women were expected to win against a Portland State team in last place in the Big Sky, and they delivered with a 63-39 victory. Junior guard Jaleesa Lawrence and junior forward Jaydia Martin led the team in points with 14 each, while the EWU season leader in points, sophomore guard Aaliyah Alexander, contributed 10 points.
The women allowed the fewest points per game in the conference, and they held Portland State to single-digit points in both the first and the fourth quarters. PSU’s junior guard Esmeralda Morales leads the Big Sky with 16.5 points per game, and she still had 14 points against the Eagles. However, she was one of only five players to score for Portland State.
EWU is also first in the conference in rebounds per game, and the Eagles out-rebounded Portland State 26-18. Senior guard Jamie Loera’s 8 rebounds was first on the team. Senior forward Milly Knowles had 7 rebounds, while Alexander, Lawrence, and freshman forward Bella Hays each had 5 each.
Saturday saw both teams play Idaho at home in a doubleheader, EWU’s only of the season. The women took the court first and won 62-52. Alexander and Lawrence again led the way, scoring 15 and 13 points. Senior guard Jamie Loera had 11 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
The Eagles pulled away during the third quarter, which they won 17-9. They held Idaho to 16.67% from the field during the quarter, as the Vandals made just two shots. It was Eastern Washington’s worst quarter in terms of efficiency as well, but two three-pointers allowed it to be their highest-scoring period.
Second-chance points played a large role in this game. Although Idaho out-rebounded the Eagles on both the offensive and defensive boards, EWU was much better at converting their offensive rebounds into points. The Vandals had only 2 second-chance points, while Eastern Washington had 8.
The men finished off the doubleheader with an 87-79 victory of their own. This time, Price led the Eagles in scoring with 22 points, and Coward was second with 15, while also grabbing 8 rebounds and blocking 4 shots. Kyman had 14 and made 4 three-pointers.
Despite Eastern Washington leading the Big Sky in both three-point percentage and three-pointers per game, the Vandals made more threes and shot a better percentage. However, the Eagles were much better from inside the three-point line, scoring 44 points in the paint to Idaho’s 30.
EWU was also able to limit Idaho’s scoring to a handful of players. While the Vandals had four players score at least 15 points, only one other player scored. In contrast, all eight Eastern Washington players that saw the court had at least four points.
The men are still two games ahead of Northern Colorado for first place in the Big Sky, while the women are still one game behind a Northern Arizona team that has won its last eight games. The two teams play on Thursday, Feb. 15 against Idaho State, and Saturday, Feb. 17 against Weber State.
