Sports Briefs

Eagles begin three-game homestand Friday versus Idaho

Eastern Washington will look to continued success on home court and stay in the hunt for a Big Sky Conference regular season title as the Eagle men play their next three games at Reese Court where they sport a 12-1 record.

The third-place Eagles host the fourth-place Idaho Vandals this Friday, Feb. 17, at 6:05 p.m. in the lone game of the week for EWU prior to taking on league-leading Weber State on Feb. 23. Just three weekends of action remain in the regular season league race prior to the 11-team conference tournament.

The Idaho game will also include halftime recognition for former Eastern football coach Beau Baldwin, who left to become offensive coordinator at the University of California-Berkeley.

While Eastern has been on a hot stretch as of late with five wins in its last seven games, the Vandals have been equally hot. After a 1-3 start to begin the conference season — including a 69-62 home loss to the Eagles — Idaho had won seven of eight until falling at North Dakota on Feb. 11. Eastern now stands at 9-4 and Idaho is at 8-5 in league play.

“I like how our team is playing and I think we can continue to get better,” Eastern head coach Jim Hayford said of his Eagles who are 17-9 overall.

Eastern split a pair of road games last week, losing 95-86 to North Dakota, Feb. 9 before allowing the fewest points of the season in a 70-47 victory at Northern Colorado last Saturday.

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Eastern women open three-game road swing at Idaho

Following their split at home last week, the Eastern Washington womens’ basketball team has their shortest road trip of the season, visting the University of Idaho Saturday at 6 p.m. in Moscow.

Eastern stays on the road playing Feb. 23 at Weber State and Feb. 25 in Pocatello versus Idaho State. They have a 9-4 Big Sky Conference record and are 14-10 overall. The Eagles currently trail Northern Colorado, North Dakota and Montana State, who are all 11-2, by two games with five to play.

Last week, Delaney Hodgins poured in 22 points on Saturday and sparked a late run in the fourth quarter to help Eastern upset Big Sky Conference leader, Northern Colorado, 67-61, at Reese Court. Thursday night the Eagles lost 75-71 to North Dakota as Hodgins scored 19 points and Tisha Phillips 15.

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EWU football awards event is Saturday, Feb. 18

As the final send-off for 12 Eastern Washington University seniors and former head coach Beau Baldwin, the annual EWU football awards presentation will take place Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. at Showalter Auditorium on the Cheney campus.

Cost is $15 per person in advance or $20 at the door, and includes hors d’oeuvres, video productions and highlights from the 2016 season. The event begins with a social hour at 1 p.m., followed by the awards program at 2 p.m.

Besides new head coach Aaron Best, former Eagle head coach Beau Baldwin will also be present at the award presentations. Baldwin, the new offensive coordinator at the University of California-Berkeley, will also be recognized at EWU’s basketball game versus Idaho on Friday, Feb. 17 at Reese Court.

Team awards will be presented and other accomplishments acknowledged, including recognition of the team’s 12 seniors on a squad that finished the 2016 season 12-2 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the Big Sky Conference. They lost in the semifinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs to Youngstown State.

The Eagles had their 11-game winning streak ended by the Penguins, who needed an improbable catch with one second left to pull out the 40-38 victory. EWU hadn’t lost since falling to five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State 50-44 in overtime on Sept. 10. One week before that they knocked off Washington State of the Pac-12 Conference 45-42.

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