It’s back on the road for women’s basketball from east Washington, but the team is on a four-game winning streak heading into the week. The Eagles play Idaho State on Thursday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time in Pocatello, Idaho. Eastern will play Weber State on Saturday, January 28 at 12 p.m
The two games can be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats for Thursday’s game can be seen on ISUBengals.com. Saturday’s game will have live stats via WeberStateSports.com.
last time out
Eastern Washington played Northern Arizona on Saturday (January 21) and defeated the Lumberjacks 96-89 in overtime. It was the Eagles’ first overtime game in nearly three years. The game went into a tie at halftime, but Eastern took the lead in the third quarter with an 11-0 run. They would lead to the fourth by seven. NAU capitalized on an 8-0 run to start game four and then managed to level the game at 4:06 on the clock. The teams went back and forth the route and were knotted at 80 by the end of regulation. In overtime, the Eagles extended a lead with good free throw shooting in overtime and earned the win. Eastern held the Lumberjacks to 18.2 in overtime.
Jaleesa Lawrence led the team in the standings with 23 points from the bench. Jamie Loera recorded her third double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Aliyah Alexander scored 18 points, with Jaydia Martin Adding 18 and Jacinta Buckley graduation at 16.
A look at the eagles
Eastern Washington is 5-3 in conference and 12-6 overall this season and has won five of their last six games. The team has a 4-3 record on the road. In the conference rankings, Eastern is the second-highest team at 72.4 points per game, while also scoring the second-best mark at 32.6 percent. They have a plus 7.6 points lead, which is also second in the conference. The Eagles hold the highest assist-to-turnover margin in the conference with a stat of 1.34 and are also 10thth in the NCA. The team averages 15.9 assists per game (47thth in the NCAA) and 11.9 turnovers per game (6thth in the NCAA). Eastern contributes to the revenue effort, making 9.56 steals per game for second place at Big Sky and 65th in the nation.
Jamie Loera was within striking distance of a triple-double against Northern Arizona and the graduate influenced every element of the game. Loera is second in assists (5.0), first in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.1), 24th in points per game (10.5), 10th in rebounding (6.1) and first in steals (2.4). she is 42nd in the NCAA in assists per game and 57 in steals per game.
Eagles Top Scorer, Jaydia Martin, hasn’t missed a beat in conference games and ranks fifth in points per game (18.3) and three-point shootout (36.7). Martin is also fifth this season with an average of 15.9 points per game and sixth with a 41.3 shot average, along with a three-point percentage of 37.3 for fifth place. The sophomore has double-digit goals in 16 of the team’s 18 games, and has recorded 10, 20-point games and one 30-point performance. Martin has received two Big Sky Player of the Week awards this season.
The cleaning up of the boards continues Jacinta Buckley, who is seventh in the conference with 7.3 rebounds per game. Buckle is 16th in the Big Sky with 11.3 points per game to round out as a two-way threat. In conference games, the runner-up carries the third-placed shot share with 53.9 percent. The sophomore has four games in double-digit rebounds this season and has two double-doubles.
Aailyah Alexander returned to the lineup from injury last weekend and made her presence felt by scoring 10 points against Northern Colorado and 19 against NAU. Alexander is averaging 13.5 points per game in conference games and ranks just outside the top 10 at #11 on the scoring leaderboard.
Exploring the Bengalis
Idaho State is 3-4 in conference standings, with an 8-10 overall record for the season. The team is 4-2 at home and 3-6 away. The Bengals are on a three-game losing streak after two away games last week. They fell to Sacramento State (52-66) and Portland State (47-48) last Thursday and Saturday, respectively. This season, the Bengals have the highest-scoring defense in Big Sky, allowing the opposition 56.3 points per game. The team scores 56.3 points per game.
Sophomore forward Laura Bello is the team’s leading rebounder and ranks second in the conference with a 9.3 average per game. Guard Callie Bourne leads the ISU in 10th place with 13.5 points per gameth in the big sky. The graduate student leads offense at an average of 4.5 assists per game, which put her second in the conference leaderboards.
series history
Eastern Washington has an overall record of 39-41 against Idaho State in program history. Eastern is 14-24 against the Bengals on the road and 13-26 at home and going 2-3 in neutral ground games. The two teams last met on February 12, 2022 in Pocatello, Idaho, with the ISU winning 79-62. Alexis Petti scored a career-high 18 points, Jacinta Buckley ended up with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Exploring the wild cats
Weber State is struggling this season with a 0-7 record in conference and 4-15 overall. The Wildcats are down 11 straight games, losing games to Portland State (64-65) and Sacramento State (44-70) this past weekend. The team finds success in defending the opponent’s shots, limiting them to 38.1 percent shots.
Senior forward Daryn Hickok put the Wildcats in third place at Big Sky with an average of 17.9 points per game. Hickok also carries a 44.0 shot average, ranking fifth in the conference. She averages 6.2 rebounds per game and ranks ninth. On the glass, senior forward Jadyn Matthews leads rebound efforts at 8.2 per game and ranks fifth on the conference leaderboard.
series history
Eastern is 40-45 all-time against Weber State, going 13-27 away and 24-16 at home, with a 3-2 record in neutral games. Last season, Eastern won the season series against the Wildcats with a 74-61 win in the final matchup. Jacinta Buckley scored a career-high 25 points against Weber in the win.
Next
Eastern Washington plays Thursday, February 2 at 6 p.m. at Reese Court, Sacramento. The Eagles then host Portland State on Saturday, February 4 at 2 p.m