PointGuard

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  1. Day 3, Game 24: Central Michigan Chippewas (W8/W16) at Hawaii Warriors (W5/W15) Both teams were tested with close games in round 1 but won more easily in round 2. Starting lineups: Central Michigan: PG 6-4 Chuck Livas, SG 6-1 Tremaine Moore, SF 6-6 Jarvis Martin, PF 6-7 Joe Evans, C 6-10 Ramsey Millar Hawaii: PG 6-5 David Hamilton, SG 6-3 Shannon Sykes, SF 6-8 David Howard, PF 6-7 Darius Allison, C 6-8 Todd Brown Central Michigan combined some hot shooting with frequent turnovers by the Warriors to take a 20-10 lead with 13:20 to go in the first half and take the Hawaii fans out of the game. Hawaii then pulled within 4 points only to see the Chippewas move out to a 46-25 advantage with 1-1/2 minutes left as the Warriors were called for foul after foul sending Central Michigan to the line repeatedly. The margin at the break was 46-27 in favor of Central Michigan. Central Michigan outshot Hawaii 59% to 40% and held an 18-10 rebounding advantage. The Chippewas also went to the line 33 times in the first half as the Warriors were called for 20 fouls. SG Tremaine Moore scored 15 points for the Chippewas. Todd Brown and Jason Oliver both had 5 points for Hawaii. Hawaii cut the Chippewas’ lead to 12 with 13-1/2 minutes left in the game. Central Michigan pulled away again late in the game to win with ease. Final Score: Central Michigan-82, Hawaii-60. Central Michigan: PG Chuck Livas-12/1/1, SG Tremaine Moore-20*/3*/3, SF Jarvis Martin-7/2/5, PF Joe Evans-3/1/1, C Ramsey Millar- 6/3*/6; Bench player: Brian Walker-12/0/8*. Chippewas team stats: FG%-55%, 33 of 44 FT’s, 7 of 19 Threes, 31 Rebs, 14 TO’s, 22 PF’s. Hawaii: PG David Hamilton-10/1/2, SG Shannon Sykes-2/2/3, SF David Howard-8/0/2, PF Darius Allison-6/0/2, C Todd Brown-13/1/6; Bench player: Cedrick Warren-7/2/2 Warriors team stats: FG%-42%, 20 of 30 FT’s, 2 of 16 Threes, 22 Rebs, 17 TO’s, 33 PF’s. Player of the Game: Central Michigan’s SG Tremaine Moore-20 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds.
  2. Austin Nathaniel, 1st Asst Coach Bret got all the assistant coaches together today and said he has been torn between remaining at EWU and moving on to a head coaching job elsewhere. He said the difficult part has been that he’s enjoyed working with the players on this squad. But he’s decided to leave EWU and he’s accepted another coaching job. Several colleges expressed interest in hiring him after our run in the NCAA Tournament, but he narrowed it down to 3 and finally chose where he will go next year...Bret will be coaching the Missouri State Bears. He’s confident that the program here at EWU should be even stronger this coming year, particularly since it looks like some very highly rated recruits will soon be committing to playing for the Eagles next year. He said he has encouraged Carl Quagmire to promote me to head coach here and that Larry and Delvon be kept on as my assistants, if I so desired. But according to Bret, Quagmire has been non-committal. After our meeting he met with the team to let them know and wish them well, telling them that next year he feels they will go even deeper in the NCAA Tourney and that he will miss not continuing to work with them and enjoying the success he is sure they will achieve.
  3. Meaghan Kriley Bret was in a very bad mood after meeting with Carl Quagmire. We talked and he explained what Quagmire intends to do. He said he’s obviously not appreciated here nor is the basketball program. When I asked what his options were, he said he intends to explore other coaching jobs. When I asked if any nearby colleges were going to have openings, he said he didn’t think so. He said that with all that has gone on outside of basketball the past couple years, a move away from the area would be good anyway. I asked him what that meant as far as our relationship goes, and he said that I’m good enough at my job that I could get as good a one anywhere. His cavalier attitude upset me. We had an argument, but I finally decided to just step back and see what unfolds.
  4. Carl Quagmire, Acting Athletic Director When the team returned from the NCAA Tournament, I met with Bret Vandergard, congratulating him on a very successful season. He used the occasion to float some proposals about next year. He wants improvements made to Reese Court and also wants more money for the basketball program so he can pay assistants more. I explained to him that Swede had focused too much on one sport, basketball. It’s now time to build other EWU sports, particularly football. And that will take any extra money in the athletic department budget so there is no possible way I would authorize a bigger budget for basketball. In addition, facilities were improved last year, so this year’s request is excessive. We just can’t continue throwing money to one sport. Bret got upset, saying basketball was bringing publicity to the university and the success of the program had greatly increased revenue for the athletic department due to the vastly larger crowds now attending EWU games. I said, yes, but now it’s time for us to focus get another sport doing the same and I’ve decided that will be football. Case closed. Bret gave me a hard look. He got up and walked out of my office without saying another word.
  5. Tournament Results CIT Championship Providence-65, Manhattan-54 NIT Championship Iowa State-75, Indiana State-64 NCAA Semifinals North Carolina-75, Cincinnati-68 Michigan State-56, Duke-55 NCAA Championship North Carolina-68, Michigan State-53
  6. Delvon Washington, 3rd asst coach While we were still a part of the NCAA Tourney, we got word that one of our recruits had committed to us: PF Louis Thomas, 6-6 PF, HS Sr, North Las Vegas, NV, 2.9 GPA, 1000 SAT. 16.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 spg, 1.7 bpg. Excellent inside shot, reasonably aggressive shooter, rebounding needs to be worked on, primarily a post player. Ranked #61 in nation, Overall rating: B. We have offers out to 4 other players: SG Nick Thornton, HS Sr from Aiea, HI, an excellent scorer who is ranked #41 nationally PG Quintin Brown, a JC So from Randolph, NU, a great passer and ball handler who’s ranked #50 nationally C Adam Stevenson, JC So from Mendenhall, MS, an exceptional rebounder and strong defender PG Blake Price, a HS Sr from Buffalo, NY, an excellent passer and ball handler I think we have a very good chance of landing them all in April.
  7. Eastern Washington's NCAA stats Here's the player statistics for the Eastern Washington Eagles for their three NCAA Tournament games: Colin Goode had a great overall tournament and his stats would have looked even better had he not had a poor 2nd game. For Colin: Round 1: 20 points and 8 rebounds Round 2: 2 points and 2 rebounds Round 3: 22 points and 8 rebounds
  8. NCAA Round 3—Sweet 16 Corky Branigan, KSPK Radio commentator Game 33, Mar. 24, 2017: 5th seed, #14-ranked Eastern Washington Eagles (29-3) vs #1 seed, #6-ranked Duke Blue Demons (25-9) I’m here at the game as more of a fan than a sports commentator. Nobody expected the Eagles to make it to the Sweet 16. Eastern Washington has played well in their first 2 games and gotten some great performances from their players. In particular: SF Tim Whitaker averaging 19.0 ppg, 2.5 apg, 4 rpg, and 3 spg. C Colin Goode averaging 11.0 ppg and 5 rpg. SG Shawn Jackson averaging 12.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, and 1.5 spg. PF Donte Robinson averaging 9.5 ppg, 2 apg, 4.5 rpg, and 2 spg. SG Anthony Austin averaging 8.5 ppg, 3 apg and 1.5 rpg (in 11 mpg). PG Tim Dove averaging just 4 ppg but dishing out 8 apg. PF Cory Davis averaging 7.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg. But the Eagles now go up against Duke who has been NCAA Champion the past 2 years. Duke has won by 20 and 19 points in their two games thus far in this tournament. Freshman phenom SG Michael Varley averaged 29.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 spg, and 1.5 bpg this season. Here’s the matchups for the starting lineups: PG: 6-1 Sr Tim Dove (6.8 ppg) vs 6-3 Jr David Mitchell (8.4 ppg) (and 5.0 apg) SG: 6-4 Sr Shawn Jackson (7.2 ppg) vs 6-5 Fr Michael Varley (29.4 ppg) (and 6.9 rpg) SF: 6-7 Jr Tim Whitaker (12.3 ppg) vs 6-8 Fr Sharone Oliver (12.2 ppg) (and 5.7 rpg) PF: 6-8 Sr Cory Davis (6.5 ppg) vs 6-6 So Luis Bush (9.3 ppg) (and 5.9 rpg) C: 7-0 Sr Colin Goode (12.4 ppg) vs 6-10 Sr Kevin Jeter (3.1 ppg) Duke scored 7 points in the first minute of play. In the first 3-1/2 minutes Duke forced the Eagles to turn the ball over 4 times and took an 11-3 lead. Duke took a 23-10 lead but then the Eagles fought back. While never able to get closer than 6 points in the first half, EWU kept chipping away and finished the half trailing 38-30. Duke outshot the Eagles 52% to 43% but EWU out-rebounded the Blue Demons 16-10. C Colin Goode scored 13 points. For Duke SG Michael Varley scored 11 and PF Luis Bush added 10. The Eagles scored the first 5 points of the 2nd half (reducing their deficit to just 3 points) and Eagles fans started imagining an upset brewing. But then Duke got their game back in gear. Duke steadily increased their lead by stymying EWU’s offense. The Eagles never game up, but just didn’t have the talent that has been assembled by Duke. Duke outshot the Eagles 50% to 39% and held a 19-9 turnover advantage. Eastern Washington controlled the boards to the tune of 33-19 but that wasn’t enough to overcome the shooting and turnover disparity. So not only were they not the true Cinderella team this year, the Eagles were unable to make it to the Elite 8. But Duke is definitely on a different playing level than EWU. In other news, this year's true Cinderella team, #16 seed Marist lost to Stanford today, so their dream is over. Final Score: Duke—72, Eastern Washington (29-4)—53. Leading players for Eastern Washington: C Colin Goode-22 pts,1 assist, 8 reb; SG Shawn Jackson-8 pts, 3 assists, 6 reb; PG Tim Dove-7 pts, 3 assists, 6 reb; SF Tim Whitaker-6 pts, 3 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals, 1 block. Player of the Game: Duke’s SG Michael Varley-26 pts, 4 assists, 4 reb, 4 steals, 3 blocks. Others for Duke: PF Luis Bush-16 pts, 4 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal; SF Sharone Oliver-11 pts, 3 assists, 7 reb, 2 steals, 1 block.
  9. Day 3, Game 23: UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (W7/L16) at Bowling Green Falcons (W6/L15) UNLV’s defense has been like Jekyll and Hyde...great in their first game and horrible in their second game. Bowling Green’s offense was similar...hot in the first game, cold in their second game. Starting lineups: UNLV: PG 6-0 Clyde Ruddock, SG 6-3 George Finley, SF 6-5 Rick Watkins, PF 6-8 Geoff Ahern, C 6-9 Simon Ellis Bowling Green: PG 6-4 Shammell Smith, SG 6-3 Michael Maybin, SF 6-7 Greg Miller, PF 6-6 Jerome Bowie, C 6-7 Chris Gentry Neither team shot well early in the game. After 9 minutes of play the score was 11-5 in favor of UNLV. With 7 minutes to play in the half, UNLV was ahead 15-7 and Bowling Green had hit just 2 of 15 FG attempts. UNLV extended their lead to 24-10 with 4 minutes to go in the half. The Falcons offense continued to sputter and UNLV left the floor with a 31-14 advantage. UNLV hit 48% of their shots, but Bowling Green managed to make just 21% of their FG attempts (and was 0 for 12 from 3 point distance). UNLV also held a 17-15 rebounding advantage and a 7-5 advantage in turnovers. PF Geoff Ahern scored 10 points for UNLV. The top scorer for Bowling Green was PF Jerome Bowie with just 5 points. The Falcons came out in the 2nd half hitting their shots and trimmed the lead to 38-28 with 13-1/2 minutes to go. With 1:35 remaining, Bowling Green closed to within 6 at 59-53. UNLV bent but didn’t break and held the Falcons off to win. Final Score: UNLV—60, Bowling Green—55. UNLV: PG Clyde Ruddock16/4*/2, SG George Finley-5/1/2, SF Rick Watkins8/3/3, PF Geoff Ahern-16/1/6, C Simon Ellis-5/1/4; Bench player: Matt Jones-8/1/3. Runnin’ Rebels team stats: FG%-47%, 8 of 12 FT’s, 6 of 20 Threes, 27 Rebs, 15 TO’s, 10 PF’s. Bowling Green: PG Shammell Smith-15/2/3, SG Michael Maybin-5/4*/8*, SF Greg Miller-6/2/3, PF Jerome Bowie-17*/2/5 (+ 4 steals), C Chris Gentry-9/3/4. Falcons team stats: FG%-44%, 8 of 12 FT’s, 5 of 25 Threes, 25 Rebs, 14 TO’s, 16 PF’s. Player of the Game: UNLV PF Geoff Ahern-16 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 1 block.
  10. NCAA Round 2 Austin Nathaniel, 1st Asst Coach Game 32, Mar. 19, 2017: 5th seed, #14-ranked Eastern Washington Eagles (28-3) vs 4th seed, #18-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers (21-13) This is a big step up tonight. Pittsburgh is an ACC team with a prestigious past. They made it to the Elite 8 two of the past three years. This season they struggled to a 9-9 record in the talent-rich ACC. But throughout the entire season they played 13 games against ranked teams. Their starting lineup is populated by 4 and 5 star players. SG LaZelle Ward is the cream of the crop and has average 16.9 ppg during his 4-year career at Pittsburgh and has been a 2nd Team All-American. This season he is averaging 19.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, and 5.3 rpg. The Panthers employ a high post offense and a man-to-man defense. Here’s the starting lineup matchups: PG: 6-1 Sr Tim Dove (6.8 ppg) vs 5-11 Jr Tim Davis (2.5 ppg) SG: 6-4 Sr Shawn Jackson (7.2 ppg) vs 6-3 Sr LaZelle Ward (19.9 ppg) SF: 6-7 Jr Tim Whitaker (12.3 ppg) vs 6-6 Fr Larpe Isambero (9.1 ppg) PF: 6-8 Sr Cory Davis (6.5 ppg) vs 6-10 Jr Jeremy Jeffers (7.7 ppg) C: 7-0 Sr Colin Goode (12.4 ppg) vs 6-9 Jr Travis Jonzen (8.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg) Pittsburgh’s two big men got into foul trouble in less than 4 minutes of play. We hit our shots early and sprinted to a 14-6 lead at the 14:13 mark and 22-11 with 12 minutes left in the first half. We were feeding off our fans enthusiasm. We exercised great shot selection and were aggressive offensively. Pittsburgh hit 52% of their shots, but we dropped in 64% of our FG attempts and 7 of 9 from 3-point land. We also had an 8-4 turnover advantage. Tim Whitaker was on fire, hitting 7 of 8 (including 4 of 4 three’s) and scored 18 points. Cory Davis added 11 points. For Pittsburgh, LaZelle Ward scored 6 points. We played sloppily early in the 2nd half, but finally hit back-to-back 3’s that gave us a 50-34 lead and got the crowd cheering us on again. But then we fell apart and Pittsburgh roared back to close to within 5 points with 10:20 to play. But with the Panthers threatening, Shawn Jackson hit 3’s on 2 successive possessions. We pulled away to a 72-58 lead with just over 4 minutes left. Pittsburgh scored and then stripped the ball in the backcourt and drove for a dunk with 1:55 remaining reducing our lead to 74-68. Shawn Jackson dropped in another 3, but the Panthers sunk their own 3 ten seconds later. With 57 seconds to play, Donte Robinson was fouled. He made the first but missed the second shot to give us a 78-71 lead. Pittsburgh called a time out. But before they could complete their designed play, Tim Whitaker intercepted a pass, made a great outlet pass to a streaking Anthony Alston who laid it in on the break putting us up by 9 with 31 seconds to go. We harassed the Panthers allowing them just one more shot that went awry. And...we were in the Sweet 16! We hit an amazing 13 of 20 three-pointers. Surprisingly we out-rebounded Pittsburgh 29-26. Final Score: Eastern Washington (29-3)—80, Pittsburgh—71. Leading players for Eastern Washington: SF Tim Whitaker-23 pts, 3 assists, 7 reb, 4 steals, 1 block; SG Shawn Jackson-14 pts, 3 reb, 2 steals; PF Cory Davis-12 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 1 block; Donte Robinson-8 pts, 3 assists, 2 reb, 1 steal; PG Tim Dove-6 pts, 9 assists, 1 reb. Player of the Game: SF Tim Whitaker-23 pts, 3 assists, 7 reb, 4 steals, 1 block. For Pittsburgh: SG LaZelle Ward: 16 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals. NCAA News: We would have received a lot of coverage as a “Cinderella Team” getting to the Sweet 16, but we’ve been totally eclipsed…and with good reason. Marist, a 13-14 team with a 9-9 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) swept through the MAAC Tournament and came into the NCAA Tournament as the #16 seed in the Austin Regional. They beat #1 seed Oregon by 5 points in their tourney opener, then beat #9 seed Villanova by 7 in overtime to reach the Sweet 16. Quite an accomplishment!
  11. Day 3, Game 22: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (L8/W14) at Valparaiso Crusaders (L6/W13) Valparaiso got ripped in the first round, losing by 35 points but bounced back for a nice comeback win in Round 2. Western Kentucky lost a close game in round 1 and then played an exceptionally strong 2nd half against Saint Louis to win their round 2 game on the road. Starting lineups: Western Kentucky: PG 5-7 Mario Jones, SG 6-1 Aaron Taflinger, SF 6-8 Scott Reed, PF 6-10 Julius Dickel, C 6-10 Ray Melson Valparaiso: PG 6-0 Javon Thomas, SF 6-2 Jeremy Scott, SF 6-6 Jim Walker, PF 6-8 David Richardson, C 6-10 Brandon Diggs Valparaiso hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc to take a 20-15 lead at the midpoint of the 1st half. After trailing most of the first half, Western Kentucky took a one point lead with a minute left in the half. The Hilltoppers then increased that lead to a 42-38 margin at the break. Both teams shot well: Western Kentucky hit 58% and Valparaiso hit 65% of their shots. Valparaiso held an 11-8 rebounding advantage but more than gave that up by making 12 turnovers to the Hilltoppers 4. C Cain Cage came off the bench to score 10 points for Western Kentucky. Starting C Brandon Diggs hit for 13 points for Valparaiso. Both teams came out of the locker room sinking their shots from all over the court, but Valparaiso took advantage of Western Kentucky turnovers to take a 49-46 lead just 2 minutes into the 2nd half. The Crusaders continued their hot shooting to take a 13 point lead midway through the half, but the Hilltoppers made a quick run to cut the lead to 64-61 with 9 minutes left. Valparaiso’s outside shooting pushed them to a 10 point lead with 6 minutes to go in the game. Western Kentucky then scored some quick buckets in transition to close to 80-76 with 3 minutes remaining. But the Hilltoppers didn’t have enough fuel in their tank to make up the rest of the difference. Final Score: Valparaiso—89, Western Kentucky—82. Western Kentucky: PG Mario Jones-8/3/2, SG Aaron Taflinger-9/4/4, SF Scott Reed-8/1/0, PF Julius Dickel-6/0/3, C Ray Melson-13/1/7*; Bench players; Chad Fisher-15/1/0, Cain Cage-13/2/3. Hilltoppers team stats: FG%-49%, 28 of 38 FT’s, 6 of 18 Threes, 21 Rebs, 12 TO’s, 25 PF’s. Valparaiso: PG Javon Thomas-17/2/2, SF Jeremy Scott-17/4*/6, SF Jim Walker6/1/5, PF David Richardson-8/3/5, C Brandon Diggs-23*/1/2; Bench player: Albert Yearwood-9/1/0. Crusaders team stats: FG%-64%, 21 of 29 FT’s, 10 of 16 Threes, 26 Rebs, 20 TO’s, 26 PF’s. Player of the game: Valparaiso’s C Brandon Diggs-23 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb, 2 steals.
  12. Cory Davis, player NCAA Tournament Selection Show The team and our fans watched the Selection Show in Reese Court. #1 Seeds: North Carolina, Syracuse, Oregon, Duke As the selection show wound down and our name still hadn't been called, everyone got nervous. We had to wait until the final bracket (Seattle), but were ecstatic to be the 5th seed. Our opponent will be 12th seed Richmond. The big crowd here went crazy. Later we the teams for the NIT Tournament were slected: Northern Arizona is the 4th seed in the Midwest and will play the 5th seed Fairleigh Dickson.
  13. Eastern Washington Eagles team statistics PPG: 77.3 (1st in Big Sky; 1st in nation) Opp PPG: 61.4 (3rd in Big Sky) Assists: 16.3 (1st in Big Sky, 3rd in nation) Rebounds: 27.0 (1st in Big Sky) Blocks: 1.6 (2nd in Big Sky) Steals: 10.1 (1st in Big Sky, 9th in nation) FG%: 52.2 (1st in Big Sky, 1st in nation) 3P%: 38.7 (3rd in Big Sky, 49th in nation) FT%: 77.7 (3rd in Big Sky, 21st in nation) TO: 11.4 (1st in Big Sky, 8th in nation) Opp TO: 18.2 (1st in Big Sky, 8th in nation)
  14. Eastern Washington Eagles Player Stats Here are the players stats for the 30 games in the 2016-2017 season:
  15. Big Sky Conference Tourney—Day 4, Championship Game Delvon Washington, 3rd asst coach Game #30, Mar. 6, 2017: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (21-8, 11-5) vs #15 Eastern Washington Eagles (26-3, 16-0) We beat the Lumberjacks by 9 points in our only meeting this season. SG Ales Hare is their top scorer with 12.7 ppg, but PF Bryan Worrell, while averaging 10.7 ppg has had some big games (including scoring 37 points in their two tournament games thus far), so we have to control him. C Bernard Crawford is averaging 10.3 ppg. We’re not suiting up SG Will Davis since he’s nursing a knee injury. The teams traded baskets for the first 6 minutes, but we opened a 17-11 lead with 13 minutes to go in the half as we clamped down defensively. With 7 minutes to go we led 28-17. We were getting balanced scoring from throughout our lineup. But the Lumberjacks came back to tie the game at 32-32 with 51 seconds left in the half, as our offense stalled. We had a small spurt to give us a 37-33 lead at the buzzer. Team statistics were fairly equal. PG Darryl Bailey led our scoring with 9 points. 5 of our players had 2 fouls apiece and Shawn Jackson was sidled with 3. We let SG Ales Hare score 12 points. The fouls kept piling up in the 2nd half. We fell behind 47-45 with 12-1/2 minutes to play. We retook the lead at 55-54 with 6:45 left. With Coach V shouting encouragement, our team then dug down deep and upped our lead to 64-57 with just over 2 minutes to go. We then held the Lumberjacks off to win the Big Sky Championship! Final Score: Eastern Washington (27-3, 16-0)—72, Northern Arizona—64. Leading players for Eastern Washington: PG Darryl Bailey-13 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb, 1 steal; SF Tim Whitaker-10 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 2 steals; PG Tim Dove-9 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb; C Colin Goode-9 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb, 2 steals; PF Cory Davis-8 pts, 6 reb. Player of the Game: PG Darryl Bailey-13 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb, 1 steal. For Northern Arizona: SG Ales Hare-25 points, but we held PF Bryan Worrell to just 7 points. Notes: Northern Arizona gave us a scare, but we finished the season with a 23-game win streak. We moved up to #14 in the Media Poll. We’re #16 in the Coaches Poll.
  16. Big Sky Conference Tourney—Day 3 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (20-8, 11-5) vs Northern Colorado Bears (15-14, 6-10) [Northern Colorado took a 32-26 halftime lead. But Northern Arizona pulled away to take an 11 point lead in the 2nd half and they held on for a 66-63 victory. PF Bryan Worrell led the Lumberjacks scoring with 15 points. C Anthony Grizzard scored 17 for Northern Colorado.] Larry Montgomery, 2nd asst coach Game #29, Mar. 5, 2017: Sacramento State Hornets (12-17, 5-11) vs #15 Eastern Washington Eagles (25-3, 16-0) SF Sean Butler is playing well for Sacramento State, scoring 43 points in the Hornets’ 2 games in the tournament thus far. I took a lot of notes on how he’s done it, so hopefully our team can keep him in check. We beat the Hornets by 34 when playing them on our court and by 17 when playing them on their court. We kept the Hornets from hitting a FG during the first 6-3/4 minutes, during which we forced them to make 7 turnovers and pulled ahead of them 10-2. With 10 minutes left in the 1st half, we led 22-4. We continued to deploy a tenacious defense and finished the half with a 38-15 lead. We held Sacramento State’s shooting to 22% while hitting 50% of our shots. We had an 11-3 advantage in turnovers and out-rebounded the Hornets 16-11. PF Cory Davis and C Colin Goode each scored 8 points and Davis also had 6 rebounds. Coach V gave me a nice pat on the back on helping him devise a good game plan. We maintained a shut-down defense for the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half, opening a 58-22 lead. From thereon, the team coasted to an easy win. We outshot the Hornets 52% to 38%, held a 29-22 rebounding advantage, and an 18-7 advantage in turnovers. Final Score: Eastern Washington (26-3, 16-0)—73, Sacramento State—44. Leading players for Eastern Washington: C Colin Goode-14 pts, 6 reb; PF Cory Davis-12 pts, 8 reb, 1 steal, 1 block; PG Darryl Bailey-11 pts, 3 assists, 2 reb, 1 steal; SF Tim Whitaker-8 pts, 5 assists, 2 reb, 5 steals, 1 block. Player of the Game: PF Cory Davis-12 pts, 8 reb, 1 steal, 1 block. For Sacramento State: We shut down SF Sean Butler, allowing him to hit just 3 of 11 shots and score just 9 points.
  17. Big Sky Conference Tourney—Day 2 Northern Colorado Bears (14-14, 6-10) vs Portland State Vikings (13-14, 10-4) [The first half was tight with Northern Colorado coming out of it with a 42-36 lead. The Bears took a 17 point lead in the 2nd half. Portland State made a furious comeback but it was too little, too late as Northern Colorado upset the Vikings 77-70. SF Lee Walton was the top scorer for the Bears with 17 points. SG Dusan Hopkins and PG Delvon Patten both had 14 for Portland State.] Montana Grizzlies (12-16, 5-11) vs Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (19-8, 11-5) [Montana State took a 38-35 halftime lead. But as the 2nd half unfolded, the Lumberjacks pulled away to gain an 80-68 victory. PF Bryan Worrell dropped in 22 points for Northern Arizona. SF Robert Colter scored 15 points for the Grizzlies.] Sacramento State Hornets (11-17, 5-11) vs Idaho State Bengals (13-14, 9-7) [idaho State took a 13 point lead midway through the first half and went to the locker room with a 36-30 advantage. But in the 2nd half, Sacramento State came back for an upset win, 67-62. SF Sean Butler topped Sacramento State with 20 points. PG Ales Peper scored 13 points for Idaho State.] Austin Nathaniel, 1st Asst Coach Game #28, Mar. 4, 2017: Weber State Wildcats (9-19, 6-10) vs #18 Eastern Washington Eagles (24-3, 16-0) We beat the Wildcats by 21 on their court and 12 on ours. They have balanced scoring throughout their lineup. We took an 11-3 lead and didn’t all the Wildcats to hit a FG for 5-1/2 minutes. We then went 4 minutes without scoring. As Coach V rotated players in and out, we finally got back to scoring and took a 21-11 lead with 6 minutes left in the first half. But ultimately we just couldn’t shake Weber State. Although we took a 34-28 lead to the locker room, we hadn’t played well offensively. Fortunately our defense carried us in the first half as we only allowed Weber State to hit 28% of their shots. But the refs called 13 fouls against us, including 2 apiece on 6 of our players. C Colin Goode scored 10 points in the half. 5 minutes into the 2nd half, we opened a 13 point lead, but the Wildcats continued to claw their way back into the game. With 8 minutes left in the game our lead was down to 4 points. PG Darryl Bailey hit some big shots for us in the 2nd half, though. With 2:45 left in the game, we jumped out to a 77-62 lead and had control of the game. We won because we hit 53% of our shots to the Wildcats’ 43% shooting and an 18-10 turnover advantage. Those two categories have been this team's trademark advantages in most games this season. Final Score: Eastern Washington (25-3)—83, Weber State—69. Leading players for Eastern Washington: PG Darryl Bailey-18 pts, 3 assists, 5 reb, 2 steals; C Colin Goode-16 pts, 6 reb, 1 steal; SF Tim Whitaker-12 pts, 1 steal; SG Will Davis-8 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb. Player of the Game: PG Darryl Bailey-18 pts, 3 assists, 5 reb, 2 steals. For Weber State: PG Damon Scott-14 points. Polls, RPI, and Bubble Watch: We rose to #15 in the Media Poll and climbed up to #16 in the Coaches Poll. We’re #22 on the “Who’s In” list for the Bubble Watch and Northern Arizona is #12 on the “Who’s out” list. Our RPI remains 18th best in the nation and Northern Arizona is #59.
  18. Big Sky Conference Tourney—Day 1 Sacramento State Hornets (10-17, 5-11) vs Montana State Bobcats (12-16, 8-8) [Trailing 22-20 at the half, the Hornets came back to upset Montana State, 53-45. SF Sean Butler scored 23 points for Sacramento State. SG Wesley Akins was the top scorer for Montana State.] Montana Grizzlies (11-16, 5-11) vs North Dakota Fightin’ Sioux (10-17, 7-9) [Montana trailed by 7 early in the 1st half, but by the half led 40-30. In the 2nd half the Grizzlies gradually extended their lead and won 79-59. SG Jay Meade scored 19 for Montana. C Andrew Everett also scored 19 for North Dakota.] Idaho Vandals (8-19, 5-11) vs Northern Colorado Bears (13-14, 6-10) [Northern Colorado took control early in the first half and led 35-27 at the break. The Bears extended their lead to 19 points before letting the Vandals reel them in somewhat at the end of the game, but still won 69-60. SG Doylan Abraham scored 12 points for the Bears. SF Edem McCuthison led Idaho with 15 points.] Southern Utah Thunderbirds (7-20, 6-10) vs Weber State Wildcats (8-19, 6-10) [Weber State took a 45-36 halftime lead and then went on to drub Southern Utah 76-58. PF Shawn Ballinger was the top scorer for Weber State with 18 points. C David Thomas had 12 points for the Thunderbirds.]
  19. Final Big Sky Conference Standings Here are the final standings for the Big Sky Conference for the 2016-2017 season: The Eastern Washington Eagles go undefeated! Northern Arizona also had a very good year, but faded late in the season to drop into 3rd place.
  20. Day 3, Game 21: Saint Louis Billikens (L7/L14) at St. Bonaventure Bonnies (L5/L13) Both of these teams suffered narrow defeats in round 1. St. Bonaventure kept things close throughout their 2nd round loss also. Saint Louis fell far behind in the 2nd half of their round 2 game, but made a closing run that made the game respectable for the Billikens. And now: The “battle of the saints”: Starting lineups: St. Louis: PG 6-2 Adam Blizzard, SG 6-3 Arthur James, SF 6-8 Adrian Graham, PF 6-8 John Wiel, C 6-8 Bryce Brown St. Bonaventure: PG 6-3 Bryan Majerus, SG 6-1 Tavaras Linney, SF 6-7 LeDarion Peterson, PF 6-11 Nick Dunn, C 6-9 Sam Chouest St. Bonaventure spurted out to 7-0, 11-2, 18-5, and 29-10 leads as their defense squelched Saint Louis’ offense. The Bonnies finished the half ahead 39-16. The Bonnies hit 63% of their shots while holding the Billikens to 21% shooting efficiency. St. Bonaventure also out-rebounded Saint Louis 15-9 and had a 7-5 turnover advantage. SG Arthur James scored 9 for St. Bonaventure and C Sam Chouest scored the same number of points for Saint Louis. St. Bonaventure continued their dismantling of the Billikens early in the 2nd half, taking a 61-20 lead with 13 minutes to play. The Bonnies dominance continued to the end of the game as they recorded a total blowout win. Final Score: St. Bonaventure-78, Saint Louis-43. St. Louis: PG Adam Blizzard-0/3*/0, SG Arthur James-9/0/3, SF Adrian Graham-6/1/1, PF John Wiel-2/0/2, C Bryce Brown-4/1/3; Bench player: Jamaal Williams-6/0/3. Billikens team stats: FG%-32%, 5 of 8 FT’s, 4 of 19 Threes, 19 Rebs, 15 TO’s, 25 PF’s. St. Bonaventure: PG Bryan Majerus-13*/3*/2, SG Tavaras Linney-5/2/3, SF LeDarion Peterson-11/2/5*, PF Nick Dunn-13*/0/4, C Sam Chouest-9/3*/3; Bench player: Germayne Millford-8/0/3. Bonnies team stats: FG%-66%, 23 of 32 FT’s, 5 of 9 Threes, 29 Rebs, 12 TO’s, 10 PF’s. Player of the Game: St. Bonaventure PG Bryan Majerus-13 pts, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block.
  21. Bud Springfield, Eagles’ Wings Fan Club President, owns Springfield Ford Game #27, Feb. 23, 2017: Weber State Wildcats (8-18, 6-9) at #18 Eastern Washington Eagles (23-3, 15-0) The Eagles’ Wings Fan Club had a big increase in memberships due to the success of the basketball team this year and many of them are at tonight’s final game of the regular season. We had a big pre-game bash. EWU jumped out on top 22-1 as Weber State turned the ball over 10 times in the first 8 minutes of play. With 9-1/2 minutes left in the half, we led 29-3 and our reserves had been on the floor for more time than the starters. Even with the entire bench playing extensively, the Eagles took a 47-23 lead to the locker room. EWU hit 55% of their shots while the Wildcats hit just 31% of theirs. EWU also held a 13-3 turnover advantage. SG Anthony Austin led their scoring with 9 points. Halftime Contest—BINGO! A kid by the name of Billy Norwitz gave the ball a heave and it kissed off the backboard and down through the net…a new Ford for Billy!!!!! The crowd went absolutely bonkers. Billy laid on the floor so long I thought he had a heart attack. (I bet I sell 5 new cars just because of what happened tonight.) The Eagles were flat for the first 12 minute of the 2nd half and let the Wildcats get within 15 points before waking up. Final Score: Eastern Washington (24-3, 16-0, 1st place)—81, Weber State—59. Leading players for Eastern Washington: C Colin Goode-14 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb; SG Anthony Austin-13 pts, 3 assists, 2 reb, 1 steal; SF Tim Whitaker-10 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 4 steals, 1 block; PF Donte Robinson-10 pts, 3 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals; SF Derrick Reyes-9 pts, 3 assists; SG Will Davis-8 pts, 3 assists, 1 reb, 1 steal. Player of the Game: SF Tim Whitaker-10 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 4 steals, 1 block.
  22. Potato-Pickin’-Paul, “Eagle Flight” blog Game #26, Feb. 16, 2017: #21 Eastern Washington Eagles (22-3, 14-0) at Northern Colorado Bears (13-12, 6-8) The Eagles started slowly, but with about 12 minutes left in the first half, they took their first lead at 12-11. The lead shifted back and forth until late in the half when the Eagles pulled ahead by getting to the line more often. At the half their lead was 43-37. Their main advantages in the first half were: (1) 5 turnovers compared to 12 by the Bears; and (2) getting to the foul line 9 more times and scoring 11 more points on free throws that Northern Colorado. Anthony Alston, starting his 2nd straight game, led the Eagles’ scoring with 8 points. But the Bears had played a little better offensively than the Eagles, so the game was definitely in doubt. And Bears’ C Anthony Grizzard dropped in 13 points in the first half. While EWU maintained a small lead early in the 2nd half, they just couldn’t really get untracked and shot poorly. And their 3 primary interior players got into foul trouble. But with 8 minutes to go, they pulled away to a 62-50 lead after scoring 6 straight points. But the Bears fought back and with 3-1/2 minutes to play the Eagles led by just 5 points. Then with 2 minutes to go, the Bears cut the lead to 67-65. Colin Goode hit a jumper from the foul line to raise the lead to 4 points with 1:20 to go. A foul put the Bears on the line where they hit both shots 5 seconds later. Darryl Bailey put up a quick shot that missed but he was fouled and dropped in both free throws with 1:05 left. Another foul was called against the Eagles with 53 seconds remaining. The Bears connected on both shots making the score 71-69 in favor of the Eagles. Shawn Jackson drove into the paint and floated up a shot from 8 feet that found the bottom of the net to put the Eagles up by 4 with 42 seconds to go. A travelling call went against the Bears. Shawn Jackson was fouled at the 0:29 mark and he sunk both shots making the score 75-69. Yet another foul was called against the Eagles but the Bears hit just 1 of 2 shots. The Eagles ran out the clock to pull out a narrow victory. Final Score: Eastern Washington (23-3, 15-0, 1st place)—75, Northern Colorado—70. Leading players for Eastern Washington: C Colin Goode-15 pts, 1 assist, 5 reb, 2 steals; SG Shawn Jackson-11 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb, 1 steal; SF Tim Whitaker-10 pts, 1 assist, 1 reb, 4 steals; SG Anthony Austin-10 pts, 2 assists, 3 reb, PF Cory Davis-8 pts, 7 reb, 4 steals; PF Nate Dye-8 pts, 3 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal. Player of the Game: C Colin Goode-15 pts, 1 assist, 5 reb, 2 steals. For Northern Colorado: PF Tre Kelley-8 pts, 5 assists, 9 reb, 3 steals, 1 block. Award: SG Anthony Austin was selected Big Sky Conference Freshman Player of the Week. Polls and RPI: The Eagles RPI improved to 18th in the nation and they were also ranked 18th in both polls. They presently are 23rd on the Bubble Watch.
  23. Meaghan Kriley, KSPK TV Investigative Reporter Cheney Police Department officials announced the arrest today of Jersey Joe Marshall. Marshall was arrested for issuance of fake identification credentials. The credentials have been provided to a number of underage students at Eastern Washington University, including some student athletes. Marshall, who came to Washington State 3 years ago from Newark, New Jersey has ties with various East Coast underworld characters and was in custody as a teenager at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility and was released from the East Jersey State Prison five years ago. EWU President Clement Morgan credited EWU students with providing information leading to Marshall’s arrest. Morgan said, “We’ve developed a new alcohol-abuse program that is being instituted within student housing and university extracurricular programs.”
  24. Carl Quagmire, Assistant Athletic Director Game #25, Feb. 13, 2017: Idaho Vandals (7-17, 4-9) at #21 Eastern Washington Eagles (21-3, 13-0) We’re getting good attendance at basketball games now. So good in fact, that I’ve decided that the program is taking care of itself. That will allow me to transfer funding to our football program this coming season. But it’s best I show some interest in the basketball program to avoid the coaching staff and the fan club from thinking I prefer football to basketball (even though I do). Bret Vandergard is starting Donte Robinson at PF and Anthony Alston at SG. This will be the first start for either player. Robinson has been a mainstay coming off the bench for the Eagles interior. Austin is a freshman and Vandergard apparently wants to experiment a bit in planning for next year’s team. That means Cory Davis and Shawn Jackson will be sitting at the beginning of tonight’s game. I expect to get grief from Jackson’s father about this. Whoa! Alston hit a couple nice 3’s early. We just out to a 15-3 lead after 6 minutes of play. The Eagles maintained control and it was a ho-hum half. Fortunately a football booster sat down next to me and I reassured him, that unlike Swede, I would be focusing athletic department funding and energies on football. The half ended with the Eagles on top 46-22. Anthony Alston and Donte Robinson justified their starts by scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. I felt like leaving at the half, but hung in for the 2nd half. No contest in the 2nd half. EWU outshot the Vandals 59% to 49%, outrebounded Idaho 26-17, and held an 18-11 advantage on turnovers. Final Score: Eastern Washington (22-3, 14-0, 1st place)—83, Idaho—56. Leading players for Eastern Washington: SG Anthony Austin-20 pts, 2 assists; PF Donte Robinson-14 pts, 1 assist, 9 reb, 2 steals, 1 block; SF Tim Whitaker-9 pts, 6 assists, 5 reb, 2 steals, 1 block; PG Tim Dove-8 pts, 3 assists, 3 reb; C Colin Goode-8 pts, 3 reb; SG Will Davis-9 pts, 1 assist. Player of the Game: PF Donte Robinson-14 pts, 1 assist, 9 reb, 2 steals, 1 block. For Idaho: SG Aaron Howell-18 points.
  25. Breaking News Report by Meaghan Kriley, KSPK TV Investigative Reporter In a daring early morning raid today in a Brooklyn, New York, an FBI special tactics SWAT team rescued 5-year old Tommy Rothman, the son Jimmy Rothman and Annika Vandergard, sister of Eastern Washington basketball coach Bret Vandergard. Details of the raid were unavailable at press time, but the raid was the result of a lengthy surveillance effort. A separate raid in Queens, New York, synchronously timed by a NYPD SWAT team in Queens, NY took Vito Spinosa into custody. Spinosa, who has a lengthy arrest record and is believed to be part of the Carpelli crime family, was wounded during the operation. It’s alleged that Spinosa was involved in the kidnapping of young Rothman. Also taken into custody during the raid, was Nancy Parker, long-time EWU athletic department secretary. Parker has been missing for a lengthy time. It’s unknown whether she had any part in the kidnapping or was a victim as well. Later in the morning following the raids, assets of Florence Carpelli, the wife of purported crime boss Luigi Carpelli, were frozen by the U.S. Government. While details regarding this action have not been released, it’s purported that the Carpelli family is suspected of domestic terrorism. Annika Vandergard released a statement saying how relieved she is to have her son back and thanking the FBI and others associated with finding and recovering her son. She indicated that she, her husband and her son will be going to an undisclosed location to renew their family ties.