Montana (9-10, 5-7) vs. Eastern Washington (10-6, 9-2)
Reese Court, Cheney, Washington; Thursday, 9:05 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Washington looks for its eighth straight conference win against Montana. Eastern Washington’s last Big Sky loss came against the Northern Colorado Bears 78-76 on Jan. 21. Montana fell short in a 91-82 game at home to Weber State in its last outing.
VARYING EXPERIENCE: Eastern Washington has relied on senior leadership this year while Montana has been fueled heavily by freshmen. Seniors Tanner Groves, Kim Aiken Jr. and Tyler Robertson have combined to account for 49 percent of Eastern Washington’s scoring this season. On the other hand, freshmen Kyle Owens, Brandon Whitney and Josh Bannan have combined to score 44 percent of the team’s points this year.
STEPPING IT UP: The Eagles have scored 84.2 points per game against Big Sky opponents thus far, an improvement from the 65.5 per game they put up in non-conference play.GIFTED GROVES: T. Groves has connected on 35.1 percent of the 37 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 3 of 7 over the last three games. He’s also converted 82.7 percent of his foul shots this season.
SLIPPING AT 70: Montana is 0-5 when it allows at least 70 points and 9-5 when it holds opponents to less than 70.
STREAK SCORING: Eastern Washington has won its last three home games, scoring an average of 84 points while giving up 67.7.
DID YOU KNOW: Eastern Washington has made 8.9 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-best among Big Sky teams. The Eagles have averaged 11 3-pointers per game over their last five games.
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