Eagles Host Boise State Saturday; Play at Pacific on Monday
Eastern gears up for three games in five days, which starts at home against sharp-shooting Broncos
Upcoming Games/Coverage
EWU vs. Boise State
Saturday, Dec. 17| 2 p.m. PST
Reese Court | Cheney, Wash.
Live Video | Live Stats
EWU at Pacific
Monday, Dec. 19| 7 p.m. PST
Alex G. Spanos Center | Stockton, Calif.
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
Before enjoying a small break for the holidays, the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team will have an action-packed week of three games in five days. It all starts this Saturday (Dec. 17) at 2 p.m. with a home game against the Broncos of Boise State. Eastern will then travel west to take on Pacific at 7 p.m. on Monday (Dec. 19) at the Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton, Calif.
The Eagles will then return to Cheney for their final non-conference tune up of the season on Wednesday (Dec. 21) against the familiar Idaho Vandals.
Eastern heads in to the week at an even .500 (5-5), but will look to make that a winning record before the start of Big Sky Conference play.
Eastern's first opponent in this busy week owns a 6-4 overall record, which includes one win and one loss against two other Big Sky teams. Back in the first week of the season, Boise State played both Weber State and Idaho State. The Broncos beat WSU handily, 86-68, but lost to ISU by a score of 84-75.
Boise State, a former member of the Big Sky itself, will come to Cheney on a two-game winning streak. In back-to-back victories against Montana Tech and New Mexico State, the Broncos out-scored their opponents, 169-118.
On the season, BSU is averaging 77.2 points per game on 45 percent shooting, both of which rank in the top 25 nationally. Boise State has four players averaging double digits, including senior guard Kati Isham, who leads the team with 15.9 points per game. Junior center Lauren Lenhardt will also be a threat, as she averages 12.7 points on 56 percent shooting.
"Boise State is a good team with strong posts and athletic guards," said Schuller. "We know we're going to have to be able to score in order to keep up with them."
The game Saturday at Reese Court will be the 46th meeting in history between the Eagles and Broncos, and the fifth in head coach Wendy Schuller's 11-year tenure. Last year, when the two teams played in Boise, Eastern recorded its lowest field goal percentage of the season, converting just 20-of-75 attempts from the floor. Hopefully, EWU will have better luck finding the basket at home.
When playing in Cheney, the Eagles lead BSU, 12-9. The Broncos have won six of the last eight at Reese Court, but most of those were prior to Schuller.
Following the duel with BSU, the Eagles will jump on a plane to Stockton, Calif., where the 4-4 Pacific Tigers await.
After dropping its first four games of the year, one of which was against No. 2 Connecticut, Pacific has won four of its last five. The Tigers edged Nevada and Florida, before losing to San Diego in their most recent outing, which is a team EWU beat earlier this year by a score of 68-57.
Like Boise State, Pacific has four different players averaging double digits. Junior point guard Erica McKenzie leads the way at 14.5 points per game, while junior guard Ashley Wakefield chips in 12.6 on 52 percent shooting.
Defensively, the Tigers rank among the 50 worst teams in the nation in terms of field goal percentage defense. They have allowed opponents to shoot 43 percent from the field, and score an average of 74.6 points per game.
Eastern and Pacific have met four times throughout history, and twice in the last five years. In the most recent meeting in 2008, the Eagles prevailed 63-58 at Reese Court. But the last time they played in Stockton on Dec. 21, 2007, Pacific was the victor by a score of 82-74.
News & Notes
Toughest Schedule in the Sky - Eastern Washington has earned the highest RPI ranking among all teams in the Big Sky Conference. According to the Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI Report released Dec. 12, EWU ranks 63rd in the nation, while its strength of schedule is eighth among 335 ranked schools. Only one other Big Sky program was ranked in the top 100 in the RPI, and that was Idaho State at No. 88. In terms of strength of schedule, ISU ranks 98th - the only other team in the top 100. Eastern has five opponents on its schedule this year that advanced to national postseason tournaments a year ago. The average RPI ranking of Eastern's 2011-12 opponents is 14.
Coop Puts Up National Numbers - Coop Puts Up National Numbers - Eastern's senior point guard Chene Cooper (Puyallup, Wash.) ranks among the top 10 in the nation in assists. Heading into the final few games of 2011, the 5-0 point guard was averaging 6.7 assists per game, which is 8th-best among all Division I women's basketball players in the country. Cooper leads the Big Sky in that category by more than two complete assists. The next closest player in the league is averaging 4.4. Cooper also leads the Big Sky in steals, averaging 3.0 per game. That average is among the top 50 nationally, while her assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.2 ranks 32nd.
Coop Closing in on School Record - Senior point guard Chene Cooper is just nine steals away from owning the EWU all-time career steals record. Cooper has tallied 204 total steals at this point in her career - just a few shy of Lisa Comstock, who currently holds the record with 212. Comstock played for EWU from 1982-85. Cooper will most likely break this 27-year old record before the new year. Eastern has four games remaining in 2011, and with an average of 3.0 steals per game this season, Coop could expect to see her name at the top of the record book before 2012 hits. She also appears in the Big Sky record book for all-time career steals, ranking 19th in Big Sky history. Besides her stellar steals numbers, Cooper is also climbing the charts for assists, as she currently ranks fifth all-time at EWU with 384 career assists. She has the most assists of any active player in the Big Sky by more than 70.
Ryan Reaches 1,000 - Senior Brianne Ryan (Lynden, Wash.) scored her 1,000th career point against Arizona State on Dec. 2. Ryan is the only active Eagle to have 1,000+ points in her career, and one of only one of four in the Big Sky Conference. The 5-11 guard has now tallied 1,061 points in her tenure, with 188 already in this young 2011-12 season. She is just 44 points away from breaking into the top 10 all-time scorers list at Eastern Washington.
Ojeda Has Back-to-Back Career-Highs - Eastern's junior center Carrie Ojeda posted career-high scoring numbers in back-to-back games against Gonzaga (Dec. 9) and Eastern Oregon (Dec. 12). She tallied 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting against the Zags, which was four more than her previous career high of 12, which she had set in this year's season opener. Three days later, she topped it again with 19 points on an 8-of-12 performance from the field against the Mountaineers. Ojeda is currently the third-leading scorer on the team, averaging 9.2 per game.
Eagles Impress in Near Upset of Cross-Town Rival Gonzaga - The Eastern Washington University women's basketball was just moments away from pulling off a truly inspiring upset of national power and cross-town rival Gonzaga on Dec. 9 at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. After completely controlling the first half of the game, the Eagles held on to a one-point lead (69-68) with under a minute remaining. An Eagle rebounding foul sent Naismith Trophy candidate Kayla Standish to the line with 38 ticks left on the clock. The 6-2 forward converted both free throws to give GU a narrow 70-69 edge. On Eastern's next possession, sophomore Chenise Pakootas earned a trip to the line for a chance to tie it up and possibly reclaim the lead, but she missed the front end of her one-and-one, and Standish quickly snatched the rebound. Eastern was forced to put Standish on the line again. She made her first shot, but missed the second to keep the game within a single field goal. But in a fierce battle for the rebound, GU's sophomore guard Haiden Palmer emerged with the ball. She was then fouled, and the mishap occurred when she missed her second free throw, but corralled the offensive board. The Bulldogs went on to make three of their next four shots from the charity stripe to extend their lead to six with nine seconds left to play. Eastern tried to keep the game alive with a desperation three, but the shot was off the mark and Gonzaga came down with the rebound as time expired. Despite being the better team for much of the night, the Eagles returned to Cheney with a heartbreaking 75-69 loss. Gonzaga, the seven-time defending WCC champion, had been in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll for the first three weeks of the 2011-12 season.
Ryan on a Roll - Senior Brianne Ryan (Lynden, Wash.) has scored in double figures in each of Eastern's first 10 games of the season, which is currently the longest double-digit scoring streak in the Big Sky. She has had five games with 20+ points, and one with 33. With an 18.8 points per game average, Ryan currently ranks second in the Big Sky in scoring, and among the top 50 in the nation. She is averaging 2.2 3-pointers per game, which ranks fourth overall in the Big Sky and 70th nationally. She converted a career-high of six 3-pointers against Portland (Nov. 29), and has had at least one in nine of 10 games this season.
Keys to a Win - So far this season, there are two glaring statistics to an Eastern Washington win: field goal percentage and halftime score. The Eagles are 5-1 this year when leading at the half, and 5-1 when shooting above 40 percent from the field. When EWU has trailed at halftime, the team is 0-4. And the same goes for shooting percentage. Every time the Eagles convert less than 40 percent of their shots, regardless of what the opponent does, they have lost the game.
Coop Claims All-Tournament Honors - Senior point guard Chene Cooper (Puyallup, Wash.) was named to the ASU Classic All-Tournament Team for her efforts in Eastern's two games in Tempe, Ariz., Dec 2-3. In the two games combined, Cooper averaged a combined 12.0 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals. Cooper turned in one of her best performances of the season against Arkansas State, with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the line. She also had four assists and three steals.
Eastern Celebrates Big Win in the Rose City - On Nov. 29, Eastern Washington defeated non-conference rival Portland, 76-60, for its first road win of the 2011-12 season. The Eagles shot a season-high 47.5 percent from the field, while knocking down a season-high nine 3-pointers. Eastern held a 36-32 advantage on the glass and forced 20 turnovers, which they converted into 27 points on the other end. To make this victory any sweeter, prior to facing Eastern, Portland had won back-to-back games against two other Big Sky schools in Portland State and Montana, which were the teams picked one and two in this year's Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll. Eastern Washington was selected seventh. Although it was not a head-to-head battle against its conference foes, EWU showed it can certainly measure up with the top dogs in the Big Sky.
Ryan Lays Claim to Big Sky POW - For the first time in her already decorated career, senior Brianne Ryan (Lynden, Wash.) was selected as the Big Sky Player of the Week for games played Nov. 14 - Nov. 20. Ryan had a remarkable performance on both ends of the floor to lead Eastern to a 68-57 victory over San Diego (Nov. 17). Her all-around effort was highlighted by 30 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the floor. She scored nearly half Eastern's total points in the game to become the first player in the Big Sky this season to reach the 30-point scoring mark. Ryan's effort against USD was just three points shy of her career-high of 33, which she set last year versus Sacramento State on 14-of-18 shooting. In addition putting points on the score board, Ryan also led all players on the glass with nine rebounds, and had three assists, one steal and one block, while playing a game-high 38 minutes against the Toreros.
Pakootas Making an Impact - Sophomore Chenise Pakootas has appeared in all 10 games for EWU this season, averaging 15.0 minutes per game. She is fifth on the team in scoring and ranks among the top 15 in the Big Sky in terms of 3-point shooters, as she averages 1.3 per game on 41 percent. She hit at least on 3-pointer in the first nine games of the season. Pakootas turned in a flawless offensive performance in Eastern's 68-57 victory against San Diego (Nov. 17), as she was 3-of-3 from the field and converted 2-of-2 free throws.
Freshmen on the Floor - Eastern has two freshmen this season who are expected to play significant roles in their rookie seasons. Melissa Williams, a 6-1 forward, has earned a spot in Eastern's starting lineup. The Camas, Wash., native leads the team in defensive rebounding, averaging 3.8 per game. She has had four or more total rebounds in six of 10 games this year, including a career-high eight on three different occassions. Point guard Kylie Huerta has averaged 10.5 minutes in Eastern's first five games of the season, and has tallied 16 assists and five steals. Huerta was an Associated Press 4A All-State Honorable Mention and two-time South Puget Sound League North Division Player of the Year out of Kentwood High School, which is the same school that produced Gonzaga legend and current WNBA star Courtney Vandersloot, as well as Nebraska standout/two-time All-Big 12 honoree, Lindsey Moore. Kentwood is also the alma mater of EWU men's basketball legend, Rodney Stuckey.
One Night, Three Career-Highs - In Eastern's season opener against Corban (Nov. 11), three different Eagles posted career-high scoring numbers - and ironically, those numbers were the same for each player. Junior Carrie Ojeda and sophomores Laura Hughes and Chenise Pakootas all had 12 tallies against the Warriors. Ojeda's previous career high was 11 points, while Hughes and Pakootas' was 10. And although it wasn't a career-high, it should be noted that senior Brianne Ryan also scored 12 points against Corban.
Big Numbers for 2011-12 Campaign- At 17 players deep, the Eastern Washington University women's basketball team begins the 2011-12 season with the biggest roster in head coach Wendy Schuller's 11-year tenure. This roster includes three returning starters from 2010-11, six other returning letterwinners, two returning redshirts, one non-lettering squad member, one transfer and four freshmen.
Building Cred in the Big Sky - The Eagles are coming off their second-straight postseason appearance. In 2010, Eastern earned an automatic bid to the Big Sky Conference semifinals after winning the regular-season title. In last year's Big Sky tourney, Eastern advanced the semis again after a 77-68 victory against Montana State in the quarterfinal round, which actually marked the first postseason win for EWU since the 2004 campaign. Eastern has earned 20 Big Sky Conference wins over the past two years, which is more than the Eagles had in the previous four seasons combined. In 2009-10, EWU captured the school's first-ever Big Sky regular-season title with a 12-4 league record.
Academic Excellence - In the past 10 seasons, Eastern Washington women's basketball players have been honored 81 times on the Big Sky All-Academic list, which is the most for any women's basketball team in the league. The Eagles have also been recognized on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for nine of the past 10 seasons. Eastern was among the top five academic teams in the nation in seven of those 10 years, including the 2003-04 campaign, in which the team placed first nationally with a 3.63 cumulative grade point average.
Baby Bonanza - Three of Eastern's four coaches have all had a baby in the last 18 months! Coach Schuller and her husband, Mark, had their third child, Brandon, in June 2010. Assistant coach Alison Hewa had her first child, Hannah, last January, and just a few months after arriving on the EWU campus, assistant coach Steve Lowe welcomed his first child, Harper (born Sept. 25, 2011).
