FACTS & STATS: Site: Walkup Skydome (7,000) -- Flagstaff, Arizona. Television: Local. Home Record: Eastern Washington 6-3, Northern Arizona 4-4. Away Record: Eastern Washington 3-9, Northern Arizona 1-10. Neutral Record: Eastern Washington 0-0, Northern Arizona 0-3. Conference Record: Eastern Washington 4-5, Northern Arizona 1-9. Series Record: Northern Arizona leads 34-23. GAMES NOTES: Northern Arizona will be looking to avenge an earlier loss this season and end a long losing streak when the Lumberjacks welcome in the Eastern Washington Eagles for a Big Sky conference tilt at the Walkup Skydome. Eastern Washington won the first meeting between these schools with a 76-59 victory back on January 7th. Both teams split the season series last year with the home team victorious in both cases but it is Northern Arizona who holds the all-time lead at 34-23. Eastern Washington is near the middle of the pack in the Big West standings at 4-5 after dropping four straight in January. The Eagles ended that streak with a win over Montana State at home recently. Northern Arizona has dropped nine straight, all in league play, since winning its Big West opener over Sacramento State on December 29th. A bitter 64-62 overtime loss to Northern Colorado on Monday, began a four-game homestand for Northern Arizona which continues against Eastern Washington and also includes dates against Portland State and conference leading Weber State. Eastern Washington did not shoot terribly well in its win against Montana State but managed to be play disruptive defense to claim the victory. The Eagles shot 42.2 percent from the floor and held Montana State to just 30.8 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers in the 69-52 triumph. The offensive output in the game was just behind Eastern Washington's season average of 71.9 points per game which is the third best mark in the Big Sky. The weak shooting was not as uncommon as the Eagles convert only 41.0 percent of their field goal attempts. It was Cliff Ederaine that led the team in scoring with 17 points in the win. Ederaine is now putting in 10.9 points per game which is third on the squad while also pulling down a team leading 7.5 rebounds per game. Normally junior forward Colin Chiverton is the lead scorer as he puts in 17.0 per game which trails only two other players in the conference. The Eagles also have one of the best point guards running the show in senior guard Cliff Colimon. Colimon can score effectively (14.5 ppg) and is also a solid ball handler and distributor dishing out 5.3 assists per game, third in the conference. Northern Arizona almost ended its current skein in an overtime loss to Northern Colorado on Monday. The team lost due to the heroics of Northern Colorado's Tevin Svihovec who hit the shot that sent the game to overtime as well as the game winner. Neither team shot well in the game with Northern Arizona netting 36.4 percent which was behind Northern Colorado's 38.8 percent. The 62 points Northern Arizona scored was exactly in line with its scoring average for the season (62.0 points per game). The Lumberjacks also shoot only 40.8 percent from the floor which is a conference worst while allowing their opponents to net an even 50.0 percent from the floor, which is better than only two other teams in all of Division I. Freshman guard James Douglas continued a solid rookie season tying a season high with 22 points in the loss to Northern Colorado. Douglas is now scoring 12.5 points per game and is the only scorer averaging in double digits this season. Like Eastern Washington the Lumberjacks also benefit from the play of a stellar point guard with junior guard Stallon Saldivar (5.4 apg) second in the conference in assists. Eastern Washington has not traveled particularly well this season with just a 3-9 record away from home but in this one the Eagles have the edge with a more balanced and effective offense led by Chiverton, Colimon and Ederaine. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Eastern Washington 68, Northern Arizona 61 02/02 10:34:24 ET
Thursday, February 2nd, 8:35 p.m. (et)
