GAME NOTES: A Big Sky Conference showdown takes place in Ogden this evening, as the Eastern Washington Eagles drop in on the Weber State Wildcats at the Dee Events Center. The Eagles enter this contest with a three-game win streak in tow, thanks in part to a 72-64 overtime win over Portland State this past weekend. With the win over the Vikings, EWU moved to 6-4 in league play, good for a third-place tie with Montana State. The Wildcats are just 4-7 in league play this year, but have played much better of late, winning four of their last five games. Weber State had its four-game win streak halted on Saturday however, with a 77-69 loss to Big Sky-leading Northern Arizona. Eastern Washington sure has its work cut out for it in this game, as it has lost 21 of the previous 23 all-time meetings in Ogden. In all, Weber State holds a 31-16 edge in this series and has won six of the last 10 meetings, overall. However, it is EWU looking for the regular season sweep after posting a 59-50 decision at home on January 21st.

The Eagles outscored the Vikings 17-9 in the extra session to win their third straight game. Overall, the team shot a solid .490 from the floor, led once again by freshman sensation Rodney Stuckey. One of the best freshmen in the nation this year, Stuckey poured in 22 points and dished out five assists against Portland State. Deuce Smith and Jake Beitinger added 11 points apiece and Paul Butorac finished with 10 in the narrow victory. Although the Eagles were beaten on the glass (31-27), EWU forced 24 PSU turnovers, turning them into 24 points. Stuckey has simply been outstanding this year and is the only Eagle currently averaging double figures at 24 points per game. That average has actually gone up in league affairs to 27.4 ppg. Butorac is the next closest scorer at 9.8 ppg and is tops on the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg).

The Wildcats lack a go-to-guy at the offensive end that can fill the basket up at will, but still, there is some scoring depth there. The team is led by Coric Riggs, who leads in both scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg). David Patten comes off the bench to provide a spark and is second in both categories (10.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg). Terrell Stovall is the team´s top perimeter threat, delivering on 42.2 percent of his three-point attempts, en route to 10.2 ppg. In the loss to the Lumberjacks over the weekend, Weber State hit 10 three-pointers and actually outrebounded NAU, but turned the ball over 19 costly times to a team that took full advantage. The loss spoiled a brilliant performance by Stovall, who netted a career-high 23 points, on 8-of-12 shooting. Riggs added 16 and Patten 10, but the team could not make a dent in NAU´s nine-point halftime lead.

The Wildcats are just 7-5 at home this year in Ogden, but have owned the Eagles at the Dee Events Center over the years. Still, Stuckey is certainly the player to watch in this game. If he can get going early, a huge road win could be in the cards for EWU.

Predicted Outcome

Eastern Washington 66, Weber State 62