Four Corners: Eastern looking to keep momentum

Coming up: Thursday at Northern Arizona, 5:35 p.m.; Saturday at Southern Utah, 6:05 p.m.

Outlook: After taking two games at home, EWU coach Jim Hayford said, “You just hope winning carries over” as the Eagles fly south. On paper, this looks to be the easiest road trip of the season: Eastern beat both teams handily last month in Cheney. More important, the Eagles are finding ways to win even when they’re not shooting well. “Defense travels,” said Hayford, who thought his team played one of its best all-around games of the year in a 74-67 win over Sacramento State despite shooting only 1-for-20 from beyond the arc. Forward Venky Jois is asserting himself inside. Last weekend, he averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 63 percent from the field. The stakes are high. With nine games left, EWU is one of seven teams closely bunched behind league leaders Montana and Weber State. The top four finishers will earn first-round byes in the Big Sky tournament. NAU enters the game on a six-game losing streak, while Southern Utah has dropped its last four.

EWU leaders

Scoring: Austin McBroom, 19.6 ppg

Rebounding: Venky Jois, 8.6 rpg

Assists: McBroom, 3.4 apg

@srjimallen