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Eastern Washington University Basketball

Idaho and Eastern Washington men and women hoops teams face off in Cheney doubleheader

Eastern Washington guard Jacob Davison (10) – driving to the basket against Idaho forward Nate Sherwood (23) in a Feb. 9, 2018 game – sprained an ankle in a game Saturday and his status is uncertain for Monday’s game with the Vandals. (Pete Caster / AP)
By Ryan Collingwood ryanc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5473

If not for a 74-71 win last month in Moscow against Eastern Washington, Idaho would be winless in Big Sky Conference play.

The same Eastern Washington that has beaten three of the top four teams in the conference, including first-place Montana.

Parity is still very much a thing in the Big Sky.

When the last-place Vandals (4-20, 1-12) visit the Eagles (9-15, 7-6) today at Reese Court, EWU will shoot for its seventh straight win in Cheney, looking to position itself for a top-five finish and first-round bye in next month’s conference tournament in Boise.

With four of its final seven regular-season games on the road, EWU coach Shantay Legans said his team can’t afford another letdown.

“The goal is to continue to play our best basketball,” said Legans, whose team is in fifth place. “Idaho has been going through a lot of injuries and has a good coaching staff, so they’ll be ready to go.

Idaho, led by former Clarkston standout Trevon Allen (14 points per game), hasn’t won a game since beating the Eagles on Jan. 3.

Second-place Northern Colorado handled Idaho 75-47 on Thursday in Moscow, two days before EWU downed the Bears 88-78 in overtime in Cheney.

“We can’t concern ourselves about how they’ve been doing, we have to worry about the game we are playing Monday,” Legans said. “That’s the message we are giving our guys, because they were beating us by 22 at their place. We have to make sure we’re prepared and playing much better.”

Eagles guard Jacob Davison, who averaged nearly 24 points the past eight games, went down with an ankle sprain Saturday and was on crutches after the game. His status for today’s game is uncertain.

EWU’s women host Idaho (13-9, 10-3) today, the doubleheader at Reese Court beginning at 2 p.m. with the women’s game.

The Vandals, who feature two of the league’s top scorers in Mikayla Ferenz (22.5 ppg) and Taylor Pierce (18.5 ppg), beat the Eagles 84-68 last month in Moscow.

EWU (7-15, 6-7) has won three of its last four games, including a 76-72 win Thursday at Northern Colorado, the defending Big Sky champion that has been near the top of the conference most of this season.

Idaho, which is half a game behind first-place Portland State, lost 77-72 at Northern Colorado on Saturday.

Violet Kapri Morrow averages 19.5 per game, leading the sixth-place Eagles.