The end of Jake Groves' wild college basketball journey is fast approaching. In a five-season stretch that has included stops at three different NCAA Division I schools in three different leagues, Groves has played in a whopping 144 games, a result of his COVID year. The Shadle Park alum remains hopeful that his final games result in a return to the NCAA Tournament.
The postgame celebration Monday at Reese Court wasn’t predicated on the Eastern Washington women’s basketball team winning its final game of the regular season.
With the No. 1 seed in the Big Sky Tournament already secured, the Eastern Washington men ended the regular season with a 91-88 victory over Sacramento State on Monday.
After firing off confetti, placing a “Big Sky Champions” sign above the rim like a mantle and trimming the nets nearly all the way off, the Eastern Washington men’s basketball team began the chant: “Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave.”
Midway through the first half Saturday against Northern Colorado, Eastern Washington’s hold on first place in the Big Sky Conference standings looked tenuous.
Eastern Washington picked up a significant 85-76 victory Saturday over Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, to extend its lead in the Big Sky standings to two games with three more games remaining.
Four weeks after losing on the road to Northern Arizona, that defeat was still on Jamie Loera’s mind as Eastern Washington prepared for its rematch on Thursday in Cheney.
Coming off its second loss of the season – but still with a two-game lead atop the Big Sky standings – the Eastern Washington men’s basketball team is back on the road for two games this week: Thursday at Northern Arizona and Saturday at Northern Colorado.