The Eastern Washington Eagles (13-10) welcome the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (12-10) in a matchup that pits the Big Sky’s top-ranked offense against the eighth-ranked defense. The game starts at 9:05 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 11.
The Eagles beat Southern Utah 81-67 in their last game. Bogdan Bliznyuk led all scorers on the team with 26 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The Fighting Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-71 win over Weber State in their last outing. Geno Crandall led the team in scoring with 21 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
Over the last five games, Bliznyuk and Venky Jois have played at a high level for the Eagles. During that stretch, Bliznyuk has averaged 17.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.4 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.8 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Jois has put up 18.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks. Drick Bernstine has also been on a tear in the same span, averaging 13.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks while leading the Fighting Hawks.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Fighting Hawks won the first game 79-71. Crandall was a standout player in the game, producing 15 points, two rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block.
Notes
The Eastern Washington Eagles rank seventh for their offensive rating of 118.4. The North Dakota Fighting Hawks have a defensive rating of 96.4 (ranked 43rd).
Eastern Washington has an average field goal percentage of 49.6% (ranked eighth). North Dakota is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Eastern Washington Eagles rank lower for their field goal percentage (eighth) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (third), but the North Dakota Fighting Hawks have a better FG% ranking (102nd) than eFG% ranking (159th).
Eastern Washington ranks 288th in offensive rebounds, while North Dakota ranks 24th in defensive rebounds.
North Dakota has forced an average turnover percentage of 19.9% this season. Eastern Washington has a losing 1-4 record when its TO% is 19.9% or higher.
