GAME NOTES - IDAHO vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON
MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho men's basketball (7-10) returns home to take on the Eastern Washington Eagles (6-11) on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the ICCU Arena.
After a split road weekend, the Idaho Vandals are finally back at home, hosting the Eastern Washington Eagles in a Saturday night matchup and a rivalry that features one of the most familiar faces one will find in Moscow. UI and EWU are set to tip-off the second game of a doubleheader following the conclusion of the women's game at 4:00 PM. Fans are encouraged to get on campus early and cheer on both teams in the ICCU Arena.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Idaho vs. Eastern Washington // Jan. 18th at 4 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen: The Varsity Network
Tickets: GoVandals.com/Tickets
NOTABLES
The Vandal offense dominates the conference with the most three-pointers on the season (161) averaging 9.5 per game.
Kristian Gonzalez powers the Vandal attack with 189 points on the season, averaging 11.8 points per game.
Tyler Mrus sits at the top of the Big Sky with a 38.2 three-point percentage and is second in the conference in total threes made (39).
On the defensive end, Julius Mims continues to lead Idaho, averaging 6.1 rebounds per game, the sixth most in the Big Sky.
LAST TIME OUT
Idaho fell on the road to Portland State Thursday night, 63-75. The Vandals found themselves in a drought during the first half of the game and made offense efforts to catch up. Despite that, the team was unable to recover fully and Portland State came out ahead.
Jack Payne put 16 points on the board for Idaho, while freshman Kolton Mitchell trailed closely behind with 15.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern Washington's head coach, Dan Monson, is a name that needs little introduction in the northwest. In fact, Dan's father Don is immortalized on a banner that hangs in the ICCU Arena, an ode to his tenure as the Vandals' head coach from 1978-83, a stint that included two regular season titles and two tournament championships.
No stranger to the area himself, Dan played football at Idaho before beginning his coaching career. The younger Monson most recently completed a 17-season stay at Long Beach State, the last season of which culminated in his fourth career appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Eastern Washington is traveling to Moscow after a 65-54 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday. The Eagles currently hold a 6-11 overall record and a 2-2 conference record, placing them fifth in the Big Sky.
Leading the Eagles attack is Andrew Cook, averaging 15.2 points per game. Cook holds the highest free throw percentage in the Big Sky (89.1) while his team boasts the best overall free throw percentage (77.5). Alongside Cook is Nic McClain, who averages 14.6 points per game. McClain has put up 36 steals on the season, the second most in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
The Vandals hold an all-time record of 10-16 against the Eagles. The two teams met last in the 2023-24 season, where Eastern Washington won (87-79).
UP NEXT
Idaho starts an action-packed week off by traveling to face Montana on Monday, Jan. 20, before returning home to host the University of Northern Colorado on Thursday, Jan. 23, and Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 25.
TICKETS
Single-game and season tickets are available now. For more information, call the Vandal ticket office at (208) 885-6466 or visit GoVandals.com/tickets.
FOLLOW
Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on X, Facebook and Instagram, @VandalHoops, and with the Voice of the Vandals, Dennis Patchin, at GoVandals.com/Listen. All home and conference contests will be streamed live through ESPN+.
