Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Eastern Washington
Wildcats return home to host Eastern Washington Thursday
1/13/2026 4:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
• After two Big Sky road wins last week, it's back home for two games for Weber State this week, beginning Thursday night against Eastern Washington.
• The Wildcats and Eagles will tipoff at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Dee Events Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Tony Parks and former Weber State head coach and Big Sky Coach of the Year Joe Cravens on the call.
The Weber State radio broadcast with Carl Arky and former Wildcat and Big Sky MVP David Patten will be on 103.1 FM.
Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State improved to 9-8 overall and 3-1 in Big Sky play with two road wins last week. The 'Cats beat Northern Arizona on Thursday and knocked off Northern Colorado 76-71 on Saturday.
• Eastern Washington is 3-13 overall and 1-2 in Big Sky play. The Eagles snapped a six-game losing streak with a home win over Montana last Saturday. The Eagles are 0-10 on the road this season.
• In Saturday's win, Weber State held Northern Colorado to just 1 of 14 shooting from 3-point range. It was the first time in eight years the Wildcats have held an opponent to just one 3-pointer made in a game. WSU held Northern Arizona to 1 of 13 shooting in a win in February 2018.
• The Wildcats now rank third in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to just 26.9 percent from 3-point range. WSU has held its opponents to six or fewer made 3-pointers nine times this season.
• Weber State enters the game with six players averaging in double figures. WSU is currently one of five teams in the nation with six players averaging at least 10 points per game. Weber State is joined by Texas A&M, Miami (OH), Louisville, and Michigan, with six players in double figures.
• Edwin Suarez Jr. led the Wildcats in scoring in Saturday's win with 18 points, and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. It was his seventh time scoring in double figures. Suarez is averaging 11.1 points per game and ranks fourth in the Big Sky in rebounding at 7.2 per game.
• Tijan Saine Jr. added 17 points in the win and has now scored in double figures in the last seven and 10 of the last 11 games. He leads the 'Cats in scoring at 13.8 points per game and ranks fourth in the conference in assist to turnover ratio and sixth in assists.
Saine averaged 16 points and 2.5 assists per game in the two road wins last week and also knocked down four 3-pointers and was 12 of 13 from the free throw line.
• Nigel Burris added 11 points off the bench and has now scored in double figures in each of the last five games. Burris, the only senior on this year's Wildcat team, is averaging 10.2 points per game and leads the team in field goal percentage at 57.4 percent.
• Weber State is first in the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense and rebounding. The 'Cats also rank second in scoring offense, scoring margin, rebounding margin, and steals and are third in field goal defense and turnover margin.
• The Wildcats are 8-1 this season when leading in field goal percentage and 0-7 when trailing. The 'Cats are also 8-2 when leading at halftime and 0-5 when trailing. WSU is 6-0 when holding its opponents under 70 points and 2-8 when the opponent scores 70 or more points.
• Eastern Washington is 3-13 overall and 1-2 in Big Sky play. They had lost six straight games before beating Montana 66-65 at home on Saturday. Montana led by eight points with 3:56 to play when the Eagles finished the game on a 7-0 run for the win.
The Eagles played one of the hardest non-conference schedules in the Big Sky with nine road games, including four games against Power 4 schools. They lost to UCLA, Colorado in overtime, as well as Utah and BYU. They opened Big Sky play with a three-point loss at Idaho, then most by four points to Montana State before the home win against Montana.
• The Eagles are led by Isaiah Moses who is fifth in the Big Sky in scoring at 17.5 points per game. He also leads the league and is 24th in the country in free throw percentage at 90.4 percent, and is fourth in the conference in minutes played.
• EWU was 10-22 overall and 6-12 in Big Sky play last season. The Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the coaches poll and eighth in the media poll this season.
• Eastern Washington is coached by longtime college basketball coach Dan Monson who is in his second year with the Eagles. It is his 29th season as a head coach with previous stops at Gonzaga, Minnesota, and Long Beach State.
• Weber State holds a 52-32 series lead over Eastern Washington. The two teams split last season with each team winning on the road. The Eagles blew out the Wildcats in Ogden with a 72-49 win, but Weber State responded with a 66-64 win over the Eagles in Cheney on an Alex Tew tip-in at the buzzer.
Overall, Eastern Washington has won five of the last seven games against the Wildcats and eight of the last 11.
In games in Ogden, Weber State is 31-11 all-time but Eastern Washington has won the last three games at the Dee Events Center.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.
This summer, NBA superstar and Wildcat legend Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.
• Weber State hosts Idaho on Saturday at the Dee Events Center, then hits the road at Montana and Montana State next week.
