Montana State visits Eastern Washington following Venters' 21-point performance

Published Feb. 16, 2022 2:22 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Montana State Bobcats (20-5, 12-2 Big Sky) at Eastern Washington Eagles (13-12, 7-7 Big Sky)

Cheney, Washington; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Washington hosts the Montana State Bobcats after Steele Venters scored 21 points in Eastern Washington's 75-72 win against the Idaho State Bengals.

The Eagles have gone 6-3 at home. Eastern Washington is 3-2 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Bobcats are 12-2 against conference opponents. Montana State scores 76.4 points and has outscored opponents by 8.8 points per game.

The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. The Bobcats won 69-65 in the last matchup on Jan. 28. Raequan Battle led the Bobcats with 15 points, and Linton Acliese led the Eagles with 22 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Venters averages 2.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Eagles, scoring 16.7 points while shooting 44.9% from beyond the arc. Acliese is averaging 15.2 points and seven rebounds over the last 10 games for Eastern Washington.

Tyler Patterson is shooting 40.7% from beyond the arc with 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Bobcats, while averaging 8.5 points. Xavier Bishop is averaging 14.3 points and 4.3 assists over the last 10 games for Montana State.

LAST 10 GAMES: Eagles: 5-5, averaging 77.3 points, 31.8 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 4.6 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.8 points per game.

Bobcats: 10-0, averaging 75.8 points, 32.1 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 4.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.9 points.

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