It['s Eastern Washington early Sunday afternoon

So the Big Sky Conference member Eagles want a rematch? The Spartans took down Eastern Washington 67-60 on November 12 in Cheney, WA and now face Coach Kirk Earlywine's squad once more Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Walt McPherson Court.

In the earlier game, an Adrian Oliver torrid stretch proved the difference. From our game report:: "He [AO] made one of two free throws, then a deuce from the corner. Another AO corner shot -- a trey -- made it 58- 50. Eastern Washington managed a tip-in but Oliver put in two more at the charity stripe followed by a top of the key two. He closed the barrage out with a bank shot and the Eagles were plucked."

Oliver finished with 34 points.

Here's Coach Earlywine on the previous game:

"I thought there two things that decided that game, we played the game without Cliff or Glen, and we had 12 turnovers in the second half -- that was huge. And we fouled too much and put them on the line 37 times. That was a little bit of a problem for us early in the year, but not fouling has been a big point of emphasis in practice and we're doing better with that as of late. We are keeping our hands off people and learning how not to get tangled up with players. Oliver is fifth-year senior, so he is pretty crafty. He knows how to get himself to the free throw line and we have to do a better job of keeping him from getting there."

The absent points, Glen Dean and Cliff Colimon, will both be playing. to some degree, on Sunday.

Here's the lead on the EW athletics SJSU game preview:

"Returning starting point guard Glen Dean, out for two months with a stress fracture in his foot, has finally been cleared to practice with the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team. That, plus the return of a pair of players recently out with injuries, gives the Eagles some needed momentum heading into a Sunday (Dec. 12) rematch with San Jose State..."

...Dean was the Freshman of the Year in the Big Sky Conference last season when he averaged 12.2 points and 4.4 assists per game. Because he's missed two months already, Earlywine says his return will be slow and gradual...

"The bone is his foot has healed sufficiently to resume practicing on kind of a limited basis," he explained. "So it's going to be a gradual process of working him back into full-speed practices and then the games...

...Plus, Eastern will welcome back this week point guard Cliff Colimon, who has missed the past two games and four total games with a sprained ankle. Plus, forward Rashano McRae has missed the last three games and valuable practice time with a concussion.

"While he's not completely 100 percent, his ankle is significantly better after holding him out for two weeks," said Earlywine of Colimon, who is averaging 12.0 points and 2.3 assists per game in the three games he's played..."


EW's starting five -- a pickem among three frontcourters and three guards

* Cliff Edaraine 6-7 9.3 ppg., 8.1 rpg., shooting 53% overall

* Laron Griffin 6-8 7.3 ppg., 7.1 rpg.

* Tremayne Johnson 6-7 12.4 ppg., 6.6 rpg. (he'll be the best athlete on the floor)


* Cliff Coliman 6-0 12.0 ppg. , 41% on three-point shots

* Jeffrey Forbes 5-10 13.7 ppg. , 42% on three-point shots

* Kevin Winford 5-11 15.3 ppg., 44% on three-point shots (he hit eight treys in a loss to Idaho)


One difference worth noting is Sunday marks the eligibility of Brylle Kamen for San Jose State. Our exposure to the 6-foot-7, 230 frontcourter in the pre-season scrimmage indicated a real aggressiveness with the ball and that will be most welcomed. We also want to be seeing some in-the-paint scoring prowess, rebounding and defensive effectiveness -- a lot to ask of one player but needed attributes.

Plus, will the Spartans come out angry about the late loss to Santa Clara? And, if so, can they maintain it for 40 minutes?


Here's the EWU roster (by position and alphabetized)

* Glen Dean G 5-10 170 So.
* Cliff Colimon G 6-0 170 Jr.
* Sean Fischer G 6-0 170 Fr.
* Willie Hankins G 6-3 190 Fr.
* Jeffrey Forbes G 5-10 170 So.
* Kevin Winford G 5-11 170 So.

*Geoffrey Allen G/F 6-5 170 Fr.

* Rocky Brown F 6-6 200 Fr.
* Cliff Ederaine F 6-7 205 Jr.
* Laron Griffin F 6-8 220 Jr.
* Jaylen Henry F 6-7 230 Fr.
* Morgan Hyslop F 6-7 200 Jr.
* Tremayne Johnson F 6-7 200 Jr.
* Rashano McRae F 6-7 230 Jr.
* Carter Warnock F 6-9 220 Fr.