Preview: Eastern Washington Eagles at Northern Colorado Bears GARDEN CITY, Colo. (Interstat) — The Northern Colorado Bears, riding a three-game winning streak, will host the Eastern Washington Eagles in a Big Sky Conference women’s basketball matchup on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at Butler-Hancock Athletic Center. The Bears (20-8, 13-2 Big Sky) enter as one of the conference’s top teams, boasting a balanced attack and stifling defense. They handily defeated the Eagles 71-62 in Cheney just four weeks ago. Northern Colorado is coming off a dominant 81-53 road victory over Northern Arizona, where Tatum West posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. West, a key player to watch for the Bears, averaged 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds over her last eight games. She scored 16 points with eight rebounds in the Jan. 31 win over Eastern Washington. The Eastern Washington Eagles (13-15, 8-7) look to snap a two-game road skid and improve their seeding for the upcoming conference tournament. They are coming off an 87-78 home victory over Portland State, powered by a career-high 24 points and 16 rebounds from standout forward Kourtney Grossman. Grossman has been a force for the Eagles, averaging 16.0 points and 10.1 rebounds over her last nine contests. Her performance will be critical against Northern Colorado’s interior defense. Guard Ella Gallatin, who had 25 points and 10 assists against Portland State, provides a potent backcourt complement. Northern Colorado’s defense, which has held opponents to 55.7 points per game during its current streak, will aim to contain that duo. The Bears have won seven of their last eight games. The game is a crucial late-season conference clash, with Northern Colorado jockeying for a regular-season title and Eastern Washington seeking to secure a winning conference record. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST.