LA GRANDE, Ore. -- The No. 15 Eastern Oregon University men clinched its fourth consecutive 20-win season Friday with a 84-72 victory over Northwest University.
The Mountaineers (20-7) (13-4) won their 24th straight regular season conference game at home. The last CCC team to beat EOU in Quinn Coliseum during the regular season was Northwest on Jan. 12, 2008, 78-75.
Eastern finished with five double-digit scorers led by Dan Stafford's 16 points. Josh Cottle added 14 points, Steve Sawyers had 13, and Jacques Wilson and Jordan Gregg chipped in 12 and 10 points respectively.
EOU shot 46 percent from the field, including 48 percent in the first half. The Mountaineers jumped out to an 11-0 lead four minutes into the game before the Eagles got on the scoreboard with a Bake Solomon three-pointer.
Northwest's Tyson Christie cut a 15-point Eastern lead to 13 points with a jumper in the paint with 4:39 remaining in the first half. EOU responded with a 6-0 run to take a 22-point lead, which would tie its largest lead of the game, and lead at halftime, 46-24.
Eastern Oregon led 51-31 just into the second half before NU would make its first of many small runs in the half, this one a 9-1 run. The Mountaineers stretched the lead back to 17 points with 7:03 remaining in regulation. The Eagles went on a 14-4 run over the next four minutes to close the lead to seven points. However, NU would get no closer.
Christie led Northwest with a game-high 24 points on 11 for 15 shooting from the field. Greg Peters grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Solomon matched Cottle's game-high seven assists. The Eagles defeated EOU in overtime on Dec. 5, 2009, in Kirkland, Wash., 85-84.
Northwest (15-13) (9-8) slid to sixth-place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings with only one game left in the regular season. The Eagles travel to Caldwell, Idaho, to face The College of Idaho Saturday. The Yotes (9-15) (5-12) clinched a playoff spot despite falling to The Evergreen State College Friday, 88-74.
Eastern Oregon will close its regular season schedule against Evergreen State in La Grande Saturday. The No. 24 Geoducks (19-8) (12-5) are the last CCC team to knock off the Mountaineers in Quinn Coliseum. TESC upset Eastern in last season's conference semifinals.