BOX SCORE
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – No. 10 Eastern Oregon holds off Cedarville (Ohio), 82-74, to advance to the second round at the 2011 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship. The 2011 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).
The Mountaineers (26-6) used 12 three-pointers to move to their fourth straight second round. EOU is now 4-0 in the first round at the tournament. Eastern also equaled its highest win total in a season in school history with the victory.
Eastern’s Thomas McCarthy led all scorers with 19 points. The senior made 5 of his 7 three-point attempts. McCarthy, the EOU record-holder for three-pointers made in a single season, is 10 away from breaking the school’s career mark. JC Cook added 13 points, while Jamar Johnson and Jeff Ranstrom scored 12 and 10 points.
Eastern Oregon built its lead to 23 points, but watched it dwindle to just four points late in the game. Cedarville hit six of its 10 three-pointers in the second half to help close the gap. CU shot 37 percent from the field in the first half and 51 percent in the second.
The Yellowjackets (20-13) were led by Derrick Hannon’s 15 points. The senior was 6 of 13 from the field, and added 10 rebounds. Brian Hecker scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. Brian Grant had 11 points, and Matt Harner and Austin Foote each scored 10.
The Mountaineers finished 47 percent from the field, 12 of 30 from behind the arc, and 14 for 18 from the free-throw line. Each team finished with 34 rebounds and 12 assists. CU committed 12 turnovers to Eastern’s eight. EOU had nine of its 11 steals in the first half. The Yellowjackets finished with zero steals. The Cascade Collegiate Conference finished round one, 3-1.
Eastern Oregon advances to Friday's second round and will play the winner of the Oklahoma Wesleyan and Sterling (Kan.) first round game. Live video, audio, and stats will be available on EOUSports.com. Live radio will be available in the La Grande area on KEOL 91.7 FM and worldwide on cast.eou.edu. Watch parties for the game with live video will be at Benchwarmers Pub and Grill in La Grande and in the Quinn Building on the EOU campus in Room 127. Tip-off is scheduled 9:15 p.m. Central Time. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes March 15, 2011.