LA GRANDE, Ore. – Kyllian Wood scored a game high 41 points on 13-of-15 shooting and collected 15 rebounds to lead Eastern Oregon University men’s basketball past The Evergreen State College Geoducks, 79-69, on Senior night at Quinn Coliseum.
Tony Eackles Jr. followed Wood with 20 points. Kyle Calhoun scored 18 points to lead the way for Evergreen. Marc Taylor followed with 14 points.
Eastern Oregon jumped out on top of Evergreen as they led by eight points, 12-4, early in the game. The lead did not grow as Evergreen cut the lead down to two points, 14-12, after a Cahlhoun three pointer.
The Geoducks continued to battle and took the lead after a Michael Potter jumper to put the Geoducks ahead by two points, 21-19. The Mountaineers bounced right back to take the lead by three points, 24-21, after an Eackles layup.
However, the Geoducks continued to battle and took the lead with four minutes to go in the half after Frankie Johnson hit a pair of free throws. Evergreen continued to hold on the lead for the rest of the half and took a five point lead, 34-29, lead into halftime.
The Mountaineers started to mount a comeback early in the second half as the Mountaineers tied the game up four minutes into the half at 40-40 after a Wood layup. Wood put the Mountaineers back on top after hitting one of two free throws, 41-40. Wood continued to add to the Mountaineers lead after hitting a jumper in the paint to put EOU ahead 43-40, with 14:57 left in the game.
The Geoducks would not go down without a fight and would take the lead with 9:33 left in the game after Jordan Dam hit a three pointer, 51-49. After the Mountaineers tied the game, the Geoducks extended its lead back to four points, 57-53, after a Johnson free throw.
After the Geoducks took the lead the Mountaineers battle right back and tied the game at 63-63 after an Eackles layup. The Geoducks went down the court and tied the game for the tenth time after Dam hit a jumper.
After Evergreen tied the game, EOU went on a 9-0 run to pull away from Evergreen. With 48 seconds left in the game EOU led by nine points, 75-65. The Geoducks had no answer and EOU came away with a 79-69.
The Mountaineers return to action on Wednesday Feb. 26 when they travel to Caldwell, Idaho to face the Yotes of College of Idaho in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament presented by US Bank.