CALDWELL, Idaho – Freshman guard Max McCullough came up two points short of tying his season and career high 24 points on Friday afternoon. However, the Post Falls, Idaho native scored 22 points to lead the Mountaineers to a 100-84, victory over previously unbeaten (RV) Montana Western in their first game of the College of Idaho Domino’s Classic.
(RV) EOU controlled the game from nearly the beginning, as senior wing Travis Meeker netted a layup at the 17:34 mark of the first stanza to deliver EOU a 5-4 lead, their first lead of the half.
It was all EOU (6-2), from there, as the Blue and Gold never trailed Montana Western (5-1), for the rest of the game. The Bulldogs would tie the game at 28 with a three-pointer from Brian Neal at 8:11. However, a layup from senior guard Kentrell Washington would start EOU on a 23-7 run that lasted until halftime, giving EOU a 53-35 lead.
In the second, a layup from senior forward Bryan McGriff kicked off an 11-2 run for EOU and increased the lead to 21, 73-52.
Later in the second, junior guard Cole Ashby hit back to back three-pointers at 10:13 to lift the lead past twenty again, 82-60. Twelve of Ashby’s 15 points came from the second half and all from behind the arc.
Offensively, McCullough and Ashby weren’t the only Mounties to get things going. In fact, the duo was part of five Mountaineers to score in double figures, Meeker tallied 12 points, Washington had 11 and McGriff drilled 10.
Defensively, EOU forced 16 turnovers and nabbed 30 defensive rebounds. McGriff snatched eight defensive rebounds and nine rebounds in total to lead the Mountaineers.
BY THE NUMBERS
16 – Forced turnovers by EOU defensively.
66 – Percent from three point range was McCullough.
24 – Points was the largest lead for EOU.
Up Next
The Mountaineers battle Rocky Mountain tomorrow in their second game of the 2016 College of Idaho Domino’s Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT.
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