LA GRANDE, Ore. – The 16th-ranked EOU men’s basketball team welcomed the new year the same way it left 2016 – red hot from the field and unselfish.
The Mountaineers outscored Warner Pacific, 59-44, and shot 59.5 percent in the second half on the way to taking down the Knights, 99-79, on Friday night at Quinn Coliseum. EOU dished out a season-high 27 assists and extended its winning streak to nine games.
Senior guard Bryan McGriff notched his ninth double-double of the 2016-17 campaign with 18 points and 11 rebounds on a 7-for-13 effort from the field, while freshman sharpshooter Max McCullough added 13 points in only 17 minutes of action.
Tying his career high, junior wing Austin Winegar netted 11 points, and senior guard Kentrell Washington flirted with triple-double honors with seven points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
EOU dominated on the glass, going +18 (57-39) for 19 second-chance points, and the Mountaineers also tallied 18 points off turnovers.
After junior lefty Cole Ashby buried back-to-back treys to put EOU up 11 (29-18) in the first half, the Knights responded with a 17-7 run to cut the lead to one (36-35). In the final 46 seconds of the stanza, McGriff put in two free throws before junior guard Matt Wong tossed in jumper in the final seconds to give the Blue and Gold a five-point (40-35) cushion at halftime.
The final 20 minutes was all EOU, as the squad used a total-team effort to put the visitors away. After the Knights (6-9, 2-5 CCC) struck first, the Mountaineers fired back with a 19-5 run to go up by 17 (59-42) after senior forward Michael Hillman scored inside with 13:38 remaining.
Moments later, EOU (14-2, 7-0 CCC) made five consecutive field goals, propelling the team to a 24-point (70-46) advantage after senior wing Travis Meeker swooshed a jumper from downtown.
The Blue and Gold went back up 24 (99-75) after a three-pointer by junior wing Austin Strock with less than a minute remaining, and EOU went on to defeat Warner Pacific since the 2013-14 season.
BY THE NUMBERS
9 – Consecutive wins for the Mountaineers.
27 – Assists on 39 made baskets for EOU.
9 – Double-doubles for McGriff this season.
13 – Number of three-pointers made by the Blue and Gold, which has hit 10 or more in every game this season except for four.
UP NEXT
EOU hosts Multnomah tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.