LA GRANDE, Ore. - Mountaineer Men's Basketball picked up its second win of the season Saturday morning with a 67-61 victory in their home opener over the University of Montana Western Bulldogs. With the win, Eastern Oregon improves to 2-1 on the year.
How it Happened
• The Mountaineers shot 46% in the win and their defense held the Bulldogs (3-1) to just 36.7% from the floor.
• UMW managed to score 22 points off of 17 EOU turnovers but a 40-26 edge by EOU in points in the paint helped in the win.
• In the first half, the Mountaineers' defense held the Bulldogs to 27.6% shooting while they shot 48.4% to take a 36-22 lead into the break.
• The game was tied at 7-all to start but the Mountaineers seized control with a 14-3 run that opened their lead up to 11 points, 21-10, with 11:31 left to play in the half.
• Eastern used stout defense and quick ball movement on offense to stay in front by 3-4 possessions through the remainder of the first half.
• The Mountaineers largest lead came late in the first half when
Xavier Lovelace scored a layup on an assist from
Max McCullough to make it a 34-18 game.
• The Mountaineers led by as much at 16 and ultimately went into the break leading by 14. Lovelace had nine points to lead the way followed by
Phillip Malatare and
Ismael Valdez with six, respectively.
• In the second half, EOU managed to stay in front by double figures through much of the first 10 minutes of play before UMW slowly chipped away at the score to get within two possessions.
• A three pointer with 10:00 on the clock cut the bulldogs deficit to five 52-47. UMW then managed to get within one, 54-53, with just under 6:30 to go in regulation.
• The Mountaineers held composure and scored six straight points to surge back ahead by seven, 60-53.
• UMW managed to get within four a couple of times in the final four minutes of play but clutch shooting by Malatare combined with late stops from the defense helped them hold on for the six-point win.
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
•
Phillip Malatare paced EOU with 15 points on 7-17 shooting and had six rebounds.
•
Max McCullough added 12 points on 50% shooting (5-10) and had a team best three assists.
•
Xavier Lovelace chipped in nine points in the win on 4-7 shooting.
• Off the bench,
Paul Pennington had a game-high 10 rebounds and had six points.
For the Bulldogs
• Jalen Hodges led all scorers with 22 points on 8-13 shooting.
• Jamal Stephenson posted 11 points in the loss and finished 3-9 from the floor.
• Colter Millers chipped in eight points and led the team in rebounding with eight boards.
By the Numbers
5 - EOU has now won its last five home openers, dating back to the 2017-18 season.
1 - Saturday's win is the first at home for head coach
Chris Kemp.
46 - The Mountaineers 46 rebounds are the most in a game this season.
7 - Eastern tallied a season best seven steals in the win on Saturday.
15 - EOU grabbed 15 offensive boards in the win, the most in a game this year.
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will head to Spokane, Wash. for their first exhibition tune-up of the season as they take on No. 1-ranked Gonzaga on Sunday, Oct. 31. Tip-off against the Zags is set for 1 p.m. PT.
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