VALLEJO, Calif. - Mountaineer Men's Basketball closed out Thanksgiving week in a festive way with a 77-69 win Sunday afternoon on the road against Cal Maritime. With the win, Eastern Oregon improves to 5-3.
How it Happened
• EOU shot 42.9% in the win and its defense held Cal Maritime (2-5) to just 37.5% from the floor. Second chance points helped Eastern in the as they had 15 on nine offensive boards.
• The Keelhaulers had the edge in bench points, 38-26, but post play went to EOU who outscored Cal Maritime 22-20 in the paint. Rebounds also went in EOU's favor, 40-31.
• Also playing a factor in the game was free throw shooting. EOU took 27 free throws, making 23 for 85.2% while the Keelhaulers were 20-26 from the charity stripe for 76.9%.
• In the first half, EOU was able to shoot 46.9% from the field and its defense stifled the Keelhaulers who were held to a measly 29.2% shooting overall.
• The Mountaineers managed to lead by as much as 16 and went into the halftime break leading by that margin, 40-24.
• The two teams traded shots in the early going and EOU led 8-6 through the first four minutes. Neither team led by more than four points and at the midway point Eastern was barely up two, 15-13.
• Eastern was able to push ahead by seven, 20-13, thanks to an 8-0 run. Sparking the run was
Zane Wright who scored the team's five five points in the run.
• The surge by EOU gave them the seven-point advantage with 8:21 to play in the half. Eastern then proceeded to outscore Cal Maritime 20-9 in the final eight minutes to lead by 16 at the break.
• In the second half, the Keelhaulers did outscore the Mountaineers 45-37 to make things interesting late, but were unable to mount the potential comeback.
• Through the first five minutes, EOU maintained a double-digit lead before Cal Maritime cut its deficit to under 10. An 8-0 run by the Keelhaulers cut EOU's lead to 46-40 with 13:30 to play.
• A quick 9-4 surge from the Mountaineers pushed their lead back to 11, 55-44, with just under 11:30 to play in the game. EOU then managed to hold a 9-11 point lead until late in the half.
• Late free throws by the Mountaineers helped them stay in front by three possessions. Cal Maritime made one last push as free throw opportunities and a late three-pointer cut the Mountaineers lead to four, 72-68.
• Despite the late surge, Eastern held composure and made free throws down the stretch in the final minute to walk away with the eight-point win.
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
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Xavier Lovelace led all players in scoring and rebounding with 20 points and 11 boards for the double-double.
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Phillip Malatare added 18 points in the win on 4-11 made shots and grabbed seven rebounds.
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Manny N'tula was key again off the bench scoring 14 points on 4-11 shooting.
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Ismael Valdez and
Justin Jeske each had five rebounds in the win.
For the Keelhaulers
• Amil Fields paced the offense with 19 points on 5-11 shooting and was 4-8 from beyond the arc. He also led the team in rebounding with eight boards.
• Divine Nwoko was the only other double figure scorer with 10 points and grabbed five rebounds.
• Eric Norton chipped in nine points and five rebounds in the loss.
By the Numbers
2 -
Manny N'tula has now scored double-digit points off the bench in each of the last two games.
27 - The Mountaineers 27 free throw attempts on Sunday are the most in a game this year.
23 - EOU's 23 made free throws on Sunday are also the most in a contest this season.
11 - Eastern tallied 11 steals in Sunday's win which is the most in a game this season.
6 - EOU has now outrebounded its opposition in six games this season.
1 -
Xavier Lovelace notched his first double-double for EOU on Sunday. His point and rebound total on Sunday are also a career-high while donning a Mountaineers uniform.
Up Next
• Conference action. The Mountaineers will remain on the road to start the month of December when they head south for a pair of games. EOU will get back into CCC play at Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech.
• Eastern will take on Southern on Friday, Dec. 3 with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The following day, Dec. 4, EOU and OIT will square off at 5 p.m.
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