Mountaineers Drop Final Two Games of Spring Season
EOU Sports Information
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University Men's Basketball fell in its final two games of the 2020-21 spring season as the Mountaineers took on in-state rival Southern Oregon University. EOU dropped both contests by scores of 93-76 and 95-93. With the two losses, the Mountaineers finished the year 8-12 overall and were 3-9 in conference play.
Game 1 – SOU 93, EOU 76
How it Happened
• The Raiders (7-4, 7-3 CCC) shot 54.7% from the floor and were 43.8% from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers were held to 41.3% shooting for the games and were just 26.3% from three-point range. Also helping SOU in the win was a 28-11 scoring edge from the bench.
• In the first four minutes of action the Raiders jumped out to a 13-4 lead that helped them maintain a wire-to-wire lead in the first 20 minutes of play. EOU managed to get within six,16-10, with 15:05 left on the clock.
• SOU then pieced together a 9-0 run that lasted just under four minutes and gave the Raiders a 25-10 lead. The Raiders held a double figure lead until the 7:36 mark when the Mountaineers got within nine, 34-25, on a triple from Kobi Gardea.
• Despite their best efforts, the Mountaineers never got any closer than nine and went into halftime trailing by 13, 52-39. The Raiders once again maintained a double figure lead throughout the majority of the second half.
• Eastern got within single digits of SOU twice in the second half but never managed to clear the hump and get back within one possession. The Mountaineers got the score to 69-61 with just over 11 minutes to play in regulation but a quick surge by Southern kept them in control the rest of the game en route to the 17-point win.
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Brandon Porter led the EOU offense with 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
• Max McCullough put up 18 points to go along with eight assists and nine rebounds.
• Zane Wright rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 points on 4-12 shooting.
• Justin Jeske led the way in rebounds with a game-high of 14 and chipped in eight points.
For the Raiders
• Tez Allen led all scorers with a game best 25 points to go along with eight boards and nine assists.
• Josh Meyer added 13 points and 10 boards for the double-double. He also had five assists.
• Jake Virga and Hunter Bradford each scored 11 points in the win for the Raiders.
Game 2 – SOU 95, EOU 93
How it Happened
• The Raiders completed the weekend sweep of the Mountaineers in a close battle in game two as they escaped Quinn Coliseum with the win. It was a close battle as both teams shot over 50% in the midday tilt.
• The Mountaineers were an even 50% on 32-64 made shots, while the Raiders were slightly ahead at 50.7% on 35-69 shooting. Helping the Raiders in the win was a 42-28 edge in points in the paint.
• Eastern had a rhythm going on offense early against the Raiders as the Mountaineers jumped ahead by 10 in the first seven minutes of action. A deep triple by Zane Wright made it a 22-12 game with 13:23 to play in the half.
• The Mountaineers held the sizable lead for much of the first half and in the first 10 minutes of play they managed to lead by as much as 12. AKobi Gardea three-pointer pushed the EOU lead to 28-16.
• The largest lead of the first half for EOU came with 7:42 when Brandon Porter nailed a shot in the paint to put the Mountaineers up by 13, 32-19. It was not until the final five minutes of the half when the Raiders chipped away the score to keep it close.
• Eastern was able to stay in front by 2-3 possessions and held a 10-point lead, 35-25, with 5:06 to play until halftime. In that final 5:06, SOU outscored Eastern 14-7 to trail by just three, 42-39.
• The Raiders ended the first half on a 5-0 run and it grew to 8-0 in the early going of the second as a triple tied the game at 42-all with 18:48 left on the clock. From that point on, it was a back-and-forth scoring affair in the second half.
• Shortly after the Raiders tied the game, EOU strung together five quick points to go ahead by that amount. All five points came from Porter as he put Eastern in front 49-44 with just over 17 minutes to play in the game.
• Neither squad led by more than 1-3 points for much of the second frame and it showed no signs of falling in either team's favor. The Raiders eventually grabbed a seven-point edge with 7:41 left to play in the game.
• Late in the game, Eastern looked to keep things close against the Raiders but SOU was able to lead by as much as eight, 88-80, in the final 3:30. Eastern managed to get within two a handful of times but never regained the lead or tied the game before falling by two.
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Brandon Porter once again led the way with 30 points on 11-19 shooting. He also tallied three steals.
• Max McCullough had a near triple-double again finishing with 29 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
• Zane Wright rounded out the double figure scoring with 11 points.
For the Raiders
• Josh Meyer finished with a double-double scoring 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
• Jake Virga added 17 points and had three steals.
• Mason Whittaker and Elijah Jackson both chipped in 12 points in the win.
• Tez Allen added nine points to go along with 10 assists and seven rebounds.
By the Numbers
9 – The Mountaineers shot over 50% in nine games this spring season.
38 – The 38 three-point attempts by EOU in game one vs. SOU is the most in a game this year.
17 – The 17-point loss by Eastern in game one against the Raiders tied their largest loss of the year.
FOLLOW EOU ATHLETICS
