DILLON, Mont. – In their final matchup of the Montana Western Classic, the Mountaineers couldn't handle the hosting Bulldogs dropping their second straight game 53-73. With the loss, EOU now falls to 1-2 on the year.
While shooting improved for the Mountaineers in their second game of the weekend it wasn't enough to overcome the Bulldogs. It was a tight first half as Western edged out the Mounties 31-27. The second half was the difference maker as Western shot lights out going 15-22 from the field and 5-10 from beyond the arc. The hot shooting paired with a balanced Montana Western attack that saw the bench put up 47 points proved to be too much for the Mountaineers.
Eastern will return to the Pacific Northwest for a midweek matchup at Linfield on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. before hitting the road for another tournament next weekend.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Western had a great night shooting 53.1% on the evening and an incredible 68.18% in the second half
- The Bulldogs bench played a huge part in their win accounting for more than half their points
- While EOU held the advantage on the offensive boards, Western did a better job taking advantage of the opportunities scoring seven second chance points to Eastern's two
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
- Malachi Afework: 19 points, 8-17 FG, 3-8 3PT, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
- Phillip Malatare: 16 points, 6-11 FG, 2-3 3PT, 4 REB, 2 AST