CORVALLIS, Ore. – After opening the Cascade Collegiate Conference 2023-24 basketball season by defeating the top two picked teams in the CCC preseason poll, the Southern Oregon University Men’s Basketball team was named the Under Armour Team of the Week for Nov. 27 – Dec. 3, the CCC announced Sunday.
Southern Oregon (4-3, 2-0 CCC) proved they are ready to compete this year after opening conference play with two home wins. On Friday, SOU never trailed in the second half as they secured a 81-75 win against the defending National Champions, No. 2 College of Idaho. Khalil Chatman poured in career-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Raiders. Dominic McGarvey also helped snap an eight-game series losing streak with 17 points. The frontcourt duo combined to shoot 14-of-20 from the field and pushed SOU to a 52-percent overall clip. The upset marked the Yotes' first loss in 30 CCC games.
The next day, the Raiders grinded out a 61-57 win against Eastern Oregon University. In the back and forth battle, the teams traded leads eight times over the final nine minutes. Neither team reached above a 40-shooting percentage. The Raiders got 13 points and five rebounds from Teron Bradford and Khalil Chatman scored a lead-flipping layup with 28 seconds left to help secure the final second victory. Bryce Dyer came off the bench to register his second double-double in three games with 11 points and 10 rebounds for SOU.
Next week, the Southern Oregon men’s basketball team is home for their final nonconference game at noon on Saturday against Jessup University. SOU resumes CCC play Dec. 15-16 at The Evergreen State College and Northwest University.