BUTTE, Mont. – Eastern Oregon men's basketball opened its 2025-26 season with a steady 87-70 win over Dickinson State on Friday evening in Butte, Montana.
After a back-and-forth first few minutes, the Mountaineers took control by halftime and managed the margin the rest of the way. The Blue Hawks' best stretch came early, when DSU led 15-8 at the 15:18 mark. From there, EOU tightened up defensively and closed the half on a 41-16 surge to lead 49-31 at the break.
The Mounties quickly pushed their advantage to 22 points at 53-31 just 41 seconds into the second half, marking their largest lead of the night. Dickinson State outscored Eastern 39-38 after the intermission and trimmed the gap below 20 late, but the first-half cushion proved decisive.
Eastern shot 49.3 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from three (9-for-20) while holding Dickinson State to 26.1 percent from beyond the arc. On the boards, EOU held a 43-29 advantage and collected 12 offensive rebounds that turned into 15 second-chance points, compared to five and six for the Blue Hawks.
Points off turnovers also favored the Mountaineers, 21-11, despite a nearly even turnover count. Production in the paint and in transition was level, making the three-point shooting and rebounding margins the clear difference.
Trent Rogers paced EOU with 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep. Eamon Monahan added 20 on 8-of-13 and was perfect from three in his Mountie debut, while Logan Orchard chipped in 12. Caleb Schroeder anchored the interior with 13 rebounds as Eastern totaled 13 assists on 33 made field goals.
The Mountaineers will remain in Butte to face a step up in competition, taking on No. 11 Montana Tech on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. local time.