BUTTE, Mont. – Eastern Oregon men's basketball went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's best on Saturday night, narrowly falling 86-83 to No. 11 Montana Tech.
After trailing by as many as 16 late in the first half, the Mountaineers stormed back behind lights-out shooting and a pair of standout performances from their new junior transfers. EOU outscored the Orediggers 51-41 after halftime, connecting on 10-of-13 from three-point range in the final 20 minutes to nearly steal the upset.
Tech built a 45-32 halftime advantage by dominating the paint and glass, outscoring the Mounties 32-10 inside and holding a 25-12 rebounding edge at the break. The Orediggers extended the margin to 15 early in the second before Eastern's shooting barrage flipped the tone.
Eamon Monahan was again the offensive catalyst, scoring 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 4-of-5 from deep. Fellow newcomer Keilan Torkornoo matched him blow for blow with 21 points and eight rebounds, hitting 3-of-5 from long range.
James Bodily caught fire off the bench with 16 points and four triples, while Logan Orchard added 11 points and seven assists as the Mountaineers' lead facilitator. EOU shot 45 percent from the field and 52 percent from three overall, turning a rough first half into an offensive clinic down the stretch.
Montana Tech countered with balanced scoring across its rotation. Camdyn LaRance led all scorers with 19 points, including clutch free throws in the final seconds to secure the win. Hayden Diekhans added a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, while Rhett Reynolds and Marley Gonzalez each chipped in 10.
The game featured five lead changes and four ties, most of them coming in a furious second-half exchange where the Mounties erased the early deficit. Eastern knotted the score at 52 midway through the period and stayed within one possession until the final minute. Tech's LaRance put the hosts ahead 84-81 with two minutes left, and despite a late layup by Porter Abrams cutting it to 84-83, the Orediggers closed it out at the foul line.
The Mountaineers get a bit of a break before returning to action on November 14, when they head to Lewiston, Idaho, to face Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) and rematch with Dickinson State as non-conference play continues.