LEWISTON, Idaho – Back on the floor for the first time in nearly three weeks, Eastern Oregon men's basketball used a sharp second half and big night from its bench to knock off Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), 89-81, on Friday at Lewis-Clark State's Clearwater River Casino & Lodge Classic.
The win moves the Mountaineers to 2-1 on the young season, bouncing back from their narrow 86-83 loss at then-No. 11 Montana Tech back on October 25.
EOU had to play from behind early after the Eagles grabbed a 37-36 lead into halftime on a late dunk from Matur Dhal. The Mounties shot just 41.7 percent in the opening 20 minutes and were 1-for-7 from three, but stayed attached by turning ERAU over nine times and scoring 18 points in the paint.
Eastern poured in 53 second-half points on 65.5 percent shooting, repeatedly attacking the rim and turning stops into easy chances. The Mountaineers finished the night at 52.3 percent from the field and 78.3 percent at the line, while holding Embry-Riddle to 43.6 percent overall.
James Bodily provided a huge spark off the bench with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The junior guard scored 10 after the break and knocked down back-to-back threes in the half to help flip a one-possession game into a multi-possession EOU lead.
Eamon Monahan continued his strong start to the season with 18 points on 9-of-15 shooting, doing nearly all of his damage in the paint. Logan Orchard added 13 points and a pair of late free throws to help seal it, while Trent Rogers finished with 12 points and went a perfect 6-for-6 at the line. Keilan Torkornoo chipped in nine points and a team-high six rebounds, and Isaiah Jones and Caleb Schroeder combined for nine points and five boards off the bench.
The Eagles owned a 38-27 edge on the glass and went 26-for-29 at the line, but the Mounties countered by winning the turnover battle and the paint. ERAU coughed it up 18 times to just eight for Eastern, leading to a 23-13 Mountaineer advantage in points off turnovers. EOU also outscored Embry-Riddle 46-32 inside and got 32 points from its reserves.
Jacey Canalin led the Eagles with 19 points, while Noah Gifft added 13 and Dhal finished with 11.
Eastern Oregon will wrap up its stay in Lewiston on Saturday with a rematch against Dickinson State University set for 3 p.m. PT.