Too Little Too Late for Eastern Men
LA GRANDE- Warner Pacific came into Quinn Coliseum and did what only one team could do this season, win. They defeated Eastern Oregon 85-79 in a game that sends the winner into the Cascade Conference tournament championship game.
EOU played a sloppy first-half, turning the ball over seven times resulting in 17 points for the Knights, and trailed at halftime 32-44. In the second-half Warner Pacific came out shooting red hot, as they shot 68 percent from downtown for the game.
The Knights built their lead to as much as 16 at one point in the second-half but Eastern charged back and cut it to five with under 2 minutes to go in the game. Unfortunately, the Mounties didn't have enough in the tank and lost for the first time at home in their last seven games.
Scott O'Gallagher led all scorers with 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Neil Fryer led the Mounties with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Warner Pacific will now play Evergreen State for the Cascade Conference Championship. As for EOU, they will have to wait until March 5, when the National Tournament matchups are released.