LA GRANDE, Ore.- The Mountaineers officially opened up the 2022-22 season on Saturday evening in La Grande. NCAA Division III Whitman College visited Quinn Coliseum and the Mountaineers put together a dominant showing to start out the year in the win column beating the Blues 77-60.
Despite Whitman holding a lead at the midway point in the first half, the Mountaineers were able to take the momentum with a big 10-0 run with just over eight minutes remaining. From that point on the Mountaineers held the lead the rest of the way, their lead reached as high as 21 with eight minutes left in the game. Ultimately it was rebounding and scoring opportunities that made the difference as the Mounties outrebounded the blues by 11 and were able to get off 17 more shots.
Next up for the Mountaineers is Montana Tech on Friday, Nov. 11 when EOU heads North for the Montana Western Classic. That game will kick off a five-game stretch on the road before the Mounties return home for conference play in December.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- The Mounties dominated the boards with an impressive 16 offensive rebounds contributing to their total of 42
- Whitman actually outshot Eastern shooting 45.1% from the field to Eastern's 41.2%
- EOU also held the advantage in ball security giving up only 13 turnovers to the Blues' 20
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Preston Chandler: 17 PTS, 7-14 FG, 2-6 3PT, 6 REB
- Jaden Hansen: 11 PTS, 4-6 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3 AST, 2 STL