BOX SCORE

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Eastern Oregon University men's basketball team won its eighth game of the season with an 81-67 victory over Pacific Lutheran Saturday.

The Mountaineers (8-1) won both of their games at the Vineyard Inn Classic hosted by Whitman College. Both victories came against opponents from NCAA Div. 3 and the Northwest Conference.

Eastern Oregon was led by Jeff Ranstrom's 23 points and 11 rebounds. The junior finished 9 of 15 from the field. JC Cook came off of the bench to add 16 points, making 4 of his 7 three-point attempts. Jamar Johnson and Cody Thurmond had 15 and 13 points. Josh Cottle added a team-high five assists.

The Mountaineers shot 49 percent from the field, 39 percent from behind the perimeter, and made 14 of their 17 free throws. The Lutes were 46 percent from the field, 27 percent from three-point range, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Pacific Lutheran (1-3) led by seven points twice in the first half, including 16-9 at the 14:09 mark. Eastern tied the game at 20 and a Johnson jumper gave the Mountaineers their first lead with 8:23 left in the first half, 27-25. EOU led by as many as 12 points in the first half and had a 45-35, halftime lead.

The Eastern lead was cut to 58-53 with 9:26 left in regulation. The Mountaineers went on a 23-9 run to take their largest lead of the game, 81-62, with 50 seconds remaining in the game.

Curtis Trondsen led the Lutes with 14 points. Kyle MacTaggart and Andrew Earnest each had 11 and 10 points respectively. James Conti had a game-high seven assists. PLU finished with 20 assists, compared to Eastern's 14. EOU outrebounded the Lutes, 41-25.

The Mountaineers host The Evergreen State College (1-5) in the Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule opener Friday at 5:30 p.m. The Geoducks have lost five straight games. The matchup will be on '70s Night in Quinn Coliseum and fans are asked to wear retro attire. There will be a live video stream and stats on EOUSports.com.