Box Score



LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University men's basketball team used a big second half to defeat The College of Idaho, 80-62.

The Mountaineers (13-5, 6-3 Cascade Collegiate Conference) won for the sixth straight time over C of I in Quinn Coliseum to hold on to the I-84 Cup. In the longest continuous rivalry for both schools, meeting 67 years in a row, the 167th meeting was a thriller in front of a loud Quinn Coliseum crowd.

Eastern had a 15-point first-half lead, before College of Idaho rallied to tie the score at halftime. The Yotes took the lead early in the second half, but EOU closed the game with a big rally.

Jamar Johnson led Eastern Oregon with 16 points. The senior was 5-of-10 from the field, including 3-for-4 from behind the arc. Johnson led EOU in scoring for the fifth time in the past six games, and it was the Portland native's 31st time scoring in double figures.

Johnson led five Eastern double-digit scorers. Trent Roos added 15 points, making three of his six three-pointers. Travares Peterson scored 11 points. Jeff Ranstrom and Mason Jones each had 10 points. Ervin Felder grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and Cody Thurmond threw four assists.

The Mountaineers jumped out to a 14-4 lead after a Ranstrom tip-in six minutes into the game. Four minutes later, an Anthony Brown jumper gave EOU its largest lead of the first half, 23-8. The College of Idaho chipped into the lead and cut the margin to 31-29 with 3:40 remaining in the first half. Rodney Delgardo closed the half with a pair of free throws to tie the score at 35.

The Yotes continued their run and took a five-point lead two minutes into the second half after a free-throw from Matt Ballenger. The game would tie twice and have the lead changed twice over the next four minutes.

A Krispin Banks three-point play gave C of I a one-point lead, 45-44, at the 14:38 mark of the second half. The Mountaineers responded with an 11-0 run, that included a trio of three-pointers. A pair of Roos' free throws with 1:45 left in regulation gave EOU its largest lead of the game, 78-58.

Ballenger led The College of Idaho (6-14, 1-8) with 15 points. The senior was 5-for-14 from the field. Sydney Donaldson and Sean Spooner each added 11 points. Ballenger, Ben Van Lith, and Bryden Benke each grabbed seven rebounds. Ballenger and Delgardo each threw two assists.

Eastern outrebounded the Yotes, 49-38. The Mountaineers improved to 10-2 when they outrebound their opponents this season. EOU was 44 percent from the field, while College of Idaho was 33 percent. Eastern Oregon held C of I to 4-of-24 (16 percent) from behind the arc. The lowest an opponent has shot against the Mountaineers this season. EOU was 8-of-16 from three-point range and 16-for-21 from the free-throw line. Eastern committed 19 turnovers to the Yotes' 15.

The Mountaineers next game is at No. 3 Oregon Tech (18-2, 7-1) on Jan. 20. College of Idaho travels to Ashland, for its next game at Southern Oregon (13-6, 6-2), the same day. Each game tips off at 7:30 p.m.