SPOKANE, Wash. – The Eastern Oregon University men's basketball team jumped to an early 8-1 lead in the opening two minutes but ultimately dropped a 90-58 decision to NCAA Division 1 opponent and ninth-ranked Gonzaga in an exhibition on Saturday night.
"I couldn't be more proud of my guys," said head men's basketball coach Jared Barrett. "We went up against one of the best teams in the country and fought them for 40 minutes."
Key Performances
Junior guard Kentrell Washington made the most of his 36 minutes with 22 points and eight rebounds to lead EOU. Drilling four three-pointers on the evening, sophomore forward Brandon Hoston added 14 points and five boards.
The Mountaineers saw six points apiece from sophomore guard Tate de Laveaga and senior forward Christian Parrott, while senior forward Kalvin Johanson (4), freshman guard Caulin Bakalarski (4), and senior guard Case Rada (2) rounded out the scoring for the Navy and Gold.
The Storyline
A wild McCarthey Athletic Center didn't seem to faze EOU, as the Mountaineers netted three of their first four jumpers to take an early 8-1 advantage. Washington pulled up in transition for the first bucket of the contest, and then Hoston connected on back-to-back three-pointers to silence the sell-out crowd of 6,000.
A tough up-and-under shot in the paint by Johanson and jumpers by Washington and de Laveaga put EOU on top by six (15-9) with 14:28 left in the first half, but that's when Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer took off. Eight-straight points by the All-American sparked a furious 25-0 run over the next eight minutes to put the Zags on top, 34-15.
The Mountaineers kept pace with the Zags for the remainder of the half and never trailed by more than 22. In the final ticks of the stanza, Washington swooshed a three-pointer to make it a 47-28 game going into the locker room.
De Laveaga dialed one from long distance to cut Gonzaga's lead to 16 (47-31) with 19:08 left to play, but the Mountaineers never got any closer. Washington strung together his own 5-0 run to pull EOU within 21 (67-46) with 12:18 left; however, the Zags continued to pound the ball inside, tallying three-straight layups to pull away.
EOU shot 31.3 percent (20-for-64) from the floor and made eight three-pointers in the losing effort. Meanwhile, Gonzaga tossed in a 44.6 percent (33-for-74) clip and held a +23 margin on the glass.
Stats of the Game
22 – Points by Washington.
7 – Point lead by EOU with 18:21 left in the first half.
Up Next
The Mountaineers return to the hardwood on Nov. 13-14 for the Las Vegas Classic. EOU will battle NAIA Division I and fourth-ranked Arizona Christian on Friday at 4 p.m.
