OLYMPIA, Wash. – Behind a game-high 36 points of Bryan McGriff, the Eastern Oregon University Men's Basketball team defeated The Evergreen State College Geoducks, 86-73, on Saturday night. With the win, the Mountaineers clinched a spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament.
 
McGriff shot 12-of-20 from the floor to lead the Mountaineers.  De'Sean Mattox added 18 for the Mountaineers (14-14, 6-12 CCC) as they won their second straight contest. Case Rada scored 14 points to round out the double figure scorers.
 
The Geoducks (4-21, 1-17 CCC) were led by Jordan Dam who scored 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Brock Otis rounded out the double-figure scorers for Evergreen with 23 points on 8-of -13 shooting.
 
In a back and forth contest, the Mountaineers and Geoducks found themselves battling for a lead. With the game tied at 4-4, Rada gave EOU a 7-4 lead after hitting a 3-pointer. Evergreen continued to battle and the Geoducks took the lead at 12-11, after a Dam layup, with 15:25 left in the half.
 
After trailing, the Mountaineers tied the game at 13-13. Both teams went scoreless for the next two minutes of the contest. Once the teams began to score again, they traded baskets and Deonta Edwards put EOU ahead 21-20 after hitting a jumper.
 
The teams continued to trade baskets and with the Mountaineers ahead, 27-25, with 7:56 left in the first half, EOU went on a scoreless drought as they went four minutes without a basket. During that time, the Geoducks took the lead. EOU finally broke their drought with a dunk by Kalvin Johanson putting  the Mountaineers down three, 32-29.
 
Evergreen and EOU traded a few more baskets but the Geoducks held onto the lead for the rest of the first half leaving EOU to trail by three, 39-36, at halftime.
 
The game remained close during the second half, as both teams traded baskets. After a layup by Otis, the game was tied for the eleventh time in game. With just under 15 minutes to go in the contest, the game was tied at 48-48.
 
After the game was tied at 53, EOU scored the next six points, four by McGriff and two by Michael Crane, to extend their lead to 59-53. Once they took the lead, the Mountaineers never looked back and held the lead for the remainder of the contest.
 
Mattox put the Mountaineers on top by eight points, 70-62, with 5:53 left in the half, but the Geoducks battled back to trim the lead down to three points, 70-67, after a layup by Frankie Johnson. The three points would be as close as Evergreen got for the remainder of the game.
 
EOU knocked down their free throws when they needed them most and a pair of free throws by Rada put EOU ahead by 10, 81-71. The Mountaineers grew the lead to as many as 13 points, which they would win by, 86-73.
 
The Mountaineers will open up Quarterfinals action in the CCC Tournament Wednesday night when they travel to Portland, Ore. to face Concordia (Ore.) at 7 p.m. PT.