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16_MBB_O'Donnell
EOU Athletics
82
Northwest Christian NCU 8-3, 2-2 CCC
89
Winner Eastern Oregon EOU 12-2, 4-0 CCC
Northwest Christian NCU
8-3, 2-2 CCC
82
Final
89
Eastern Oregon EOU
12-2, 4-0 CCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northwest Christian NCU 38 44 82
Eastern Oregon EOU 40 49 89

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Seth Dahle, Sports Information Director

No. 16 EOU Men’s Hoops Stays Perfect in CCC Play, Knocks Off No. 7 Northwest Christian

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The 16th-ranked EOU men's basketball team is headed for great things, and senior guard Bryan McGriff is leading the way.
 
In addition to posting his sixth double-double of the 2016-17 campaign with 23 points and 15 rebounds, McGriff netted two key free throws and then came up with a critical block on the other end to seal an 89-82 triumph over No. 7 Northwest Christian on Saturday night at Quinn Coliseum.
 
For EOU (11-2, 4-0 CCC), the win is the squad's sixth straight and second vs. a top-10 foe. In addition, the Mountaineers are off to their best start since the 2012-13 campaign.
 
A transfer out of Mt. San Jacinto College, junior guard Blake O'Donnell joined McGriff in double figures with 17 points off the bench, and he also recorded five boards and three assists. Senior guards Kentrell Washington and Travis Meeker, as well as junior wing Austin Winegar, tallied nine points apiece, while junior guard Matt Wong chipped in eight points, including a pair of critical three-pointers in the second half.
 
In a heavyweight matchup that featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes, it was the visiting Beacons (8-3, 2-2 CCC) who charged to an 11-2 lead in the opening four minutes.
 
That's when EOU showed why it's one of the deadliest outside shooting teams in the country, as the Mountaineers saw three different players knock down three's in the midst of a 13-4 run to give them their first lead (15-14) of the game at the 11:25 mark of the first half.
 
The final stretch of the first stanza was a back-and-forth and physical battle, as neither squad managed to pull ahead by more than five points, which is what EOU did after McGriff netted a jumper to make it a 30-25 game with 6:01 on the clock.
 
Northwest Christian fired back with an 11-3 run to go up three (33-30), but the Blue and Gold responded with 10 of the final 15 points to snag a two-point (40-38) edge into the locker room, as junior lefty Cole Ashby swooshed a three in the deep corner to cap the rally.
 
Just over two minutes into the second half, EOU took the lead for good after freshman guard Max McCullough scored on a driving layup to put the home team up one (44-43). The Blue and Gold never pulled ahead by more than four in the second half before Wong drained a trey to put EOU up five (66-61) with 7:10 left to play.
 
Northwest Christian, which dropped its second straight conference game, fought back to tie it at 70 apiece before EOU carded a 7-1 run capped by a three-pointer from Meeker.
 
With a nine-point (83-74) lead and only a minute and change left, it looked as if EOU had the contest in the bag. However, Northwest Christian had other plans, racking up eight points in 60 seconds to bridge the gap to two (84-82) with only 20 seconds left.
 
EOU inbounded the ball successfully and reaped two key free throws from McGriff, who then swatted Kenny Blackwell's layup attempt on the next possession to seal the hard-fought victory.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
6 – Straight wins for the Mountaineers.
6 – Number of double-doubles for McGriff this season, including his fourth in a row.
2 – Number of top-10 wins for EOU this season, both of which came in December.  
13 – EOU's advantage on the glass (50-37).  
51.9 – The Mountaineers' shooting percentage (14-for-27) in the second half.  
 
UP NEXT
EOU travels to Kirkland, Wash., to face No. 13 Northwest on Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m.  
 
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