LA GRANDE, Ore. – Looking to remain undefeated in the Cascade Conference and extend their winning streak to 10 games, the 16^th-ranked EOU men's basketball team hosted Multnomah on Sunday afternoon.
 
Thanks to some hot shooting, EOU shot 50 percent for the game and defeated Multnomah, 91-71. Senior forward Bryan McGriff tallied 28 points while grabbing 12 total rebounds to lead the Mountaineers to victory. Not far behind was senior guard Kentrell Washington who connected on 11 of his 17 shots, scoring 16 points with three assists and two steals.
 
The Blue and Gold (15-2, 8-0 CCC) got things going early, as McGriff connected on a layup (2-0) for the first basket of the game.
 
However, the Lions (4-13, 1-7 CCC) were quick to answer, drilling a three-pointer on their first possession. Despite giving up a big shot, the Mountaineers refused to play discouraged and fired back with a 12-3 run, capped off by a two-point jumper (14-6) from Washington.
 
A shot from behind the arc from junior guard Matt Wong ended any chance for a run from Multnomah and extended the Mounties lead to nine points, 17-8.
 
EOU continued control of the first half, finishing a 17-2 run with back-to-back threes from junior guard Cole Ashby as EOU led, 31-10.
 
EOU outscored the Lions in the final seven and a half minutes of the first, as EOU carded 17 points compared to Multnomah's 12. At the break, the Mountaineers led, 48-25.  Through the first, EOU outshot the Lions, shooting 65.6 percent while holding Multnomah to only 33.3 percent.
 
The second stanza started with a 10-4 run for EOU, capped off by another three from Wong (61-32).
 
Despite being down nearly 30 points, the Lions refused to play discouraged and chipped the EOU lead to only 18 with six and a half minutes left. With the game in its hands, EOU connected on back to back baskets from McGriff and redshirt freshman Rhett Schlader, extending the EOU lead to 81-59.
 
EOU's redshirt junior Jordan Christensen netted what may have been the fans favorite bucket of the game, a three-pointer with only 50 seconds left (91-71). The three was EOU's 10th of the game and secured every fan in attendance a free Big Mac from McDonald's.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 
7 – Blocked shots by the Mounties
10 – Double-doubles on the season for McGriff
42 – Points in the paint for EOU
53 – Rebounds on the day for EOU
 
UP NEXT
 
EOU travels to Klamath Falls this Thursday to take on Oregon Tech. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.
 
FOLLOW EOU ATHLETICS
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube