Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. – Playing its second game of this weekend's Portland trip, the No. 12 EOU men's basketball team looked to return to La Grande with a pair of CCC road victories. The Mountaineers had to settle for splitting the weekend, falling to Warner Pacific, 84-72 on Saturday evening.
 
Leading the way for EOU (19-6, 12-4 CCC), was senior forward Bryan McGriff who netted 17 points on top of 12 total rebounds and a pair of assists. The guard duo of freshman Max McCullough and junior Blake O'Donnell each added 15 more points and combined for five assists. Rounding out the Mounties in double figures was senior guard Kentrell Washington who tallied 10 points, going 5-of-8 from field goal range while also grabbing eight boards and tossing out eight assists.
 
As a team the Blue and Gold went 29-of-69 from field goal range for 42 percent. EOU struggled behind the arc, only hitting 26 percent of its threes. EOU and Warner combined for 80 rebounds as well as 35 assists.
 
EOU quickly got things going in the first with a 9-2 run from McCullough who drained a trio of treys. The Knights (9-15, 5-11 CCC), fired back with a three of their own, cutting the Mountie lead to four, 9-5.
 
The Blue and Gold then capped off a 6-0 run with a lay-in from junior wing Austin Winegar at 15:53 (15-5). Once again Warner Pacific was quick to respond, answering with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes, dropping the EOU lead to only three points, 15-12.
 
Warner Pacific took its first lead of the game, 20-19 thanks to a pair of free throws from Kaleb Tompkins. At the 9:31 mark, the Knights secured some leverage with their lead, starting off a 10-2 run with a Josh Thomas layup. However, a lay-in from McGriff not only cut-off the Warner run but also cut the lead to only five (25-30).
 
By Halftime the Knights had ended a 5-2 run with a layup and took to the locker room with a seven-point lead, 34-41. 
 
Starting the second, EOU quickly got things going with a 4-0 run before Warner quickly shut the door on the run with a three (38-44). The Mounties cut the lead back to only four, 40-44 with a lay-in at 16:59 but the Knights responded with a lay-in of their own 15 seconds later.
 
At the 10:17 mark, Warner Pacific had its lead up to 11, 48-59 draining a pair of clutch free throws. A three from Warner's Keaton Bankofier at 6:52 gave the Knights one of their largest leads of the game, 53-68, as the Mountaineers began to struggle.
 
EOU cut the Knights lead to only eight, 68-76 with a 10-3 run capped off by a pair of treys from McCullough with 1:15 to play. However, the Knights then finished the game with an 8-2 run, securing the upset by 14 points.
 
 
BY THE NUMBERS
30 – Combined points between O'Donnell and McCullough.
42 – Percent from field goal range shot the Mountaineers.
 
 
UP NEXT
EOU returns to La Grande to face Southern Oregon on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

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