SPOKANE, Wash. - Mountaineer Men's Basketball played its first exhibition game of the 2021-22 season on Halloween day in a match-up against No. 1-ranked Gonzaga University. The Zags ultimately walked away on top, 115-62.

How it Happened
• For the contest, the Zags (0-0) shot 53.8% overall and held the Mountaineers to just 30.4% for the afternoon. Neither team shot well from deep with EOU having the edge at 32%-29.2%.
• EOU also had the advantage in free throw percentage with 12-13 made shots for 92.3%. Gonzaga shot just 61.1% at the charity stripe on 22-36 attempts.
• The first half saw the Mountaineers put up 28 points against the Zags. Defensively, Gonzaga held Eastern to just 26.3% shooting. 
• Leading the way for the Mountaineers in scoring were Zane Wright and Preston Chandler with five points, respectively.
• In the first 20 minutes of play, Gonzaga shot 47.4% on 18-38 made shots and were 16-22 from the free throw. 
• Leading the Zags in scoring was Julian Strawther with 18 points on 5-7 made shots. He nailed all three triples for the Zags as well on five attempts and went 5-6 from the free throw line.
• Chet Holmgren and Strawther also led the charge in rebounds with six, respectively. Holmgren also chipped in eight points, with six coming at the free throw line. He was a perfect 6-6 at the charity stripe.
• In the second half, the Zags' depth, size and speed was on display as the preseason No. 1 team in the NCAA. With 11:26 left in the game, Eastern trailed 80-39.
• Helping the Zags create separation in the first 10 minutes of the second half was a 20-0 run that lasted over six minutes. The run gave Gonzaga an 86-39 lead.
• Snapping the run for the Mountaineers was a three-pointer from Manny N'tula. The Zags scored quickly to respond but a fade away jumper from Jordan Montrose slowed up the Zags for just a bit.
• Despite the score, EOU made the most of its exhibition and battled through the rest of the game. N'tula led the way in the second half scoring 10 points. Brandon Porter added six as well.
• Defensively, the Zags held EOU to 35.5% shooting and shot 59.5% on the offensive end. Holmgren added nine points in limited action to lead Gonzaga in the second half..

Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Manny N'tula led the way with 15 points on 5-7 shooting and was 3-5 from beyond the arc.
• Brandon Porter added nine points off the bench and was 3-7 from deep.
• Zane Wright chipped in seven points on 50% shooting (2-4) and was a clean 2-2 at the free throw line.
• Xavier Lovelace led the team in rebounds with seven and added four points.

For the Zags
• Juian Strawther led seven Zags in double figures with a game-high 18 on 5-9 shooting. He also led the way in rebounds with nine boards.
• Chet Holmgren put up 17 points and shot 5-6 from the floor. He also went 6-7 from the free throw line and had eight rebounds.
• Third in scoring was Kaden Perry with 12 points on 5-9 made shots.

By the Numbers
5 - The Mountaineers and Zags have now squared off five times in the two programs' history.
1 - Sunday's game was the first of two exhibitions this season for EOU.
1 - The Mountaineers missed just one free throw in the exhibition match-up. 
14 - Eastern had 14 players appear in the contest against Gonzaga.

Up Next
• The Mountaineers will be back in action this Friday, Nov. 5 when they head to Walla Walla, Wash. to battle Whitman College. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PT.

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