LA GRANDE, Ore. - Mountaineer Men's Basketball continues its road trip this weekend with a game in Washington before heading to Idaho State on Tuesday for another exhibition tune-up.

OPPONENTS
Whitman College Blues (0-0)
Idaho State Bengals (0-0)

WHERE
Walla Walla, Wash. - Sherwood Athletic Center (WWU)
Pocatello, Idaho - Reed Gym (ISU)

WHEN
Friday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. - vs. Whitman
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 6 p.m. - vs. Idaho State

Tip-Off
• The Mountaineers (2-1) continue their nine-game road trip with a Saturday showdown and a Tuesday tilt against two out-of-state opponents.
• Eastern Oregon is coming off its first exhibition of the season last Sunday against No.1-ranked Gonzaga University.
• The Mountaineers will not return home until mid-December and it will be conference play by the time they do.

How to Watch/Follow
• Live video and live stats coverage for Saturday and Tuesday's game can be found on the EOU Men's Basketball schedule and by clicking the respective links above.
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at www.EOUSports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to tip-off.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Men's Basketball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• The Mountaineers are currently just one game into a nine-game road trip.
• EOU's match-up against Whitman will be just the third meeting since 2010.
• The Mountaineers match-up with Idaho State will be first since 2008 and just the fifth all-time match-up.
• The game at Idaho State will be an exhibition for EOU but will be a countable game for the Bengals.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers picked a home opening win last Saturday, 67-61, over Montana Western and played in an exhibition on Sunday at Gonzaga.
• Against the Bulldogs of UMW, EOU shot 46% form the floor with Phillip Malatare leading the way on offense with 15 points.
• Against the Zags, Manny N'tula came off the bench and scored 15 points to lead the Mountaineers.

Previously Against Whitman/Idaho State
• Eastern last squared off against the Blues back in the 2019-20 season. Whitman walked away the victor with a 101-91 win inside Quinn Coliseum.
• Since 2010, EOU and Whitman have met just twice. Prior to the 2019-20 season, EOU defeated Whitman 99-92 back in the 2010-11 campaign.
• The Mountaineers last faced the Bengals back in 2008-09 with Idaho State walking away on top, 75-70.
• All-time, EOU and Idaho State have squared off four times total, all in Pocatello. The Bengals lead the series at 4-0.

Road Warriors
• The Mountaineers are currently on a nine-game road trip.
• Of the 32 scheduled games this year, 18 will be on the road for Eastern.
• So far in countable contests, EOU is off to an 0-1 start on the year.

Mountaineers in Non-Conference Action
• Eastern Oregon has nine non-conference games on tap this year
• The Mountaineers are 2-1 in non-conference play so far this season.
• Of the nine games, two are exhibition match-ups against NCAA Division I teams.

Individual Milestones
• Justin Jeske needs 28 more rebounds to reach 250 for his career.
• Phillip Malatare is 61 points away from 100 in his EOU career.
• Ismael Valdez needs just 11 more assists to reach 25 this season.
• Preston Chandler is 10 points away from 250 in his career.

Scouting the Competition
Whitman College Blues
• Friday's game against EOU will be the season opener for the Blues. Last season Whitman posted a 5-5 overall record and was 3-5 in conference play.
• Last season, Whitman averaged 73.8 points per game on 46.7% shooting. They shot 39.3% from deep and averaged 15.2 assists per game.
• Defensively, teams scored 69.3 points per game against the Blues. They held opponents to 42.6% shooting overall. They averaged 1.4 blocks and 31.4 rebounds per game.
• Leading scorer Walter Lum is back after averaging 15.0 points per game last season. He also led the team in assists with 43 and dished out 4.8 per game.
• Second leading scorer Xzavier Lino also returns. He discord 12.4 points per game and shot 51.1% from the floor. He was also second in rebounding at 4.0 per game.
• Weston Crump was the third leading scorer last year averaging 10.8 points per game. He averaged 4.4 rebounds per contest as well.
• Mamane Yaou was the team leader in rebounding a season ago and is also back. He averaged 4.8 boards per game and was the leader in blocked shots with six.

Idaho State Bengals
• Idaho State already has one exhibition under its belt in a 101-67 win over Multnomah. By the time the Bengals host EOU, they will have already played in two exhibitions this year.
• Last year, ISU went 13-11 overall and posted an 8-6 mark in Big Sky play. The team made the conference tournament but was eliminated in the first round by Montana State.
• Offensively, Idaho State averaged 68.2 points per game on 44.3% shooting from the field. They shot 33.3% from three-point range and dished out 11.4 assists per game.
• Defensively, ISU surrendered 61.7 points per game and held opponents to 40.4% shooting overall and 34.2% from deep. They grabbed 36.1 boards per game and averaged 3.5 blocked shots.
• The Bengals bring back 13 returners from last season, including leading scorer Tarik Cool. Cool led the team last year in scoring at 14 points per game and 3.4 rebounds. He shot  43.6 % from the field.
• Also back is Robert Ford III who averaged 11.4 points per game while shooting 41.1% from the field and 36.3% from the three-point line.
• Looking to add depth as well is Malik Porter who averaged 8.3 points and 4.9 boards per game last season.

Up Next
• Following the Idaho State game, EOU will have a two week break before returning to action. They will play in their conference opener on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at College of Idaho. Tip-off against the Yotes is set for 6:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. MT.

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