LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon Men's Basketball is back on the road this weekend after finishing up a three-game homestand just over a week ago. The Mountaineers continue on with conference play and will look to extend a two-game winning streak.

OPPONENTS
Corban University Warriors (6-7, 1-4 CCC)
Bushnell University Beacons (4-8, 2-3 CCC)

WHERE
Salem, Ore. - C.E. Jeffers Sports Center (Corban)
Eugene, Ore. - Morse Center (Bushnell)

WHEN
Friday, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. - vs. Corban
Saturday, Jan. 1, 5 p.m . - vs. Bushnell

Tip-Off
• Eastern Oregon (7-6, 1-4) wrapped up non-conference play back on Dec. 21 with an 82-64 home win over Linfield University and will now focus solely on CCC play.
• The Mountaineers picked up their first conference win back on Dec. 18, defeating Walla Walla 88-70 at home.
• Eastern is currently on a two-game winning streak, but in true road games this season they are just 3-5, with each game coming down to the wire.
• Following the two-game road swing, EOU will return to Quinn Coliseum for the first time in the New Year for a pair of CCC games next weekend.

How to Watch/Follow
• Livestream coverage of this weekend's games can be found on the Mountie Sports Network at www.EOUSports.com/watch. Live stats can be accessed on the EOU Men's Basketball schedule page and by clicking the respective link 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 on a two-game winning streak.
• Eastern has scored 80-plus points in each of its last two games, both wins.
• Four of the five CCC games EOU has played in this season have been decided by less that 10 points.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers went 2-1 in a three-game homestand, picking up wins against Walla and Linfield, while going the distance against No. 17 Lewis-Clark State College.
• Against LC State, EOU was edged 76-72 in a near upset of the Warriors. Phillip Malatare scored 23 points, while Preston Chandler added 20.
• Against Walla Walla, the Mountaineers easily picked up an 88-70 win for their first CCC victory. Malatare paced the offense with 20 points, while Xavier Lovelace added 14.
• In the non-conference finale against Linfield, EOU used a 14-0 run to close out the game for an 82-64 win. Zane Wright scored a season–high 25 points in the win.

Previously Against Corban/Bushnell
• Last year, EOU and Corban matched up twice with the Warriors barely winning both contests in the spring season.
• Since 2008-09, EOU is 21-8 against the Warriors and is 8-4 in that span in true road games. Corban, however, has won each of the last three contests against EOU.
• Last spring, the Beacons won both match-ups against the Mountaineers in Eugene.
• Since the 200-10 season, EOU has a 12-10 edge over the Beacons and is currently on a two-game win streak. On the road, EOU is 7-6 against Bushnell.

There's No Place Like Home … When We're There
• The Mountaineers have played inside Quinn Coliseum just four times this year and are 3-1 so far.
• Since the 2010-11 season, the Mountaineers own a 111-33 record at home inside Quinn Coliseum.
• Under the direction of head coach Chris Kemp, the Mountaineers are 3-1 at home.

Road Warriors
• Of the Mountaineers 16 games in the 2021 calendar year, 12 are away from home
• Of the 32 scheduled games this year, 18 will be on the road for Eastern.
• So far in countable contests, EOU is off to a 3-5 start on the year on the road.

Mountaineers vs. the CCC
• All-time, EOU is 253-246 in conference games since the CCC was formed as an NAIA affiliated conference in 1993.
• The Mountaineers have finished with a .500 record or better 16 times in CCC play.
• Eastern has won three CCC Regular Season Championships.

Individual Milestones
• Phillip Malatare is three points away from 250 for the season. 
• Xavier Lovelace is 44 points away from 200 for the year.
• Preston Chandler is six rebounds shy of 50 for the season.

Scouting the Competition
Corban Warriors
• The Warriors are 6-7 entering the weekend and are currently on a three-game losing streak. Against CCC opponents, they are 1-4 this year so far. They are just 1-2 at home this year as well.
• Offensively, Corban averages 74.9 points per game and is a 47.1% shooting team. They shoot 38.4% from deep and dish out 11.8 assists per game.
• Defensively, they are holding opponents to 68.8 points per game but allow them to shoot 46.7% from the floor and 35.9% from deep. They grab 32.8 boards per game and average 8.2 steals per game. 
• Jordan Newt is pacing the offense at 12.5 points per game. He shoots 38.2% from the floor and is 38.5% from three-point range. He is second in steals with 18.
• Kendall Moore is second in scoring at 10.9 points per game. He shoots 42.5% overall and is the team leader in assists at 2.5 per game.
• Darious Henderson is averaging just under 10.0 points per game at 9.9. He is second in rebounds with 52 and grabs 4.7 per game. He is third in blocks with four.
• Leading the way in glass cleanup is Psalm Maduakor at 5.5 per game. She also averages 6.5 points per game.
• Talin Lewis is the top shot blocker at 6 total. He is also chipping in 5.5 points per game.

Bushnell Beacons
• The Beacons are currently 4-8 overall and 2-3 in CCC play. They have played at home just twice this year and are 1-1. 
• Offensively, Bushnell is averaging 75.4 points per game and shoots 45.7% overall. They dish out 12.0 assists per game and shoot 34.7% from deep.
• Defensively, the Beacons give up 78.1 points per game and allow opponents to shoot 43.5% overall. They grab 36.1 rebounds per game to go along with 3.1 blocks per game.
• Stevie Schlabach is the leading scorer at 16.0 points per game. He is shooting 47.6% overall and is at 36.4% from deep. He is third in rebounding at 4.5 per game. 
• Kaden Sand is second in scoring at 13.0 points per game and shoots 49.3% overall. He averages 4.4 rebounds per game and is tied for second in steals with 10.
• Drayton Caoile is the final double-digit scorer at 11.5 points per game. He shoots 49.3% overall and 48.3% from deep. He is second in assists with 32 and averages 3.2 per game.
• Logan Sand leads the way in assists with 42 total and dishes out 3.5 per game. He also has a team best 15 steals this season.
• Nico Wolff is the leader in rebounds with 73 so far this season. He averages 6.1 per game and is the team leader in blocked shots with 11. 

Up Next
• The Mountaineers will return home to Quinn Coliseum on Jan. 7 and 8 against two CCC foes. They take on Warner Pacific Friday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. followed by Multnomah on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 5 p.m.

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