KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Eastern Oregon Men's Basketball dropped its second game in a row Saturday evening as the team dropped a 80-71 road contest against the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls. With the loss, the Mountaineers are now 5-5 overall and 0-3 in CCC play.

How it Happened
• Both teams shot the ball well as Eastern was 51.8% from the floor on 29-56 made shots, while OIT (6-5, 3-0 CCC) was 28-52 for 53.8%. 
• Helping OIT hold on for the nine-point win was the efforts of its bench that outscored the EOU reserves 40-22. They also had the edge in points in the paint at 40-28.
• In the first half, the Hustlin' Owls shot a staggering 60% (18-30) from the floor to help take a 44-36 lead into halftime. EOU stayed within striking distance thanks to a 43.8 shooting percentage.
• 13 first half points from Xavier Lovelace Eastern keep the deficit at eight. Both squads grabbed 16 rebounds in the frame. 
• Early on the two teams quickly traded shots before EOU managed to push ahead 11-6. A triple by Manny N'tula gave the Mountaineers the five-point advantage.
• OIT kept the score close but did not retake the lead until there was 11:17 left on the clock. A dunk by OIT gave the team its first lead, 17-16, since leading 6-2 in the opening minutes.
• A layup by Preston Chandler on the next possession put EOU up 18-17 before a Cooper Lumsden triple made it a 21-17 game. 
• The Hustlin' Owls then surged ahead in the final eight minutes of the half to lead at the break. They led by six a few times before EOU made one more push to stay close.
• A layup by Lovelace with 4:36 to play got Eastern within one, 31-30, but OIT held its rhythm to close out the frame. Tech outscored EOU 13-6 in the final four minutes to hold the lead.
• In the second half, it was Eastern that shot lights out to force a near comeback. They went 15-24 from the field for 62.5% while OIT was 10-22 for 45.5%. 
• Phillip Malatare came alive in the second half scoring 22 points after tallying just six in the first half.
• OIt managed to lead by 10 in the opening minute of the second half, but Eastern responded to stay within 4-6 points. EOU managed to get within one a few times but never tied or took the lead in the second half.
• The Mountaineers first time getting within one came with 12:44 to play as Malatare layup cut OIT's lead to 55-54. The Hustlin' Owls answered with a layup to go up three before a Kendal Williams jumper made it a 57-56 score.
• The Williams jumper was the last time EOU was within one point of OIT. A 7-0 run from Tech following the Williams jump shot gave them a 64-56 lead.
• Eastern stayed with 2-3 possessions of the Hustlin' Owls until the final six minutes of play. Leading 68-62, OIT used a 10-2 run that started at the 6:22 mark and lasted over three minutes to push the lead to 78-64.
• Following the 10-2 surge by the Hustlin' Owls, EOU managed just eight more points in the final three minutes of play before succumbing to the 80-71 loss.

Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Phillip Malatare finished with 28 points on 11-19 made shots.
• Xavier Lovelace added 17 points on 7-11 shooting and tied the team-high in rebounds with six.
• Cooper Lumsden added a career-high 11 points off the bench going 4-9 overall and 3-6 from deep.
• Justin Jeske had six boards in the loss and chipped in four points.

For the Hustlin' Owls
• Joey Potts did not miss a shot from the field going 6-6 for 17 points off the bench.
• Jamison Guerra added 12 points on 4-6 shooting in 22 minutes off the bench.
• Scotty Burge scored 11 points in the win and was 3-6 from three-point range.
• Matt Van Tassell led the way in rebounding with six boards and chipped in nine points.

By the Numbers
11 - Cooper Lumsden's 11 points as a single-game career-high in his young EOU career.
3 - Phillip Malatare has scored 20-plus points in three games this season.
4 - Xavier Lovelace has scored in double figures in each of the last four games.
29 - EOU's 29 made field goals ties the most in a single game this year.
22 - The Mountaineers 22 rebounds on Saturday are the least amount in a game this year.
0 - For the first time this season, EOU did not register a single blocked shot.

Up Next
• EOU will have next weekend off before returning to the hardwood. The Mountaineers will host two CCC foes inside Quinn Coliseum on Dec. 17 and 18. They will begin with Lewis-Clark State on Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. followed by Walla Walla on Dec. 18 at 8:30 p.m.

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