KIRKLAND, Wash. – Eastern Oregon University Men's Basketball played in its third game of the season Monday night in a non-conference matchup with Northwest University. The Mountaineers battled the whole night but came up short, 78-68, to fall to 1-2 on the year.
 
How it Happened
• Helping Northwest (2-3) secure the 10-point home win was a 51.9% shooting performance from the floor and an even 40% from three-point range. EOU shot 40.9% from the floor overall but was just 29.4% from deep. EOU managed to stay in the game for the majority with the help of 25 points on 21 turnovers by the Eagles. Both teams' reserves were equally helpful with 21 points, respectively.
• The Mountaineers managed to jump out in front 8-2 in the early going of the first frame, but Northwest responded with a 14-2 run that gave the Eagles a 16-10 lead. Eastern managed to get within three on the help of a Zane Wright three that made it a 16-13 game with just over 13 minutes to play in the half.
• Northwest responded to Wright's triple with another scoring spurt, this time 7-2, to push its lead to eight points at 23-15. The Mountaineers looked to stay in striking distance and managed to cut the Eagles lead to one heading into the under seven-minute media timeout.
• It was 25-17 for the Eagles following a made layup. Eastern then pieced together a 9-0 run that was capped off by a Brandon Porter and-one play. He drove the lane for the layup and drew contact to get the free throw. His three-point play cut the Eagles lead to 25-24, but he also had help as a Kendall Williams three-ball got the run started.
• The score reached 25-24 in favor of Northwest with 6:52 to play in the half. It remained there for nearly two and a half minutes before a Fastbreak layup put the Eagles up by three, 27-24. EOU quickly answered on a Preston Chandler layup. The two teams traded made shots until a pair of made free throws by Justin Jeske gave EOU the lead back 32-31.
• The Eagles managed to tie the game at 32-all with under a minute to play, but an untimely foul by them got Max McCullough to the free throw for the one-and-one attempt. He nailed both to give EOU 34-32 edge that they took into halftime.
• Eastern shot 40% from the floor in the first half. Despite not having the lead for much of the first 20 minutes, balanced scoring helped the Mounties get back into the game. Jeske led the way with six points in the first while Wright had six. McCullough, Porter, and Williams each chipped in five.
• Going into the second half, Eastern managed to push its lead to 36-32 before a 13-2 run by the Eagles gave them the lead back at 45-38. Back-to-back made shots by Chandler and McCullough cut the Eagles lead to three, 45-42. Wright then tied the game at 45-all with a three ball with 13:26 to play in regulation.
• Following the made three to tie the contest, the Mountaineers and Eagles traded made buckets for the next few minutes. The game was tied at 53-all before a quick 6-0 run by EOU gave the Mounties the 59-53 edge. Paul Pennington was the X-factor in the surge as he scored four of the six points for EOU.
• Northwest responded to the Mountaineers run with an 8-0 run of its own to go back up by two, 61-59, with 7:18 to play in the game. A steal by Pennington led to a Fastbreak layup and he drew contact for the and-one opportunity. He nailed the free throw and gave EOU the lead back 62-61.
• Northwest came down the next possession and hit a deep triple to go back up two, 64-62 with 5:01 left on the clock. The three ball sparked a 9-0 run for the Eagles to put them up 70-62 late in the game and forced a timeout by EOU with 2:48 to play.
• The final surge by the Eagles proved to be the difference maker as the Mountaineers were unable to make consistent shots and were forced to foul. The Eagles capitalized and made free throws down the stretch to secure the 77-68 home win.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Paul Pennington finished with 14 points off the bench to lead EOU in scoring on 6-14 shooting. Pennington also led the way in rebounds with seven.
• Zane Wright added 13 points on 5-11 made shots and was 3-8 from deep.
• Max McCullough chipped in 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers. He was 4-6 from the free throw line. And dished out seven assists.
 
For the Eagles
• Cacoa Chatman led all scorers with 17 points on 6-9 made shots and was 3-6 from deep.
• Cesar Sandoval Added 15 points on 6-10 shooting and posted a double-double with 17 rebounds.
• Pa'Treon Lee and J.R. Delgado each added 10 points in the win
 
By the Numbers
21 – The Mounties forced 21 turnovers against the Eagles and had just 12.
40 – Northwest had the edge in points in the paint at 40, while EOU had 36.
44 – The Eagles won the rebounding battle 44-26 over the Mountaineers.
7 – EOU had seven different players score in the game.
20 – Northwest took 20 free throws in the game, while EOU had just 14 attempts from the charity strip.
 
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will have a quick turnaround as they will be back in action on Wednesday night and this time it will be on their home court. Eastern will host Multnomah this Wednesday, March 3 inside Quinn Coliseum with the tip-off set for 6 p.m. PT.

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