PORTLAND – In what was the third consecutive matchup between Eastern Oregon University Men's Basketball and Multnomah University, the Mountaineers once were the victors as they took down the Lions 108-90 on the road. With the win, EOU now stands at 4-2 on the year.
 
How it Happened
• EOU had a déjà vu effect in the win as the team mimicked its point total in both halves. Yesterday, the Mounties had two 56-points halves and in Saturday's game they had two 54-point halves. Multnomah (0-12) managed to match EOU in points in the first half but managed 36 in the second half.
• The Mountaineers shot the ball well overall going 40-73 from the floor for 54.8%. They were an even 44% from deep on 11-25 made triples. The Lions finished at 40.6% overall on 28-69 shooting and went 17-42 from three-point range for 40.5%. Helping EOU earn the win was a 42-8 edge in points in the paint.
• Multnomah jumped out in front early against Eastern going up 8-2 in the first 1:15 of action. EOU managed to close the gap and cut its deficit to one possession but never managed to tie or take the lead in the first five minutes of play.
• The Lions lead was at 13-10 but back-to-back made layups from Justin Jeske and Max McCullough, respectively, gave EOU its first lead of the game at 14-13. McCullough drew contact on his made shot and converted on the and-one opportunity to put EOU up 15-13 with 14:59 left to play in the half.
• Jeske and McCullough's made layups were the beginning part of what was a 9-0 run for the Mountaineers. The surge was capped off by a Paul Pennington layup which gave EOU  19-13 lead before the Lions responded.
• Eastern managed to lead by as much as six in the first period but the Lions hung around and clawed their way back into the game. They retook the lead at 25-24 with 9:03 to play in the half before EOU tied things up at 28-all with under 8:30 on the clock.
• The final eight minutes of action was a track meet as the two squads traded shots the rest of the way. Multnomah managed to lead by four at one point in the final eight minutes but made shots by EOU kept them in the game. At the half, it was a deadlocked tie at 54-all.
• Eastern came out in the second half and kept its foot on the gas scoring another 54 points. The Lions looked to do the same but was unable to convert shots and totaled just 30 in the second 20 minutes of play.
• Multnomah kept pace in the first five minutes and had the game locked at 63-63 tie before the Mountaineers opened up the game. Eastern continued to make shots at a consistent pace while the Lions had cod spurts that hindered their ability to stay in the game.
• The Mountaineers had their first double-digit lead of the game at 81-71 with 9:52 on the clock when David Mixon hit a triple. From that point on, the Lions never got any closer than seven points and Eastern managed to lead by as much as 19.
• The largest lead of the game for EOU came with 52 seconds left to play in regulation as an offensive board and put back by Jordan Montrose pushed the score to 106-87 to put the Mounties up by 19. The consistency by EOU was too much for the Lions as they ultimately fell by 18, 108-90.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Paul Pennington led the way with 26 points on 10-13 shooting and was 4-5 from deep. He also had four assists in the win.
• Max McCullough put up 22 points on 6-16 made shots. He also grabbed seven boards and dished out a game-high nine assists.
• Zane Wright scored 16 points and was 6-11 from the field. He went 3-7 from beyond the arc.
• Kendall Williams added 14 points in the win. He was 4-7 from the floor and went a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.
• Preston Chandler had a double-double for EOU chipping in 10 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
For the Lions
• Zach Richardson led all scorers with 29 points. He shot 8-22 overall and was 6-11 from deep. He also went 7-10 at the charity strip and handed out six assists.
• Forrest Smith added 14 points in the loss. He was 5-12 from the floor and had a team best seven rebounds.
• Wallace Ungwiluk rounded out the double figure scoring with 12 points. He shot 3-6 overall, 2-5 from beyond the arc, and was 4-4 at the free throw line.
 
By the Numbers
5 – Eastern Oregon had five players score in double figures in the win, which is the second most in a game this year.
3 – The Mountaineers have now eclipsed the century mark in three games this season. All have come in each of the last three with each one also coming against Multnomah.
2 – EOU and Multnomah will still face each other in two more games this season.
6 – The Mounties have scored at least 50 points in six halves this season, all of which have come against Multnomah.
 
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will be back in Portland next weekend when the team begins conference play, and the opponent will once again be Multnomah. The two teams will square off on March 19 and 20, with both games set to tip-off at 3 p.m. PT.

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