LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University Men's Basketball suffered a pair of losses at home this past weekend as the Mountaineers fell to the Corban University Warriors inside Quinn Coliseum. EOU fell 95-88 on Friday before dropping an 83-73 contest on Saturday. With the two losses, the Mountaineers record falls to 7-9 overall and 3-7 in conference play.
 
Game 1 – Corban 95, Eastern Oregon 88
How it Happened
• EOU shot the ball well in game one going 35-73 for 47.9% overall but was just 7-25 from deep for 28%. On the flip side, Corban (13-3, 8-2 CCC) shot a staggering 54.9% from the floor and was 73.7% from three-point range in the win.
• The Warriors grabbed an 8-4 lead early in the game before a three-ball from Max McCullough made it an 8-7 game with 18:04 on the clock. A minute later McCullough tied the game up at 10-all for EOU before a layup by Paul Pennington gave the Mounties the 12-10 advantage.
• The two squads traded shots for a few minutes and were locked at a 20-20 tie with just over 13 minutes to play in the first half. Corban then outscored Eastern 11-2 in a two-minute span to grab a nine-point lead at 31-22 with just over 11 minutes left on the clock.
• The Warriors were able to capitalize on the small surge and ultimately managed to push their lead to double figures. Corban led by as much as 16 points in the final 11 minutes of action in the first half before going into the halftime break with a 10-point lead, 62-52.
• Early in the second half, EOU managed to get within eight, 64-56, of the Warriors. Corban managed to hold a two possession lead though against EOU for the majority of the second half. They once again led by as much as 16 points in the second before the Mountaineers had a late surge for a near comeback.
• In the final 60 seconds of regulation, Eastern was able to battle back to within five points. Despite their best efforts, the Mountaineers were forced to foul and clutch free throw shooting by the Warriors allowed them to secure the win by seven, 95-88.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Five players scored in double figures, led by Max McCullough with 20. He shot 7-18 overall and grabbed five boards to go along with six assists.
• Paul Pennington added 18 points and dished out five assists. He shot 8-9 from the floor in the loss.
• Zane Wright and Brandon Porter both scored 15 points.
• Justin Jeske rounded out the double figure scoring with 12 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting.
• Preston Chandler led the way in rebounds with nine and chipped in nine points.
 
Game 2 – Corban 83, Eastern Oregon 73
How it Happened
• The Warriors once again shot the ball well in the second game going 58.9% overall and were 44.4% from beyond the arc. EOU shot 45% from the floor overall but was just 20.7% from three-point range. Helping Corban in the win as well was bench scoring as its reserves scored 41 while EOU's bench produced just 10 points.
• The Mountaineers managed to race out a five-point lead at 13-8 against Corban in the first five minutes of play before Corban tied the game up at 15-all with 13:34 to go until halftime. The Warriors eventually went ahead at 17-15 and led the remainder of the contest.
• Eastern kept the game within striking distance the majority of the first half until a late surge by Corban pushed its lead to double digits. The Warriors managed to jump ahead by 11, 38-27, with just over a minute to play until halftime. EOU got its deficit to within single digits and went into halftime trailing by seven, 38-31.
• Despite the late surge in the first half by EOU, Corban came out to the second half by going on an 11-2 run in the first three minutes of play to take a 49-33 lead. The Warriors held a double-digit lead the majority of the second half and led by as much as 21.
• The Mountaineers looked to make an attempt at a comeback late in the second half and got within eight, 74-66, with just under 4:30 to go in the game. The Warriors had an answer though and managed to go back up by double figures and held on for the 10-point road win.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Paul Pennington led the EOU offense scoring 15 points on 608 shooting. He dished out five assists in the loss.
• Preston Chandler scored 14 points and led the way in rebounding with seven.
• Zane Wright also put up 14 points in the loss and was a perfect 5-5 at the free throw line.
• Both Justin Jeske and Max McCullough scored 10 points. Jeske also tied the game-high in rebounds with seven.
 
By the Numbers
20.7 – The Mountaineers 20.7 three-point percentage in game two is the lowest in a game this year.
27 – EOU's 27 made shots ties the lowest amount in a single game this season.
5 – The Mountaineers had five players score in double figures in both games against Corban.
5 – Eastern blocked five shots in game two which is the most in a single game this year.
24 – The 24 rebounds by EOU in game two is the lowest amount in a single game this season.
 
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will be home again this upcoming weekend when they host the Pacific University Boxers on April 30 and May 1. Game times are set for 7:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. PT.

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