LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineer Men's Basketball is back home this weekend as they get set to begin a five-game homestand. This weekend will also be the first doubleheader tilt for Eastern Oregon since the start of the New Year as the team will host a pair of in-state rivals.

OPPONENTS
Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (14-5, 11-0 CCC)
Southern Oregon Raiders (11-8, 8-3 CCC)

WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Quinn Coliseum

WHEN
Friday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m. - vs. OIT
Saturday, Jan. 22, 5 p.m. - vs. SOU

Tip-Off
• Eastern (11-8, 5-6 CCC) will look to improve upon its 5-1 mark at home this season as they begin the second half of conference play.
• This weekend will have EOU playing two games for the first time since New Year's Eve and New Year's day when they played at Corban and Bushnell.
• Frida's game against OIT will be White Out Night and fans are encouraged to wear white to the game.
• Following the two weekend contests, EOU will have a quick turnaround facing Interstate-84 rival College of Idaho on Tuesday, Jan. 25. 

EOU Athletics Spectator Policy - As of Jan. 19, 2022
• Spectators will be allowed at EOU sporting events, but masks will be required to be worn correctly (over mouth AND nose) at ALL indoor and outdoor events per state and local policy. This is subject to change at any time.
• Failure to comply with conference or institutional attendance policies will result in removal from venue and any further EOU contests.
• General Admission is allowed for both indoor and outdoor events and is on a first come, first serve basis. To see ticket prices for individual EOU sporting events and to purchase tickets, click here.
• Concessions and hospitality dining will no longer be available for both indoor and outdoor EOU athletic events. Outside food and drinks are not allowed inside Quinn Coliseum.
• Students, faculty, and staff wishing to attend indoor EOU Athletic Events can do so for FREE by showcasing their EOU ID card.

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
• EOU is playing two games in one weekend for the first time in two weeks.
• Inside Quinn Coliseum, EOU is 5-1 this year.
• The Mountaineers' games this weekend will be the first two of a five-game homestand.
• The last time EOU played at home, the team scored 100 points with just seven available players.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• EOU suffered an 86-70 setback in its lone game played against Northwest last weekend. The team picked up a forfeit win over Evergreen State due to COVID protocols for the Geoducks.
• Cooper Lumsden paced the offense with 22 points in his second career start. Zane Wright added 13 points in the loss.

Previously Against Oregon Tech/Southern Oregon
• At OIT, Eastern suffered a close 80-71 loss on the road. Phillip Malatare paced the offense with 28 points.
• Since the 2008-09 season, Eastern is 9-20 against OIT. The Mountaineers are 8-6 in that span at home and have won two of the last three match-ups.
• Against SOU, the Mountaineers fell 70-67 late to the Raiders. Last second shots helped Southern escape with the win. Xavier Lovelace had 18 pints and nine rebounds in the loss.
• Since 2008-09, the Mountaineers are 14-16 against the Raiders. Inside Quinn Coliseum, EOU is 11-5 in that span against Southern.

Hot Shooting
• Eastern has shot 40% or better from the field in each of their last 11 games played. 
• Of their 17 games played, the Mountaineers have shot over 40% in 16 of them.
• EOU shot a season best 60.4% in their win at Menlo College back on Nov. 27
• Eastern has scored 70 or more points in 12 games this year, including each of the last eight games.
• The Mountaineers scored a season-high 102 points back on Jan. 8 in a 10-293 home win over Multnomah.

There's No Place Like Home … When We're There
• The Mountaineers have played inside Quinn Coliseum just five times this year. In actual games played they are 4-1.
• Since the 2010-11 season, the Mountaineers own a 113-33 record at home inside Quinn Coliseum.
• Under the direction of head coach Chris Kemp, the Mountaineers are 4-1 at home in games played.

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 5-7 on the year on the road.

Mountaineers vs. the CCC
• All-time, EOU is 257-248 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.
• Under the direction of first year head coach Chris Kemp, EOU is 5-6 in CCC play.

CCC/NAIA Stat Leaders
• EOU has the third highest field goal percentage in the CCC at 47.8%. They are sixth in scoring at 76.1 points per game.
• The Mountaineers are fifth in the league in three-point percentage at 35.2. They also sit fourth in free throw percentage at 74.8%.
• EOU's free throw percentage ranks 28th in the NAIA, while their field goal percentage is 46th.
• Despite missing the last two games, Phillip Malatare still leads the CCC in total points and scoring average. He has 305 total points and is averaging 20.3 per game.
• Xavier Lovelace also still leads the CCC in rebounding despite missing two games. His 137 total and 9.1 average per game are both tops in the league. He is 13th in scoring at 12.5 points per game.
• Malatare also ranks 10th in the conference in assists at 3.4 per game. He is sixth in free throw percentage (.842) and fourth in steals (1.7 spg). 
• Ismael Valdez is 14th in the CCC at 3.0 assists per contest.
• Malatare's scoring average ranks 22nd in the NAIA as well. 

Scouting the Competition
Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls
• OIT comes to La Grande with a 14-5 overall record and is undefeated in CCC play at 11-0. On the road, the team is 5-1 this season and is currently on a 10-game winning streak.
• Tech averages 82.6 points per game and shoots 51.1% overall. They are 38.8% from deep and shoot 70.2% at the free throw line.
• The Hustlin' Owls average 15.9 assists per game and give up just 12.2 turnovers to the opposition. 
• Defensively, OIT holds opponents to 69.5 points per game but allows 44.7% shooting overall. They give 33% from three-point range.
• Tech grabs 39.6 rebounds per game and has a rebounding margin of +10.1. They force just 6.2 steals per game and tally 1.8 blocks per game as well.
• Garret Albrecht is the leading scorer at 12.4 points per game. He shoots 60.3% from the floor and leads the way in glass cleanup with 6.9 rebounds per contest. 
• Keegan Shivers is second in scoring at 11.0 points per game. She is third in rebounding at 4.8 boards per game. 
• Kaison Faust rounds out the double-digit scoring at 10.5 points per game.
• Jamison Guerra is the team's leader in assists with 73 total and averages 4.3 per game. He is third in steals with 14.
• Joey Potts leads the team in blocks with 15. He also averages 7.6 points per game.

Southern Oregon Raiders
• SOU enters the weekend at 11-8 overall and 8-3 in CCC play. They have their last seven games and are 4-3 in true road games this season.
• Southern averages 74.2 points per game and shoots 46% from the floor. They are a 35.2% three-point shooting squad and average 72.8% at the free throw line.
• The Raiders average 13.5 turnovers per game but distribute the ball well averaging 16.1 assists per game.
• Defensively, the Raiders are giving up 70.3 points per game on 43.4% shooting. They allow opponents to shoot 31.5% from three-point range as well.
• SOU grabs 35.4 rebounds per game but allows the opposition to grab 35.8 for a margin of -0.4. They force 6.1 steals per game and 2.8 blocks per game.
• Josh Meyer leads the way in scoring at 15.9 points per game on 47.8% shooting. He is also the team leader in rebounds at 8.3 per contest.
• Joe Juhala is second in scoring at 10.2 points per game and leads the team in field goal percentage at 57.6%. He is third in rebounds at 4.1 per game and averages a team best 0.9 blocks per game.
• Atmar Mundu rounds out the double figure scoring at 0.1 points per game. He is the team's top three-point shooter at 41.8%.
• Tez Allen leads the way in assists at 3.8 per game and has tallied 65. He also chips in 9.9 points per game. He also leads the way in steals at 1.7 per game. 

Up Next
• Following the doubleheader weekend, Eastern will have a quick turnaround with a home game on Tuesday, Jan. 25 against Interstate-84 rival College of Idaho. It will be Camo Night and fans are encouraged to wear camouflage gear to the game. Tip-off against the Yotes is set for 7:30 p.m. inside Quinn Coliseum.

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