LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineer Men's Basketball has a short weekend on deck as they will return home to play just one opponent inside Quinn Coliseum. Eastern Oregon's game will be their first home contest in 2022.

OPPONENT
Multnomah Lions (8-7, 4-3 CCC)

WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Quinn Coliseum 

WHEN
Saturday, Jan. 8, 3 p.m. PT

Tip-Off
• The Mountaineers (8-7, 2-5 CCC) will play just one game this weekend due to a two-week pause by Warner Pacific University University Athletics.
• Eastern hopes to extend its winning streak to two as they will face the Multnomah Lions on Saturday.
• The Mountaineers have had recent success against the Lions, having defeated them six times last season.
• Following Saturday's contest, EOU will hit the road to Washington for a pair of road contests.

EOU Athletics Spectator Policy
• 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 will now be available for both indoor and outdoor EOU athletic events. Food and drinks will not be allowed inside Quinn Coliseum gym and must be consumed in the lobby area only.
• 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 currently on a six-game winning streak against the Lions, with all six wins coming last season.
• The Mountaineers are coming off their best scoring performance of the season after defeating Bushnell 97-74 back on New Year's Day.
• Eastern is 3-1 at home inside Quinn Coliseum against opponents and has won each of its last two games by double figures.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers played a pair of road contests going into the New Year. On New Year's Eve, EOU fell in a close game, 76-70, to Corban before blowing out Bushnell, 97-74, on New Year's Day.
• Against Corban, Eastern shot 50.9% but was just 4-14 from deep for 28.6%. Phillip Malatare paced the offense with 28 points, while Xavier Lovelace had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
• At Bushnell, the Mounties bounced back in a big way scoring a season-high 97 points. Four players scored in double figures in the win. Lovelace had another double-double with 11 points and 12 boards.

Previously Against Multnomah
• The Mountaineers and Lions clashed not once, not twice, but six times last spring season. EOU was the victor in all six against MU.
• Prior to winning all six match-ups last season against MU, Eastern was just 2-4 against the Lions in the previous six showdowns.
• Since the 2012-13 season, the Mountaineers are 17-4 against the Lions. Inside Quinn Coliseum, EOU is 10-1 against MU.

There's No Place Like Home … When We're There
• The Mountaineers have played inside Quinn Coliseum just four times this year and are 3-1 so far.
• Since the 2010-11 season, the Mountaineers own a 111-33 record at home inside Quinn Coliseum.
• Under the direction of head coach Chris Kemp, the Mountaineers are 3-1 at home.

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 4-6 on the year on the road.

Mountaineers vs. the CCC
• All-time, EOU is 254-247 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.

CCC/NAIA Stat Leaders
• As a team, the Mountaineers rank third in the CCC in field goal percentage at 47.9. Their percentage is 44th in the NAIA.
• Eastern is holding opponents to 42.9% shooting from the floor, which is fourth in the conference.
• EOU's three-point percentage defense is also third in the CCC as they are limiting opponents to just 30% from deep.
• The Mountaineers are fourth in the CCC in free throw percentage at 72.2, which also ranks 42nd in the NAIA.
• Phillip Malatare leads the CCC in scoring at 20.3 points per game. His average is 30th in the NAIA.
• Xavier Lovelace is the CCC leader in rebounding at 9.3 per game. He has 130 total rebounds which is also the most in the CCC. His average is 35th best in the NAIA.

Scouting the Competition
Multnomah Lions
• The Lions enter the weekend tilt with an 8-7 overall record and are 4-3 in CCC play so far. They have yet to win a road game this season with an 0-6 record.
• Offensively, the Lions are averaging 91.5 points per game and shoot 46.7% overall. They average 34.6% from beyond the arc and dish out 18.9 assists per game.
• Defensively, MU is giving up 83.5 points per game on 42.8% shooting. They allow teams to shoot 32.9% from deep.
• The Lions average 45.9 rebounds per game and are forcing 8.1 steals per game. They give up 14.1 turnovers per game and average 3.3 blocks per game.
• Five players are averaging double figure points, led by Tyrese Taylor at 17.8 points per game. He shoots 57.7% overall and 33.3% from three-point range.
• Zach Richardson is averaging 14.4 points per game on 41.4% shooting. He is also second in total assists with 45.
• Terin Johnson is third in scoring at 11.8 points per game. He is second in field goal percentage at 57.5% and has a team best 19 blocks. 
• Taylor Peppinger and Neyland Block round the double-digit scoring at 10.6 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Block also leads the way in assists with 55.
• Taylor is also the leader in rebounding at 8.8 per game. Block is second at 6.8 boards per contest.
• Forrest Smith is third in rebounding at 6.2 per game. He is also averaging 7.6 points per game.

Up Next
• The Mountaineers will be back on the road for a pair of games in Washington State. EOU takes on Northwest Friday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m., followed by Evergreen State on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m.

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