PORTLAND – Eastern Oregon University Men's Basketball played in another close contest Saturday night, edging out Warner Pacific University 73-71 in the regular season finale. 

With the win, EOU is now 18-12 overall and finishes league play with a 12-10 record. The Mountaineers already locked in a spot in the CCC Tournament and secured the No. 6 seed with the 2-0 weekend in Portland. 

How it Happened
• Both teams shot the ball well, going over 40% from the floor. EOU finished at 48.1%, while the Knights (14-16, 10-12 CCC) shot 42.6% for the contest.
• Helping the Knights nearly escape with the win was points off turnovers and bench scoring. They had 18 points of 13 EOU turnovers and the bench out-scored the Mounties' reserves 40-14.
• The first half was a deadlocked affair as both teams put up 39 points to tie the game at halftime. Xavier Lovelace paced the offense with 11 points in the first half.
• Through the first seven minutes of action, the Mountaineers grabbed a 14-8 lead over the Knights. WPU answered with a 7-0 run to 15-14 with 11:34 left on the clock.
• The two squads traded points and the lead the rest of the frame. EOU managed to lead by five, 29-24, late but it did not hold.
• A Lavelace dunk put EOU in front 39-36 in the final minute. WPU answered with a layup and drew contact at the buzzer. The Knights nailed the free throw to tie the game at the break.
• 13 second half points from Phillip Malatare, including two clutch free throws at the end helped lift EOU to victory.
• The Knights came out fast in the second half and led by six a pair of times in the first six minutes. They tried to hold the lead, but EOU kept pace and got back into the game.
• The Mountaineers stayed within striking distance and trailed by one just one possession the majority of the half. It was not until the final 5:30 of play that EOU tied the game.
• Malatare hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 62-all before a 4-0 surge by Cooper Lumsden put the Mounties ahead late.
• Lumsden nailed two free throws that tied the game at 64-64 with 4:34 left to play. On the ensuing possession he nailed a three-pointer to put EOU in front 68-64.
• Eastern then looked to Malatare who scored the final five points to secure the win. He nailed a triple to make it a 71-67 game before WPU tied the game at 71-71, with 27 seconds left to play.
• The Knights had to foul late in the game and Malatare delivered. He nailed a pair of free throws in the game's final seconds to give Eastern the two-point win.

Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Malatare had a double-double with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. He also blocked three shots
• Xavier Lovelace finished with 17 points on 7-11 shooting.
• Zane Wright added 11 points in the win on 4-5 shooting and was 3-4 from deep.
• Ismael Valdez dished out a game-high eight assists.

For the Knights
• Isaac Etter led the offense with 20 points on 8-14 made shots.
• Tyrese Yussuf-Willis scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds.
• Thomas Miles and Nigel McKay each had 10 points in the loss.
• Miles Brown led the way in rebounding with seven and chipped in nine points.

By the Numbers
1 - Both of EOU's final two games came down to one possession.
2 - Phillip Malatare posted back-to-back double-doubles over the weekend.
4 - Eastern is now on a four-game winning streak entering the postseason.

Up Next
• The Mountaineers will hit the road for the quarterfinal round of the CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank. EOU heads to Lewiston, Idaho to face No. 3 seed Lewis-Clark State College on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Tip-off against the Warriors is set for 7 p.m. PT.

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