LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineer Men's basketball is ready to go for postseason action. Eastern Oregon enters the 2021-22 CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, as the No. 6 seed looking to play the role of spoiler in the opening round.

OPPONENT
No. 6-seed Lewis-Clark State Warriors (21-9, 14-8 CCC)

WHERE
Lewiston, Idaho - P1FCU Activity Center

WHEN
Wednesday, Feb. 23 - 7 p.m. PT 

Tip-Off
• The Mountaineers wrapped up regular season play with an 18-12 overall record and went 12-10 in league action. 
• Eastern is making its return trip to the CCC Tournament after a 2020-21 season that saw the team compete in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• EOU has now made it to the CCC Tournament every year since the 2008-09 season.
• Should the Mountaineers be able to upset the Warriors, their next game will be Saturday, Feb., 26 at 7 p.m. Opponent and location are still to be determined.

How to Watch/Follow
• Livestream coverage of this weekend's games can be found on the Warrior Sports Network at www.LCWarriors.com/watch. Live stats can be accessed on the EOU Men's Basketball schedule page and by clicking the respective link above
• Live stats coverage for EOU Men's Basketball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• The Mountaineers enter the postseason on a four-game winning streak. 
• Eastern has also won each of its last two games on the road.
• This will be the third match-up of the year between EOU and LC State.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers concluded regular season play on a high note going 2-0 on the road.
• Eastern picked up wins at Multnomah and Warner Pacific, both close finishes.
• At MU, EOU won by a final of 80-77. Phillip Malatare led the charge with a double-double, scoring 28 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
• At WPU, Eastern edged the Knights 73-71. Malatare poste dhis second straight double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

CCC Player of the Week
• Phillip Malatare who was named the CCC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for a third time after leading the Mountaineers to a 2-0 weekend to cap off the regular season.
• Malatare posted a pair of double-doubles to lift EOU to victory in two close games over the weekend. He shot 52.8% and averaged 25.0 points per game.
• He also grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds against Multnomah University and finished the week averaging 10.5 boards per game. He shot 4-5 from three-point range for the weekend and was 8-9 at the free throw line.

Previously Against LC State
• The Warriors are 2-0 against the Mountaineers this season. In the last match-up, the Warriors defeated the Mounties 65-55 in Lewiston. Xavier Lovelace paced the offense with 16 points.
• Eastern nearly upset then No. 17 LC State dropping a 76-72 contest at home. Phillip Malatare scored 23 points, while Xavier Lovelace grabbed 15 rebounds.
• EOU has a short history with LC State having only squared off four times. The series is tied at 2-2 overall, with EOU owning a 2-1 record in true road games.

Mountaineers vs. the CCC
• All-time, EOU is 264-252 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 17 times now in CCC play.
• Eastern has won three CCC Regular Season Championships.
• Under the direction of first year head coach Chris Kemp, EOU went 12-10 in CCC play.

Regular Season Stat Leaders
• The Mountaineers enter the postseason with the fourth best free throw percentage at 72.9%. 
• EOU also ranks fifth overall in field goal percentage at 46.4%.
• Eastern owns the third best rebounding defense, holding opponents to just 32.3 boards per game.
• The Mounties rank fourth in blocked shots, averaging 3.0 per game.
• Phillip Malatare is the second leading scorer in the CCC at 19.1 points per game. He is eighth in assists at 3.4 per game.
• Malatare also ranks fourth in free throw percentage at 83.9% and is seventh in steals at 1.5 per game.
• Xavier Lovelace sits fourth in rebounds at 8.3 per game. Malatare is 15th at 5.8 per game.
• Ismael Valdez is sixth in the league in blocks at 0.9 per game and has 24 total blocks.
• Cooper Lumsden is 11th in the CCC in three-point percentage at 39.8%.

Scouting the Warriors
• LC State finished the regular season with a 21-9 overall record and was 14-8 in CCC play. They earned the No. 3 seed in the CCC Tournament and own a 15-2 record at home.
• The Warriors average 80.4 points per game and shoot 46.7% from the floor on average. They shoot 34.7% from three-point range, but are just a 65.4% free throw shooting team.
• The team averages 15.8 assists per game and 12.2 turnovers per game. They score roughly 14.4 points of turnovers.
• Defensively, LC State holds the opposition to just 68.2 points per game and a 4-0.5 field goal percentage. They give 31.9% of shots from deep and just 69.5% from the free throw line.
• The Warriors grab 44.6 rebounds per game and have a margin +10.2. They average 6.3 steals per game and 3.0 blocks per contest. 
• Kevin Baker is pacing the offense at 15.5 points per game on 51.0% shooting from the floor. He is tied for second in rebounding at 5.0 boards per game.
• Khalil Stevenson is second in both scoring and assists. He averages 12.5 points per game and has 78 total assists for an average of 2.8 per game.
• Oreon Courtney is the leading rebounder for the Warriors with 190 on the year. He averages 7.0 per game and is third in scoring at 11.2 points per game. He also leads the way in blocks with 16.
• Silas Bennion is the floor general with 101 assists on the year. He is averaging 4.0 per game and chips in 8.4 points per game as well.
• Sam Stickton leads the way in steals with 29 on the year. He is third in blocks with 11.
• Brennen Newsom is second in rebounding as well averaging 5.0 boards per contest. He also scored 6.9 points per game.

Up Next
• Should EOU pull off the upset, they will compete again on Saturday, Feb. 26. Game time is set for 7 p.m. with the opponent and location to be determined.

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