LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon men's basketball turned its Cascade Collegiate Conference home weekend into a full-on showcase Saturday night, rolling past Walla Walla University 106-59 at Quinn Coliseum to move to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in CCC play.
The Mountaineers blitzed the Wolves from the opening tip, hanging 64 first-half points and never looking back behind a scoring outburst from
Trent Rogers and a massive night from a deep, balanced rotation.
Rogers was electric from the jump and stayed that way, finishing with 30 points in just 19 minutes on 11-of-18 shooting, drilling 5-of-8 from three and going a perfect 3-of-3 at the line. He poured in 23 of those in the first half as Eastern turned a brief 6-5 deficit into a runaway.
Eastern's offense hit another gear early and never came down. After Walla Walla grabbed that 6-5 edge at the 18:14 mark, the Mounties ripped off a long avalanche of threes, steals, and run-outs. Rogers,
Logan Orchard, and
Eamon Monahan all connected from deep during the blistering stretch, while the Mounties' pressure turned Wolves miscues into layups the other way.
James Bodily came off the bench and immediately detonated the game. He pumped in 15 first-half points, including a trio of threes and a perfect 4-of-4 at the stripe, as Eastern's lead exploded past 20, then 30. By halftime, Eastern led 64-30 after shooting 57.5 percent from the field, a scorching 10-of-16 from three, and 8-of-8 at the line.
The onslaught continued after the break. Walla Walla briefly trimmed the margin to 30 early in the second half, but Rogers quickly answered with a jumper and another three, and
Cole Hammack's downhill attacks kept the Wolves on their heels. Eastern cracked 80 with more than 14 minutes to play and pushed its largest lead to 55 on an
Isaiah Jones fastbreak layup with 6:57 remaining.
The final numbers told the story of a complete domination across the board. Eastern shot an even 50 percent from the floor (40-of-80), 40 percent from three (14-of-35), and a perfect 12-of-12 at the foul line. The Mounties also overwhelmed the glass with a 48-36 rebounding edge and pounded out a 27-9 advantage in second-chance points behind 16 offensive boards.
Defensively, Eastern's activity suffocated Walla Walla over the full 40. The Wolves finished at 36.5 percent from the field and just 2-of-12 from deep after halftime, committing 20 turnovers that Eastern ruthlessly converted into 35 points. The Mounties also ran at every opportunity, owning a 22-12 edge in fastbreak scoring.
Rogers' 30-point eruption led a wave of production that showcased Eastern's depth. Bodily closed with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 4-of-5 from three, while Hammack added 15 points, 2 assists, and a steal as another spark plug off the bench.
Monahan, one night removed from his 32-point overtime masterpiece against LC State, shifted seamlessly into playmaking mode. He finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and a game-high 6 assists, orchestrating the offense and repeatedly setting up shooters in rhythm.
Jones stuffed the stat sheet with 6 points, 4 boards, 3 assists and a steal, while frontline mates
Porter Abrams (9 rebounds, 2 steals) and
Keilan Torkornoo (5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) anchored the paint and kept possessions alive on both ends. In all, 12 different Mountaineers scored and Eastern's bench poured in 51 points.
Walla Walla was led by Soren Dalan, who battled to 18 points and 9 rebounds while going 6-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-2 from three. Jordan Jackson and Reese Snellman each added 11 points, and Chike Ezeonu chipped in 6 points and a team-high 11 rebounds off the bench.
Next, the Mountaineers hit the road for a non-conference matchup at Corban on Friday, December 12, with tipoff set for 5 p.m. in Salem. While it won't impact the CCC race, it will count toward Eastern's overall record as the Mounties look to extend their early-season surge.
