LA GRANDE, Ore. – In an electric Tuesday-night rivalry matchup, the (RV) Eastern Oregon men's basketball team defended Quinn Coliseum with an 83-68 victory over The College of Idaho, earning its first win in the series since 2022 and its first double-digit victory over the Yotes since 2016. Four Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by
Logan Orchard, who finished just shy of a triple-double.
The Yotes opened the game on an early 8-0 run before Orchard broke the drought with a three-pointer.
Caleb Schroeder followed with five straight points to cut the deficit to two. Over the next several minutes, the teams traded baskets, as each Mountaineer push was met with a response from College of Idaho. With six minutes remaining in the first half, the Yotes put together an 8-0 run to take a 33-23 lead.
Eastern responded with momentum-changing defense, as
Eamon Monahan came up with a steal that led to a Jones layup. Orchard added a jumper in the paint, and
Trent Rogers knocked down a deep three to give the Mountaineers a one-point advantage with under two minutes to play. Eastern capitalized at the free-throw line, and Rogers forced a quick jump ball to regain possession, helping the Mounties extend their lead to six heading into halftime.
Fueled by an energized home crowd, Eastern carried its momentum into the second half. After a slow opening stretch, the Mountaineers struck first at the free-throw line and soon pushed their lead to six. Another Yote foul ignited the crowd, sparking a 7-0 Eastern run that stretched the advantage to 13.
College of Idaho attempted to chip away at the deficit, but each basket was quickly answered by the Mountaineers. Continued Yote fouls, combined with Eastern's ability to capitalize on turnovers and mistakes, allowed the Mounties to go on another 6-0 run, ballooning the lead to as many as 20 points and putting the game out of reach. The Mounties held the Yotes to just 40.7% shooting.
Eamon Monahan led all scorers with 21 points and added three steals.
Logan Orchard finished one rebound shy of a triple-double, posting 12 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds along with a block and a steal.
For The College of Idaho, Dougie Peoples paced the Yotes with 18 points and a steal, while Utrillo Morris followed with 15 points and two steals. Two additional Yotes also scored in double figures.
With the win, Eastern Oregon improves to 10-3 in conference play, while The College of Idaho falls to 9-4. The Mountaineers return to the road on Thursday, January 29, traveling to Portland to face Warner Pacific University at 7:30 p.m.
