KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Eastern Oregon men's basketball delivered a signature victory on Friday night, going on the road and knocking off No. 20 Oregon Tech, 87-74, at Danny Miles Court.
The win snaps the Owls' six-game winning streak and marks the Mountaineers' first victory over OIT since the 2022-23 season. It also vaults Eastern into a three-way tie for first place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings with the Owls and tomorrow's opponent, Southern Oregon, as all three teams sit at 6-1.
In front of a loud crowd of over 2,000 home fans, the Mounties never flinched. After falling behind 4-0 early, Eastern settled in and methodically took control of the first half. A balanced offensive attack and timely perimeter shooting helped EOU build a 38-29 lead at the break as the defense held Oregon Tech to just 32.4 percent shooting and 1-of-10 from three in the opening 20 minutes.
Eastern came out of the locker room with a statement run. A three from
Logan Orchard and a scoring flurry from
Keilan Torkornoo quickly pushed the lead into double digits, and the Mountaineers' advantage swelled to as many as 18 midway through the second half. Every time the Owls threatened behind a hot stretch from Grant Tull, Eastern had an answer, calmly executing on offense and knocking down free throws to keep control.
Torkornoo powered the upset with a dominant double-double, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds while repeatedly punishing OIT in the paint and on the glass. Orchard was outstanding across the board with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, and five assists, while backcourt mate
Eamon Monahan matched him with 18 points of his own and went a perfect 4-of-4 at the line.
The Mountaineers' depth again showed up in a big way.
James Bodily provided 11 key points off the bench, knocking down a pair of threes, while
Isaiah Jones added eight and
Cole Hammack chipped in six.
Trent Rogers impacted the game despite an off shooting night, handing out four assists, and Eastern shared the ball effectively with 14 assists on 29 made field goals.
As a team, the Mounties shot 51.8 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three (11-of-22), and 85.7 percent at the stripe (18-of-21). On the other end, they held Oregon Tech to 37.7 percent shooting and just 25.9 percent from deep, turning 14 Owl turnovers into 20 points going the other way.
With one half of the toughest road trip in the CCC already conquered, Eastern Oregon now turns its attention to another heated environment. The Mountaineers will look to ride Friday night's momentum into a marquee showdown at Southern Oregon on Saturday, January 10, with tipoff set for 5 p.m. in Ashland.
