LA GRANDE, Ore. – A pair of early runs in each half was enough cushion for the second-ranked Eastern Oregon Mountaineers as they hold off a determined Evergreen Geoduck squad, 77-60, in a Cascade Conference men’s basketball game on Friday night at Quinn Coliseum in La Grande, Ore.

After Evergreen freshman Frankie Johnson (Renton, Wash./Hazen HS) nailed a three-pointer to open the game, the Mountaineers (16-1, 4-1 CCC) used a 15-2 run to pull ahead by double digits just over five minutes into the game.  The Geoducks (2-10, 1-3 CCC) eventually got back in a rhythm and the two teams played pretty evenly for the remainder of the first half as EOU took a 36-27 lead into the break.

In the second half, another EOU run, this time 10-2, gave the Mountaineers a double-digit lead once again. A few short runs by both teams kept the differential in the teens as the clock ticked down.  The Geoducks continued to play right with the nationally-ranked Mounties, falling by a final of 77-60.

Evergreen was led by 19 points from Cody Peters (Coupeville, Wash./Western Oregon Univ.).  Elzie Dickens (Seattle, Wash./Highline CC) added 12 points while Johnson finished with 10 points on the night.

Eastern Oregon was led by 15 points from Jason Mumm.  Trent Roos added 13 points for the Mounties.  EOU took advantage of 21 Evergreen giveaways, converting for 20 points off turnovers.

The Geoducks wrap up the 2012 portion of the schedule on Saturday night when they take on College of Idaho, beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. MST in Caldwell, Idaho.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Breaking a 24-game conference losing streak, the Evergreen Geoducks got into the win column with a 74-64 victory over the Northwest Christian Beacons in a Cascade Conference men’s basketball game on Tuesday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks (2-9, 1-2 CCC) opened up the night with a three-pointer by senior Travis Wagner (Federal Way, Wash./Green River CC) and the baskets would continue to fall.  The Beacons (7-9, 1-3 CCC) kept things close, making their fair share of buckets as well.   The first half would end up seeing the lead change six times and tied 10 times as Evergreen held a slight lead at the break, 35-32.

Northwest Christian opened up the second half with four quick points that gave them a one-point lead but a layup by Marc Taylor (Boise, Idaho/Edmonds CC) with 17:50 left to play put the Geoducks up by one and Evergreen wouldn’t trail the rest of the way.  The lead hit double-digits with 8:53 left on the clock as freshman Frankie Johnson (Renton, Wash./Hazen HS) hit a jumper that put Evergreen up 55-45.

The lead grew to as many as 13 on the back end of two free throws by Johnson with 2:45 left to play.  Northwest Christian didn’t go down without a fight, getting back within six on a three-pointer by Trevor Parker with 18 second left to play but the Geoducks hit their free throws down the stretch to earn the 74-64 win.

The win is the first for Evergreen in CCC play since earning a 79-76 overtime win over Southern Oregon on Feb. 5, 2011, a streak of 24 games.

Evergreen was led by 18 points from KJ Hong (Federal Way, Wash./Shoreline CC).  Johnson finished with 15 points after having just two in the first half.  The Geoducks shot 44.9% on the night, making 22 of 49 from the field.  Evergreen also converted on 23 of 33 from the charity stripe, shooting 69.7% on free throws.

Northwest Christian was led by 17 points off the bench from Parker.  Wyatt Taboh-Graziano put up 15 points while Brody McGowan finished with 13 points in the losing effort.  The Beacons outrebounded Evergreen, 40-31, on the night but committed 20 turnovers as well.

Evergreen hits the road this weekend as they travel to Eastern Oregon on Friday.  Tip with the Mountaineers is set for 7:30 p.m. in La Grande, Ore.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Outscoring the Geoducks, 42-29, in the second half, the Corban Warriors earned their first conference win of the season, earning the 68-57 win over Evergreen in a Cascade Conference men’s basketball game on Monday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The two teams battled in the first half as the Geoducks (1-9, 0-2 CCC) overcame an early deficit to take the advantage.  Evergreen controlled the glass in the first half, outrebounding Corban (4-6, 1-2 CCC) by a total of 23-14 in the first 20 minutes as the Geoducks took a 28-26 lead into the break.

In the second half, the Warriors retook the lead early and slowly built it, pulling ahead by double-digits with 12:57 left to play on a jumper by Andrew Evans.  The advantage grew to as large as 15 before the Geoducks whittled it down to 11 at the end, falling 68-57.  Corban was aided by 11-of-16 shooting from the charity stripe in the second half as they earned the comeback win.

Evergreen was led by 11 points from junior KJ Hong (Federal Way, Wash./Shoreline CC), the only Geoducks in double-digit scoring.  The green and white finished tired with the blue and gold in rebounds, with 38 boards each.

Corban was led by 12 points each from Marcus Butler, Josiah Sebens and Jacob Kopra.  Dustin Moore added 11 points while Andrew Evans chipped in nine, nearly putting all five Warrior starters in double-digit scoring.

The Geoducks will look to get back into the win column on Tuesday night, playing host to Northwest Christian.  Tip with the Beacons is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Playing their final non-conference game of the season, the Evergreen Geoducks couldn’t find their shot against the Central Washington Wildcats, falling 100-59, on Tuesday night at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Wash.

The Wildcats set the hurried pace early and the scoreboard showed that as CWU built a double-digit lead on a jumper by Derrick Davis that put the ‘Cats up, 20-9, with 13:23 to play in the opening period.  UW transfer Mark McLaughlin converted on an and-one opportunity with 8:08 left to play that put Central up, 34-14.

Central continued to extend the lead, pulling ahead by 27 at halftime at 49-22.  The Geoducks had some great looks in the first half but could only convert on eight of 29 attempts for 27.6%.  On the other end of the court, the ‘Cats didn’t have a similar problem, making 19-of-40 attempts for 47.5%.

The trend continued into the second half as Evergreen’s shots struggled to fall as the Geoducks began to run out of time to mount a comeback.    The Wildcats continued to hit their shots as the lead continued to grow, hitting 40 with just under six minutes left to play.  CWU would cruise the rest of the way, earning the 100-59 win.

Evergreen was led by 15 points from Cody Peters (Coupeville, Wash./Western Oregon).  Marc Taylor (Boise, Idaho./Edmonds CC) added 10 points while Jakob Herron-Berentsen (Sacramento, Calif./Grays Harbor CC) brought down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Central Washington was led by 21 points from McLaughlin.  Jordan Coby added 15 points off the bench while Chris Holmes chalked up 13 points in the win.  Davis wrapped up the ‘Cats in double-digits, posting 12 points on the night.

The Geoducks will now turn their focus back to the Cascade Conference schedule, playing host to Corban next Monday.  Tip with the Warriors is set for 7:30 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

SEATTLE – Playing a team ranked in the top-ten nationally for the second straight night, the Evergreen Geoducks couldn’t earn the upset as the eighth-ranked Seattle Pacific Falcons earned the 80-45 win on Saturday evening at Brougham Pavilion in Seattle.

Seattle Pacific (8-1) got off to the quick start, pushing the lead into double-digits just over five minutes into the game on a jumper by Cory Hutsen that gave SPU the 14-4 lead.  The Geoducks (1-7) found their shot at the Falcons cooled a bit but SPU continued to stay warm from behind the arc as the lead continued to grow.

The advantage hit 20 points for the Falcons with a little over five minutes to go in the first half as Alex Weber-Brader made a layup to give Seattle Pacific the 34-14 lead.  The differential would hover around 20 for the remainder of the period as SPU took the 40-20 lead into the break.

The Falcons continued to fly away in the second half as the lead approached 30 around the midpoint of the half.  The Geoducks continued to battle , improving their shooting percentage to X in the second half but it wasn’t enough to close the gap, falling 80-45.

Evergreen was led by 15 points off the bench from senior Elzie Dickens (Seattle, Wash./Highline CC).  Cody Peters (Coupeville, Wash./Western Oregon Univ.) scored nine for the green and white, one night after posting 24 points against Lewis-Clark State.  The Geoducks made 16-of-48 attempts on the night, including identical 8-of-24 in each half, for 33.3%.

Seattle Pacific was led by 14 points from David Downs.  Jobi Wall added 13 points while Gonzaga transfer Andy Poling finished with 12.  Weber-Brader led the SPU bench with 10 points on the night.  The Falcons shot 45.9% on the night, making 28-of-61 attempts.

The Geoducks wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule on Tuesday when they head across to mountains to take on Central Washington.  Tip with the Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Wash.

Box Score