USU Eastern Press Release
Utah State Eastern men’s basketball lost to the Snow College Badgers 68-57 on Saturday at home. Coming off back-to-back wins over top 20 teams, the Eagles’ four-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of the Badgers. Snow’s thirteen threes made on Saturday propelled them past the Eagles.
“We didn’t finish on plays. With teams like that, if you give them chances, they are going to make threes,” said USU Eastern assistant coach Ray Jones, Jr.
Snow’s Brayden Johnson made five shots from three-point territory and finished the game with a team-high 20 points while the Eagles struggled to get anything going consistently on Saturday. As a team, the Eagles shot 38.6% from the field and and 20% from three.
“We were stagnant and didn’t get the ball inside as much as we should,” said USU Eastern’s Chase Berry.
“It was an off shooting night and that is why our defense needed to be solid to withstand those type of nights,” said Jones Jr.
The Eagles did come within four of the Badgers toward the end of the second half but ultimately couldn’t pull through to tie the game. Snow made six threes in the second half to put the game in their hands.
“They move the ball very well as a team and are one of the more disciplined teams. They stick to what they do best, which is drive and kick,” said Jones Jr.
Sophomore Ognjen Pantovic was the Eagles’ leading scorer against Snow with 18 points. Berry led the Eagles in rebounds with nine boards while also finishing with 10 points.
USU Eastern will have a full week of practices to prepare for their next game, a road trip to Rangely next Saturday against Colorado Northwest.
“We are going to get back to square one. Both on defense and offense we need a solid week of practice before CNCC,” said Jones Jr.
The Eagles now have a record of 15-7 overall and a conference record of 3-1. They are in second place behind Snow in the standings. Fans can watch the Eagles’ game against CNCC on the Scenic West Digital Network beginning at 5 p.m.
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- Photos by Jeff Barrett
