Calvin Jensen, Sports Information Director, Utah State Eastern
The USU Eastern’s men’s basketball team traveled to Arizona over the weekend taking on two Arizona programs. In the first matchup, the Eagles fell to the Gila Monsters of Eastern Arizona College by a score of 71-54. Eastern struggled to find their shooting rhythm, hitting 32.7% from the field and just 20% from beyond the arc. Despite the shooting struggles, the Eagles kept it close in the first half, with key contributions from Jaxon Heiden, who led the team with 19 points and seven rebounds converting an impressive 7 of 8 free throws. Heiden also added seven rebounds, leading the team in scoring and rebounding.
Mark Huber contributed solidly, tallying 7 points, including one three-pointer, and displaying composure at the line by going 4 for 4. Huber also led the team with four assists. Forward Kayin Turner made an impact with his hustle on the boards, grabbing six rebounds while adding 7 points, including two three-pointers.
Eastern Arizona capitalized on a more efficient shooting night, connecting on 43.1% of their field goals and 40% from three-point range. The Gila Monsters pulled further away in the second half, outscoring USU Eastern 39-34.
The Eagles fought hard on the glass, pulling down 24 rebounds but were ultimately out-rebounded by Eastern Arizona, who grabbed 37 boards. Bench scoring was another difference-maker, with Eastern Arizona’s reserves adding 27 points, compared to 13 from USU Eastern’s bench.
The following day, USU Eastern played the Matadors of Arizona Western College in a hard-fought contest, falling narrowly 63-60 after holding a slim halftime lead. Jaxon Heiden continued to impress with a team-high 12 points, converting all eight of his free-throw attempts and shooting 100% from the field. He also added a block, while Mark Reichner led in overall scoring with 13 points, going 4-for-10 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. Despite strong efforts, the Golden Eagles were outscored in the paint, contributing to their close loss.
Ike Palmer made a notable impact, scoring 11 points largely from the free-throw line, where he went 11-for-14, while also grabbing six rebounds. Sevastian Rosado provided a spark off the bench with 8 points and led the team with six assists and two steals, proving valuable on both ends of the court. Defensively, the Eagles had 11 total steals, including two each from Palmer and Reichner, but struggled to contain Arizona Western’s inside game.
USU Eastern (2-2) is looking forward to playing in front of their fans at home this week as they first take on Green River Community College (0-0) on Thursday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m inside the BDAC. Then, on Saturday, Eastern welcomes Western Wyoming Community College (2-3) to Price with a tip-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m.