Eagles Move to 5-0 With Lopsided Win Over Layton Christian *Photo Gallery*

By Jordan Buscarini

The USU Eastern Eagles put on a show for the hometown crowd as they cruised past Layton Christian Academy 127-39 Saturday night at the BDAC in Price.

Playing for the third time in five days, the Eagles earned a wire-to-wire win as they opened the game on a 12-2 run after forcing four quick turnovers in the opening minutes. The dominance continued throughout as USU Eastern opened a 91-point lead late in the second half.

“We were extremely unselfish and that really stood out to me,” said assistant coach Easton Ralphs following the win. “We had 33 assists as a team and no one is complaining about their playing time. All of the guys are excited about their teammates’ success and that is really great to be around.”

Peter Filipovity led all scorers with 15 points as he finished a perfect 6-6 from the field while grabbing four rebounds off of the bench. Julian Vaughns and Tyler Scoresby both added 13 points apiece while Jesse White and Malek Malual chipped in with 12 each.

The Eagles were lights out from the field as they shot a sizzling 69.9 percent for the game. Adding to the impressive stat line was a 12-22 mark from the three-point line, equaling a 54 percent performance from deep.

While the offense fired on all cylinders, the Eagles’ suffocating defense forced 26 turnovers for the game and limited Layton Christian Academy to just three first half field goals. As a team, USU Eastern ended with 18 steals for the game.

“Regardless if there is a discrepancy in level of play or not, it’s impressive to only give up 14 points in a half,” said Ralphs. “I think our guys did a really great job playing defense and doing exactly what they are asked to do.”

James Forrester ended as the top scorer for Layton Christian as he scored 12 points on 12 shots. Patrick Penaloza ended with 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc in the second half.

Saturday’s win moves the Eagles to 5-0 on the season with just two non-conference games remaining on the schedule. USU Eastern will next travel to Ephraim pm Friday and Saturday for a back-to-back set against Rexburg United and Casper College. Scenic West Athletic Conference play will follow on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at home against Colorado Northwestern Community College.