Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Cory McKendrick, USU Eastern Sports Information Contributor
The Utah State University men’s basketball team traveled to square off in Hefley Gymnasium against the Spartans of Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) last week. The Eagles got back to their winning ways after suffering back-to-back losses in the previous two games. Eastern, who led by as much as 25 in the game, topped the Spartans 87-71.
Season leading scorer Christian Haffner, who averages 13.1 points per game, had an excellent shooting night as he led all scorers with 23 against the Spartans. Donoval Avila Jr. also had a hot hand, shooting 4-5 from the field and 6-8 from the free-throw line, making him good for 15 points. Turahn Thompson added 12 points and seven rebounds.
“We were proud of how hard the guys competed against a relentless team like CNCC, especially in Rangely. It can be a difficult place to win, but the guys went out and took care of business,” said assistant coach Ray Jones following the win in Rangely.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 4-6 in conference play and enter a big week upcoming. They will travel to play the 4-7 College of Southern Idaho on Thursday, Feb. 20. The game will have major conference tournament seeding implications for both teams. The winner would take the tiebreaker if it was necessary.
Eastern will finish the season with their final home game against Salt Lake Community College, who has already secured the top seed in the conference tournament. CSI will finish their season hosting the Eagles on Feb 20. The game against SLCC is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. in the BDAC.