Eagles look ahead

This archived article was written by: Brooke Anderson

Following their huge win against No. 4-ranked Salt Lake Community College, men’s basketball faced yet another ranked team. On Feb. 3 the team faced No. 14-ranked College of Southern Idaho on their home court. Previously, the Eagles lost 114-77, but they were determined to come back fighting. The nail-biter ended with the eventual fall of the Eagles, 88-78. Leading at the half with 42-39, the Eagles were out-shooting the Golden Eagles with 42.86 percent compared to their 42.4 percent in the paint. The Eagle’s efficiency dropped second half to 31.43. The team generally shoots 42 percent behind the three-point-line; however, the shots were not falling and they were sitting at 16.7 percent for the game. Rafael Monteiro led the team, both offensively and defensively with 26 points and nine rebounds as well as shooting 85.7 percent on free throws. Landon Swartz was second on the team with 18 points and five rebounds, and Samuel Velez followed defensively with eight rebounds and two steals. Jeffrey Yan led in assists with four as well as one steal Head coach Becheli believes that this was a loss to learn from and focused on the next game against rival Snow College. On Feb. 8, the Eagles beat the Snow College Badgers during Fan Appreciation Night 90-73. With a full gym and lots of energy. The Eagles took the lead early on, with a half-time score of 49-38. Returning from an injury, Milan Surlic’ led the team and had a very impressive stat line with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and no turnovers. Swartz followed with 19 points and a team-high of 12 rebounds as well as one steal. Monteiro contributed 15 points, as well as seven rebounds. In addition, Neema Namdar followed with 13 points, ve rebounds, and three assists. Other stat leaders include Velez with nine rebounds, Matija Novikovic with four assists, and Nico Rojas and Ognjen Pantovic, both with one block. Coming back from their worst shooting game against College of Southern Idaho, the Eagles pulled good numbers. With 46.4 percent in the paint, and 28.1 percent from behind the three-point-line, the Eagles outscored their opponent by more than 10 percent. The Eagles then went on to play against College of Southern Idaho on Feb. 10 for their last regular season match-up. The Eagles lost 105-89, despite a strong second-half effort. The team scored 15 more points during the second half than they did in the first. Only three games remain in the Eagles’ season, with their next game on the road against the SLCC Bruins Feb. 17. SWAC conference play wraps next week when the Eagles host the CNCC Spartans on Feb. 22 before visiting Snow College for their season finale on the 24th. Follow the team online at usueasternathletics.com