Eagles fall in Region 18 Tournament

The Utah State University Eastern Men’s basketball team season has finally ended. Before the Eagles entered the Region 18 tournament, they faced off against Colorado Northwestern Community College at Rangely, CO on Feb. 29. Then on Mar. 8, USU Eastern played against College of Southern Idaho at the Bruin Arena. With the end of the season, Eastern finished with a 19-9 record, and having a 9-6 record in their own conference.

When USU Eastern faced off against the Colorado Spartans, both teams brought everything they had to offer to the table. In the first half, the Eagles converted on 18 of their field goals, two of their three pointers, and seven of their free throws. The Eagles shot only 58.06% from the field, 20% from three-point range, and 63.64% on their free throws in the first half of the game. Utah State University Eastern entered the second half with a score of 45-40 in Utah State’s favor. The Eagles got hot in the second half of the game, which made it almost impossible for Colorado Northwestern Community College to catch up. In the second half, Utah State Eastern converted on 19 of their field goal attempts, seven of their three pointers, and five of their free throws. The team’s shooting splits for the second half of the game were 63.33% from the field, 58.33% from three-point range, and 100% of their free throws. Utah State University Eastern ended up winning the game, with the final box score being 95-71. The leading scorer for the game was Martel Williams, where he scored 36 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out two assists. Taft Mitchell also contributed to the win, putting up 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Utah State University Eastern had two other players score double-digit points, the two players being Ethan Copeland with 15 points, and Dyson Lighthall with 11 points.

After their win against Colorado Northwestern Community College, Utah State University Eastern found themselves playing against College of Southern Idaho in the first round of the Region 18 tournament. Both teams gave everything they had for this game, as it was a win or go home scenario. USU Eastern, despite only shooting 33.33% from the field in the first half, entered the second half of the game with a 38-33 lead. They also shot 45.45% from three-point range in the first half. The Eagles continued to battle for the lead in the second half, but even though the team gave everything they had, College of Southern Idaho came out victorious. The box score ended in 78-79 in CSI’s favor. Utah State University Eastern had three players who scored 20 points in this game. Martel Williams put up 23 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Dyson Lighthall secured himself a double-double, as he scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Lastly, Kendall Alexander had 20 points, seven rebounds, and one assist.

With that loss, the basketball season for Utah State University Eastern had ended. With the close of the season, two players had received special recognition and accolades due to their performance throughout the season. Dyson Lighthall earned himself a place on the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Region 18 All-Tournament Team and the SWAC Region 18 All-Region Third Team. Martel Williams was named the SWAC Region 18 Player of the Year.