Eagles split homestand, move to 2-2 on season

The USU Eastern men’s basketball team completed its home opener for the 2026 season with a weekend split at the B-DAC, earning a win over Eastern Arizona after falling to Western Arizona. 

The Eagles started slowly on Friday, Nov. 7, losing to Arizona Western 83–78, with a balanced team effort. They returned to action the following day and came out strong, beating No. 15 Eastern Arizona 77-57. 

Sophomore guard Issac Castagnetto led the Eagles to Friday’s loss with 22 points and four threes. Center Bowen Davies added 14 points and six rebounds to help control the paint on both ends. 

USU Eastern went into halftime with a six-point deficit but worked hard in the second half to gain a six-point lead with five minutes left in the game. However, Arizona Western’s three-point shooting proved significant over the Eagles, who ultimately came up short in the final minutes.  

Ike Palmer said after the game, “We need to do a better job rebounding – that’s what hurt us in the second half.”  

On Saturday, the Eagles bounced back from their loss with a 20-point win over Eastern Arizona. Kayin Turner led the way with an impressive 23 points on 8-9 shooting. Seven Bahati was also a key factor in the win, scoring 23 points and playing aggressive defense, which led to three steals. 

USU Eastern got down early, but clawed back and went into halftime with a one-point lead. After halftime, the Eagles went on a run and never looked back. With the lead going all the way to 23 points, the Eagles had a comfortable win to end the weekend. 

“We played extremely hard on the defensive end and made shots on the offensive end,” said Kayin Turner. “It was a great team effort from everybody tonight.”  

With the home opener behind them, USU Eastern now turns its focus to its game on Tuesday against Yavapai College. The matchup marks the third of nine straight home games throughout November as the Eagles look to build rhythm early in the season.  

**Photo by Levan Hall