LA GRANDE — The Mountaineers men’s basketball program came up short of defeating No. 5 College of Idaho on Saturday, December 30.

Despite a second-half surge, Eastern Oregon fell to the Yotes 64-57. The game, which was the Mountaineers’ first home game after seven straight road contests, dropped the team’s record to 3-9 on the season and 2-4 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.

The Yotes came firing out of the gates, building a quick 13-3. Eastern Oregon never led in the game, but managed to keep within striking distance throughout the 40 minutes. The Mountaineers went on a 9-2 run midway through the first half that trimmed the deficit to 20-17. The College of Idaho responded with a scoring spree of its own, eventually building back a 39-25 advantage late in the first. A three-pointer by Jaren Hansen with 34 seconds remaining in the half cut the lead to 39-28 at halftime. Hansen and Adam Orr led the way in the first half with seven points each.

The College of Idaho led by as much as 15 points early in the second half, but Eastern Oregon made a late push at the upset. A pair of free-throws by AJ Huddleston cut the deficit to 62-57 with 36 seconds remaining, but the Mountaineers ran out of time and failed to make up any more ground.

Hansen recorded 13 points in the second half and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and three assists on the day. The Yotes saw four players score in double figures.

Coming off the loss, Eastern Oregon will face back-to-back conference opponents at home next weekend. The Mountaineers are slated to face Lewis-Clark State at 2 p.m. on Jan. 5 and Walla Walla at 9 p.m. on Jan. 6.