NEW TOWN, N.D. -- Bismarck State men's basketball closed the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge Classic against a Mountaineer team that reached the second round of the NAIA National Championships a year ago, and Eastern Oregon came out shooting like it. The No. 15-ranked Mountaineers made 9 of their 15 3-point attempts in the first half and took a 47-26 lead into the break.
Johnathan Hawthorne Jr. scored a team-high 16 points off the bench and Carter Zeller added 13, but the Mystics (0-4) fell to Eastern Oregon (3-0) 90-62 on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the 4 Bears Event Center. Logan Orchard led the Mountaineers with 16 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, and Eamon Monahan added 15.
First Half
BSC kept pace early. Braylen Schirado's 3-pointer, assisted by Jah Gulley, tied the game at 3-3 with 18:14 left. Eastern Oregon then pulled ahead behind 3-pointers from Orchard and Keilan Torkornoo and led 19-7 at the 12:45 mark. Zeller scored on a layup off a Schirado assist, and Hawthorne hit a 3-pointer to make it 19-12.
Moustapha Diomande and William Ware hit 3-pointers 16 seconds apart to cut the lead to 23-20, but Gabe Britton answered immediately with a 3-pointer for the Mountaineers. Eastern Oregon went on a 13-1 run over the next five minutes to lead 41-23. Hawthorne's 3-pointer with 1:05 left, assisted by Gulley, trimmed the lead to 41-26, but Eastern Oregon finished the half on a 6-0 run that ended with an Orchard 3-pointer at the buzzer. BSC shot 33.3% (9-of-27) in the half, and Eastern Oregon shot 51.7% (15-of-29).
Second Half
Zeller scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half on 5-of-10 shooting, including layups on BSC's first two possessions. Eastern Oregon pushed its lead to as many as 36 points, 85-49, with 4:01 remaining.
The Mystics finished strong. BSC outscored the Mountaineers 13-5 over the final four minutes, including a 9-0 run that featured a Schirado 3-pointer, a Diomande 3-pointer and free throw, and a Hawthorne layup to cut the lead to 85-58. Hawthorne scored again on a layup off a Julien Grant assist with 16 seconds left. BSC shot 44.4% (12-of-27) in the second half.
Mystics Key Performers
Game Notes
- BSC shot 38.9% (21-of-54) from the field, 34.8% (8-of-23) from 3-point range and 66.7% (12-of-18) at the free throw line. Eastern Oregon shot 50.8% (31-of-61) from the field, 41.4% (12-of-29) from 3-point range and 88.9% (16-of-18) at the line.
- Eastern Oregon held advantages in rebounds (32-23), bench points (45-29) and points off turnovers (13-5). BSC had 15 assists to Eastern Oregon's 14.
- The Mountaineers never trailed after the 3-3 tie. The Mystics were outscored 47-26 in the first half and 43-36 in the second.
Up Next
The Mystics travel to Minot State (N.D.) on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and then open their home schedule against Dickinson State (N.D.) on Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Bavendick Center. BSC will honor Buster Gilliss at halftime, and the first 500 fans will receive a free Mystics jersey. Tickets are available at BSCMystics.com/Tickets.
See the men's basketball schedule for more information on how to follow and attend the upcoming games.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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