LA GRANDE, OR - Despite a strong start to the evening, Northwest struggled in the second half and fell to the Mountaineers, 83-70. 
 
While Eastern Oregon got out to a quick lead, the Eagles kept the Mountaineers within striking distance. With 5:35 left in the first half, Northwest was able to take the lead. With a back-and-forth final few minutes before the half, the Mountaineers were able to reclaim the lead and go into half up by four. 
 
Eastern continued its momentum into the second half while the Eagles struggled to keep up with EOU. The Mountaineers began to pull away as the second half progressed, causing the Eagles to try for a comeback. As Northwest continued to fight, EOU continued to land shots and make it difficult for the Eagles to gain ground. Ultimately, Northwest found itself in too big of a hole and could not recover. 
 
"We had a similar situation to last night," said Head Coach Rick Skeen. "We were playing well, up 31-26 with five minutes left in the first half, and then just melted down. We are still learning how to take a punch and punch back. It is a growing process, and we aren't there yet."
 
Luke Howard led the Eagles with 15 points. He was followed closely by Lewis Pope and Caleb Whalen, each bringing home 13 points. 
 
The Eagles head home and will host Walla Walla at 2 p.m. next Friday and Lewis-Clark State College at 5 p.m. on Saturday.