Jose Briseno – USU Eastern Assistant SID

Photo courtesy of Dallin Grant

The Utah State Eastern men’s basketball team celebrated Sophomore Day in a big way. The Eagles defeated the Bruins to sweep SLCC this season, the first time the Eagles had done so in program history.

The Eagles opened the game with a 10-1 run, taking an early lead. Eastern continued to hold its lead for most of the half. The Bruins managed to take a lead with five minutes left in the first half, but the Eagles recaptured the lead on the following possessions. The Eagles held that lead as the team ended the half with a 37-31 lead over the Bruins.

Ike Palmer led the Eagles with nine points in the first half.

Eastern continued to hold a strong lead in the early parts of the first half, but with just under 13 minutes left in the game, SLCC tied the game on separate occasions. The Eagles, however, never allowed the Bruins to take a lead, and the Eagles ended up with a dominant 77-68 win.

Ike Palmer finished the game with 26 points on 8-13 shooting. Bowen Davies finished a rebound short of a double-double, posting a 16-point, 9-rebound performance. Isaac Castagnetto and Ethen Stoddard each finished with 10 points to help the Eagles.

With the win, the Eagles clinch the No. 3 seed in the Scenic West Athletic Conference standings.

They will continue the regular season with a trip to the College of Southern Idaho. They will face off on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7:00 p.m.