ATHLETICS
	NEWS

MORE GAME
NIGHT PHOTOS

Eastern Takes Two From Carl Albert

STAFF REPORTS
(Press Release 2-28-06)

MOUNTAINEER BASKETBALL

Eastern Oklahoma State College closed out its home regular season Monday night before a packed house with a doubleheader victory over Carl Albert State College. The women won the opener 63-59, while the men completed the sweep with an 86-79 overtime win.

Eastern 63,  Carl Albert  59 (women)

Carl Albert came into the game with a 25-4 record and a chance to clinch the Bi-State East title with a victory over the Lady Mountaineers. The early going was nip-and-tuck, with both teams exchanging baskets.

Midway through the first half the score was tied at 15, when Adrienne Barnhill canned a trey and the home team went on a rampage on both ends of the floor for the final minutes of the first stanza. A 21-9 run in those final moments, led by Barnhill, Yesi Castillo and Ashley Jackson, gave Eastern a 36-24 advantage at the half. All three were in double figures, with Jackson leading the way with 11. Carl Albert was plagued by 17 turnovers in the first half.

The momentum continued in the second half as the Lady Mountaineers increased their lead to 46-29 and 13 minutes to play. However, the home team became sluggish on offense and Carl Albert did not let up. The lead actually evaporated to 57-55 with two minutes to play. However, a free throw from Jackson and two layups against the press by Barnhill sealed the victory for Eastern at 63-59.

"It was a big win for us tonight," said head coach Clyde Wooldridge. "We played well most of the night in an important game against a great team. Despite our sluggish play down the stretch, I am proud of the effort put forth by our team."

Castillo led the charge with 17, while Jackson and Barnhill finished with 16 each. Onikia Anderson led Carl Albert with 20.

The victory improves Eastern to 21-8 on the season and 5-2 in conference play. A victory at Fort Smith on Thursday would give the Lady Mountaineers the No. 1 seed in next week's Regional Tournament at Shawnee. A loss would place them third.

Eastern 86, Carl Albert  79 (men) OT

For the second straight time, the two teams went into overtime to decide the victor. At Carl Albert, it took three extra periods to decide, this time only one.

The Mountaineers started the game as cold from the field as they have all season, scoring only five points in the first nine minutes and trailing 15-5. Carl Albert's center, 6-10 Shaun King, caused havoc in the middle on defense, blocking shot after shot.

Larry Franklin and Jon Hurt finally got things going for the home team from the outside and Eastern took control of the game, outscoring the Vikings 37-16 over the final 11 minutes and went to the locker room with a 42-31 lead.

Eastern appeared to be rolling early in the second period, leading 51-38 and 15 minutes to play. However, an 18-1 run over the next 15 possessions saw the Mountaineers fall behind 56-52 and eight minutes to play. Carl Albert managed to hang on to the lead down the stretch, with Eastern finally getting back on track on offense. However, they could not seem to take the lead again.

The score remained close down the stretch, but the Viking led 73-67 with 90 seconds to play and it appeared the home team would go down to defeat. The rest of the night was all Eastern's.

Mike Land hit a critical trey to cut the margin to three and Hurt added one to tie the score. Both teams had chances in the final seconds to win, but could not convert, leading to overtime at 73-73.

The Mountaineers dominated in the extra period, with Land starting things off with another trey. Ricky Coleman also added a basket and Eastern was 8-for-8 at the charity line in the period, while shutting down the Vikings for the 86-79 victory.

"It was a hard fought victory," said head coach Win Case. "They have some great players and we had to really work for the win."

Land led the scoring charge with 18, followed by Franklin with 15, DeAngelo Alexander had 14, Hurt finished with 13 and Coleman was in double figures with 10. King led the Vikings with 23.

The win improves Eastern's season mark to 15-14 and 4-3 in league play. The regular season closes out at Fort Smith on Thursday.

Eastern 63, Carl Albert 59 (women)
Carl Albert 24 35 - 59
Eastern  36 27 - 63
Carl Albert - Onikia Anderson 20, Stephanie McGhee 15, Autumn Caughern 11, Andrea Richardson 4, Crystal Kirk 4, Angi Reke 3, Andrea Hammond 2.