CALDWELL, Idaho - The Ottawa University Arizona men's basketball team took to the court Friday evening for the season and program opening game. OUAZ fell to Eastern Oregon University by a final of 92-81 on day one of the Taco Bell Shoot-Out; hosted by the College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho.
With the loss, the Spirit open the season 0-1. With the victory, Eastern Oregon University improves to 3-0 on the year.
"Our emphasis tonight was to simply play hard and I think our guys gave a great effort tonight, but we have to do it more in consistent stretches," said OUAZ head men's basketball coach Matt Keeley. "We got a lesson in how hard winning is and we need to now learn the small difference between playing hard and winning while being tough."
In Friday's season opener, the Spirit stuck close with the Mountaineers all night long. In the first half, the story surrounded around the amount of turnovers by OUAZ and the fantastic shooting by Eastern Oregon. The Mountaineers shot 26-for-45 from the field in the first half, to just 14-of-34 for OUAZ. The Spirit also turned the ball over 14 times in the first 20 minutes of the game, while Eastern Oregon finished the first half with just six turnovers. At halftime, EOU held a 54-41 lead over OUAZ.
In the second half, OUAZ shot the ball better and finished with less turnovers than the Mountaineers. The Spirit shot 16-for-37 from the field and finished the half with 40 points. In the end, OUAZ's comeback was not strong enough and the Spirit dropped their season opener by a final of 92-81 on Friday evening.
In the loss, Tanner Riley (JR/Salt Lake City, UT) finished with a team high 31 points. Riley was one of two players to finish in double-figures scoring for OUAZ. Riley also chimed in with six rebounds, three assists and two steals. He shot 12-for-19 from the field and 5-for-6 at the free-throw line.
Desmond Ross (SR/Glendale, AZ) finished with 13 points and three rebounds, while Matthew McClain (SR/Charleston, SC) finished with five points and a team high 12 rebounds.
"I was pleased by how many points we scored, considering we didn't shoot particularly well and we turned the ball over a lot," said Keeley. "Tanner Riley certainly took the lead for us tonight and did a nice job of being aggrieve and getting himself to the free-throw line."
The Spirit men's basketball team closes out play in the Taco Bell Shoot-Out; hosted by the College of Idaho on Saturday evening when OUAZ matches-up with host College of Idaho. Tip time is scheduled for 7pm.
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About Ottawa University
Founded in 1865, Ottawa University prepares professional and liberal arts graduates for lifetimes of personal significance, vocational fulfillment and service to God and humanity within a Christ-inspired community of grace and open inquiry. Ottawa University is a comprehensive, not-for-profit educational institution serving 3,000 students through its residential campuses in Ottawa, Kan., and Surprise, Ariz., and adult campuses in Overland Park, Kan.; Phoenix, Queen Creek and Surprise, Ariz.; Brookfield, Wis.; Jeffersonville, Ind.; as well as online. For more information, visit www.ottawa.edu.
For more information about OUAZ athletics, visit http://www.ottawa.edu/ouaz/athletics. Follow OUAZ athletics on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OUAZSpiritAthletics/ and on Twitter twitter.com/OUAZSpirit.
