BUTTE, Mont. – Dickinson State dropped its season opener Friday night, falling 87-70 to Eastern Oregon at Valley Bank Arena in a neutral-site matchup hosted by Montana Tech.
The Blue Hawks (0-1) were outscored 49-31 in the first half and could not overcome the early deficit, despite a more competitive second half in which they scored 39 points. Eastern Oregon (1-0) shot 49.3 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range, taking control midway through the opening period and never trailing again after the 9:04 mark in the first half.
Nate Visentin led Dickinson State with 18 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 8-for-14 from the field. He scored 10 of his points in the first half and finished with a game-high in rebounds. Britton Cranston added 12 points off the bench, including two makes from beyond the arc. Griffyn Doughty chipped in 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
Eastern Oregon was paced by Trent Rogers, who scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep. Eamon Monahan followed with 20 points, and Logan Orchard contributed 12. The Mountaineers made six threes in the first half and pushed their lead to as many as 22 early in the second period.
Dickinson State held an early 15-8 advantage with just over 15 minutes remaining in the first half following a three-pointer from DC Stewart. But Eastern Oregon answered with a 16-2 run capped by a transition layup from Rogers to take a 24-17 lead at the 9:04 mark. The Blue Hawks tied the game at 24 after a three-pointer by Keilan Torkornoo, but James Bodily knocked down two free throws on the next possession to put Eastern Oregon ahead for good.
The Blue Hawks shot 45 percent from the field but struggled from long range, finishing 6-for-23 (26.1%) from behind the arc.
Eastern Oregon held a 43-29 edge on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points. Caleb Schroeder pulled down 13 rebounds for the Mountaineers. Dickinson State was led in rebounding by Visentin, with Aric Winczewski adding three assists and four points off the bench.
Despite a better shooting performance in the second half, Dickinson State was unable to string together enough defensive stops to narrow the gap. Eastern Oregon maintained at least a 13-point cushion for most of the second half and held off any Blue Hawk rally attempts.
