MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTES: The Evergreen State College faces the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers in La Grande, Ore., on Friday and the College of Idaho Coyotes in Caldwell, Idaho, on Saturday. Tipoff for both Cascade Collegiate Conference games is 7:30 p.m., but it should be noted that the College of Idaho game is slated for 7:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST), which means a 6:30 p.m. start in this time zone.

FOLLOW THE GEODUCKS: Evergreen fans unable to attend Geoducks games, whether at home or on the road, can follow the action via live stats and/or a live video stream by clicking on the stats and video links under the Events tab on www.gogeoducks.com. John Hammargren is the play-by-play voice for Evergreen home games.

ABOUT THE GEODUCKS: Evergreen is 5-14 overall and 2-11 and in the cellar in the conference standings, but they are only two games out of eighth place in the win column. That is important because the top eight teams in the regular season standings qualify for the conference postseason tournament. In order to earn a berth in the tournament, however, the Geoducks need to end their current 10-game losing streak and put together a run of wins in their final seven games, four of which are on the road. Taylor Drey is the scoring leader with 16.7 points per game, which ranks seventh among conference players. Shawn Spencer is at 14.5 points per game, while Ryan Quigley contributes 9.9 per contest. Both Spencer (.585) and Quigley (.553) are among the top 10 in the conference in field goal shooting percentage. Quigley leads Evergreen with 6.5 rebounds per game, followed by Spencer with 6.4 per contest. Spencer missed both of last weekend's home games because of effects from a recent bout with the flu, but he has been cleared and is expected to take the court against Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. Jarrick Mitchell continues to lead the conference with an average of 6.3 assists per game.

HOW CAN I HELP YOU? In leading the league in assists per game, Evergreen senior point guard Jarrick Mitchell has recorded two games each with 12, nine and eight assists.

ABOUT EASTERN OREGON: After a fast start to the season, the Mountaineers have lost three of their last four games. At 16-5 overall and tied for second in the conference standings with a 9-3 record, EOU is ranked No. 12 in the NAIA Division II Top 25 poll. The Mountaineers are tough at Quinn Coliseum with nine straight victories and a 9-1 home record this season. In looking at their defeats, four have come by a combined 11 points, and the other was a 98-81 blowout loss at Oregon Tech, which at the time was in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. The Mountaineers average 91.0 points per game, best in the CCC, while allowing 82.2, and they pull down 4.9 rebounds more per game than their opponents. Senior forward Bryan McGriff, one of the leading candidates for conference player of the year, leads the CCC with 21.6 points per game and a .889 free throw percentage, and he ranks second with 9.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard/forward Kentrell Washington averages 13.9 points and 7.0 rebounds, junior guard Blake O'Donnell contributes 13.4 points and a .592 field goal percentage, while junior guard Max McCullough addes 13.3 points and a .450 percentage from three-point range.

FIRST MEETING: Evergreen battled on even terms with Eastern Oregon for 40 grueling minutes on New Year's Eve in Costantino Recreation Center before the Mountaineers pulled out a 98-92 victory. All five Evergreen starters finished in double figures, led by Shawn Spencer with 19 points. Jarrick Mitchell, who carried the Geoducks late with a trio of three-point shots, ended up with 18 points and nine assists. Also finishing in double figures for the Geoducks were Dalton Groenewold with 18 and both Taylor Drey and Ryan Quigley with 12.

RECENT RESULTS: Eastern Oregon has won 15 straight against Evergreen dating back to the 2008-09 season when the Geoducks swept the Mountaineers. Last season, EOU beat Evergreen by 103-93 and 85-65 scores.

ABOUT COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The Coyotes, who host Northwest on Friday night, are 14-8 overall, and at 7-5 hold down sixth place in the conference standings. The 'Yotes, who have lost three of their last four and four of seven since a Dec. 30 win at Evergreen, are 7-1 on their home court this season. College of Idaho leads all 11 conference teams in scoring defense, allowing 68.0 points per game, while it scores an average of 76.2, and it also paces the CCC with 9.4 steals per game and a plus 3.59 turnover margin. Senior forward Joey Nebeker leads a balanced attack with 12.9 points per game, followed by junior forward Aziz Leeks with 11.0 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per contest, and senior guard Aitor Zubizarreta with 10.5 points per game. At a diminutive 5-5, senior guard Emanuel Morgan boasts 8.6 points, 5.0 assists and a conference-leading 2.3 steals per contest.

FIRST MEETING: Visiting College of Idaho outscored Evergreen by 23 points in the second half and surged away for an 84-60 conference win on Dec. 30. Shawn Spencer scored 11 points and Dalton Groenewold added 10 in a losing cause.

THE SERIES: College of Idaho has a 29-8 advantage in the series with 13 straight wins, including 88-81 and 100-85 decisions last year.

OREGON TECH 100, EVERGREEN 72: Brandon Halter nailed seven three-point shots to score 25 points and lead Oregon Tech past Evergreen, 100-72, last Friday night in Costantino Recreation Center. As a team, Oregon Tech finished 11-for-20 from beyond the three-point arc in winning its 10th straight game. Ryan Quigley finished with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double for Evergreen.

SOUTHERN OREGON 93, EVERGREEN 85: Southern Oregon broke away from the Geoducks early in the second half and Ben DeSaulnier made all eight of his free throw attempts in the final 63 seconds to lead the Raiders to a 93-85 win last Saturday night in Costantino Recreation Center. Jonathan Jack-Nixon had his second outstanding game against the Raiders this season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both team highs for the Geoducks. Earlier this season, the senior guard scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in an Evergreen loss at Southern Oregon.