The Utah State Eastern men's basketball team welcomed the Green River College Gators and the Treasure Valley Community College Chukars for the Eagle Thanksgiving Classic. The Eagles played the Gators on Friday and the Chukars on Saturday.
The Eagles opened with a matchup against Green River College, the fourth-ever matchup between the two teams.
Eastern's offense found its groove early, taking an 11-4 lead just two minutes into the first half. Later in the half, Liam Davis hit a 3-pointer to give Eastern a 52-36 lead with two minutes left in the half. The Eagles closed out the half strong, leading to a 54-41 lead at the break. Ike Palmer (13), Liam Davis (12), and Bowen Davies (11) were in double figures at the half.
After just five minutes into the second half, the Eagles saw their lead grow to 20 points. The offensive domination continued as Eastern's lead reached its peak at 33 points with just under 10 minutes to play in the game. A comeback was not possible for the Gators as Eastern cruised to a 108-84 win over Green River.
Palmer finished the game with 23 points as four different Eagles finished with double digits. The Eagles made 13 three-point shots to separate themselves from the Gators.
USU Eastern finished the weekend with a dominant win over the Treasure Valley Chukars.
Eastern opened the game with a 16-3 lead, taking control of the game. After the run, the Eagles' lead never dipped below double digits. Their lead reached as high as 22 points before the half ended 49-34 in favor of the Eagles. Ike Palmer had 10 points to lead the Eagles, who had 10 different players find the bottom of the net in the half.
The Eagles continued to dominate in the second half, pushing their lead to 30 points after five minutes played in the second half. Their lead grew to a game-high lead of 42 points after a pair of free throws by Easton Duft. The Eagles finished the game with a 103-69 win over the Chukars, their fifth win by 20 points or more this season.
Kayin Turner finished with a team high of 16 points while Palmer (14), Ethen Stoddard (12), Justin Anderson (11), Seven Bahati (10), and Adam Grissom (10) all finished in double figures.
The Eagles will next travel to Riverton, Wyoming, to play in the Central Wyoming Classic. They will play Casper College on Friday, Dec. 5, and Central Wyoming College on Saturday, Dec. 6.
