The No. 23 Utah State Eastern men's basketball team traveled north to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to take on the North Idaho College Cardinals. This was the first of three meetings between the two teams this season.
The Eagles started the game with a quick 5-0 run, but the Cardinals soon took over the half. Eastern struggled to find the bottom of the net, shooting just 31% from the field and 23% from the three-point line. Behind a 26-7 rebounding disadvantage, the Eagles trailed NIC, 37-27 at the half. Seven Bahati had six points at the break to lead the Eagles.
After the break, the Eagles opened the final half with a 10-2 run to get the deficit to just two points. After that stretch, the game was controlled by the Eagles. Isaac Castagnetto scored 20 of the Eagles' 49 second-half points. The Eagles stretched their lead to as many as eight points and walked out of NIC with a 76-71 comeback win.
Isaac Castagnetto led the Eagles with 25 points, 20 of which came in the second half. Ike Palmer (13), Kayin Turner (10), and Adam Grissom (10) also finished with double digits.
The Eagles (16-3, 3-1) will next head to Twin Falls, Idaho, for another ranked matchup, this time with the No. 11 College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 17, at 3:00 p.m.
