The Utah State Eastern men's basketball team suffered an 83-80 loss to the College of Southern Nevada on Wednesday in Henderson, Nevada, after the Coyotes hit a three-point shot with 15 seconds remaining.
The Eagles traveled to Southern Nevada for their first road game of the season and the first of three games this week.
In the first half, the Eagles struggled to find a rhythm offensively, shooting just 37% from the field and 28% from three-point range in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Despite the struggles, the Eagles' stellar defensive play gave Eastern an 18-14 lead halfway through the period. Eastern's largest lead of the half was seven points with seven minutes left, but the Coyotes responded with an 18-8 run and the Eagles trailed, 37-34, at the half.
Merrick Rillstone led Eastern with seven points at the half. He shot 3-6 from the field and contributed three rebounds.
In the second half, Southern Nevada's lead grew to as many as 13 points, but the Eagles fought back, eventually tying the game at 80 with 42 seconds remaining. The Coyotes hit a three with 15 seconds left, which proved to be the deciding factor as the Eagles fell, 83-80 in Henderson.
Bryton Valdes finished with 18 points, including 12 in a strong, second-half performance. Rillstone finished with 17 points and six rebounds and Ezias Steffen contributed 11 points on 4-11 shooting. The Eagles were outrebounded 43-31 but forced 22 CSN turnovers which were converted into 28 points for USU Eastern.
Next, the Eagles will travel to Yuma, Arizona to participate in the Region 18/Region 1 Challenge. They will face the hosts, Arizona Western College on Friday at 7:00 pm, then will face Eastern Arizona on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
