The Utah State Eastern men's basketball team hit the road to face Salt Lake Community College for the second time this season. The first time these teams met, Eastern willed their way to a 78-72 win.

In the first half of the contest, the Eagles found themselves down early. The Bruins used a hot start to separate themselves from the Eagles, with Eastern finding themselves down by 10 points halfway through the first half. The offense continued to struggle, and the Eagles soon found themselves trailing by 18 points, their largest deficit of the night. The Eagles entered the half down 24-35.

Ike Palmer and Bowen Davies each had six points in the first half. The Eagles went to the free-throw line 13 times in the first half but shot just 46% from the line.

The second half featured a rejuvenated Eagles squad. After five minutes in the half, Eastern trimmed SLCC's lead to single digits. A tip-in at the rim by Robbie Yates gave Eastern their first lead since early in the first half, 57-56. Eastern held that lead until the end of the second half, where two SLCC free throws tied the game at 66, sending the game into overtime.

Overtime was all Easter, outscoring the Bruins 13-2 in the extra five minutes. This dominant period led to a 79-68 Eastern victory.

Ike Palmer was Eastern's leading scorer, finishing with 25 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Bowen Davies (15), Seven Bahati (12), and Isaac Castagnetto (10) all finished in double figures.

The win gives Eastern a three-game lead over North Idaho and Salt Lake, who are tied for fourth place. Eastern sits at 6-4 in conference play, good enough for third place in the current standings.

Next for Eastern is a trip to face top-ranked Snow College. The Eagles and Badgers are scheduled to play on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7:00 p.m.