The College of Eastern Utah men’s basketball season is officially over as of Friday. The Eagles however put up a good fight at the closing of the Scenic West Athletic Conference championships held in St. George.
The Eagles kicked off the SWAC tournament in the first round of play against the Utah Valley State College Wolverines, a team that successfully defeated the Eagles twice in the regular season. This fact only boosted the desire to win for the Eagles who came out in the tournament shooting.
By the end of the game, the Eagles found themselves on top of the scoreboard with a 71-69 victory over the Wolverines. The Eagles lead the Wolverines throughout the game, including a late first half lead of 38-12.
Patrick Stinnett and Skyler Wilson lead the Eagles in points with 18 each. Wilson scored 12 of these points with three point shots, completing 4-8 from the long distance line. Wilson has played a vital role in the Eagles successful season and has been unstoppable from the three point line, averaging 2.5 per game.
Nick Whiting also stepped up for the Eagles against the Wolverines. Whiting finished with 16 points, while dishing out two assists and stealing one ball from UVSC.
The victory boosted the Eagles to the semifinal round where they would meet the SWAC’s number one ranked team, the Dixie Rebels. The Eagles stepped up to the challenge however, with the team competing quite strong against the Rebels. The Eagles managed to hold the Rebels to a 46 percent shooting average. Despite this fact, the Rebels walked away victorious by the score of 80-74. The six point scoring gap was an accomplishment in itself for the fifth ranked Eagles team.
Stinnett once again lead the Eagles in scoring with 26 points, while pulling down two rebounds and handing out two assists.
Stinnett’s performance was quite valuable in the Eagles tournament appearance, along with Wilson’s who finished with 19 points, including a 2-4 three point shooting completion against the Rebels.
Wilson was also named to the all SWAC’s region 18 first team for his extraordinary performance not only during the tournament, but also throughout the season. Wilson has finished his CEU career with style.
The Eagles have had quite a successful season. Although many key players will be moving on next year, the Eagles look forward to rebuilding the team and moving on up the SWAC’s victory ladder.
Mens team finishes season with a semifinal defeat at tourney
