Gonzaga men's basketball to host Eastern Oregon in exhibition game

The Zags and Mountaineers are scheduled to face off for the third consecutive season

As the 2023-24 college basketball season nears, each passing day sheds more light on the Gonzaga Bulldogs' nonconference schedule.

Following the season opener against Yale, the Zags will host a familiar NAIA program in the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers on November 14 in an exhibition matchup at the McCarthey Athletic Center. It will be the third consecutive season the two programs face off in Spokane.

Eastern Oregon, located in La Grande, Oregon, capped off the second year of the Chris Kemp era at 21-11 and 16-6 in conference play. The Mountaineers fell short against the College of Idaho in the CCC Championships but still qualified for the NAIA National Championships for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. 

Heading into the 2023-24 season, Kemp returns all five starters from last season to mix with four incoming freshmen and five transfers added over the offseason. Leading scorer Phillip Malatare (18.3 points per game) returns to the ranks along with seniors Emmit Taylor III, and Ismael Valdez. Adam Orr also returns for his fifth year.

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The matchup with Gonzaga marks the 10th Division-1 program the Mountaineers will have faced in the last six seasons. 

The Zags set the program record for widest margin of victory in a 78-point win over Eastern Oregon last December. All five starters scored in double figures with each playing less than 21 minutes, as Gonzaga shot 70.4% from the field.

The 2021-22 season tipped off with an exhibition match between Gonzaga and Mountaineers, a 115-62 victory for Chet Holmgren and the Zags.