Eastern University Men's Basketball battled to an overtime win over a Montana Tech in the first game of the Hoop 'N Surf Classic in Honolulu. Five players scored in double-figures for the Eagles. Eastern overcame a ten point deficit in the last ten minutes of the regulation to force the extra period.

Montana Tech, a NAIA Division I team full of scholarship athletes, started a big front line with three players over 6-6. That front line looked even bigger when Eastern center Daryl Leegwater picked up his second foul in the second minute of game action. Joe Manzo entered the game for Leegwater and played much of the remainder of the first half. Manzo used inside moves and a nice touch from the perimeter to score 14 points by halftime. The Eagles forged a five point lead with six minutes to play, but a 14-6 run by the Orediggers put the Eagles down 35-32 at the break.

Montana Tech took care of the ball for the early part of the second half and built a 61-51 lead with ten minutes to play. Freshman guard Eric Spence came into the game at that point and gave the Eagles an immediate lift with consecutive three point baskets to spark a 12-2 burst. The Eagles forced the 'Diggers into 23 turnovers on the game and were able to take advantage of several transition baskets in that spell to tie the game.

From there, the game went back and forth over the last 7 minutes of regulation, and the Eagles took a two point lead 75-73 with just over a minute to play. Montana Tech's Serbian standout Dusan Veselinovic hit a three point play to put the 'Diggers up by one with 25 seconds to play. Danny Miller, who finished the game with 13 points, split a pair of free throws to tie the game.

Out of a timeout, the 'Diggers looked for the last shot, and the strategy seemed to have worked when they scored an inside basket with 3.7 seconds left on the clock. Eastern Assistant Coach Ryan Livingston said of the time out that followed, "We tried to calm everyone down and we drew up a play for Brent to push the ball and look to create. We work on these situations in practice, but you never know for sure how they will work out until you get a chance in a game." Williams made the most of the chance as he pushed the ball at top speed and made his way all the way to the rim. His shot fell as time expired.

The Eagles committed to not wasting the heroics of their senior point guard. They took an early seven point advantage in the extra period and held on to win 90-88. Manzo and Spence each finished with 14 points, and Matt Flanagan joined Miller with 13 points. Mike Johnson scored 10 points for the Eagles. Williams scored just two baskets in the game for four points, but he contributed five rebounds, five assists, and six steals to the winning effort.

Livingston said of the game, "This was a great game for us in a lot of different ways. We had to battle back and execute under pressure down the stretch. They were big and talented and we had to use our depth and pressure to overcome that. We are having a good time in Hawaii, and it is a lot more fun with a win."

The Eagles will not have too much time to relax as they return to action at 9:00 am local time against NAIA power Walsh University.