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Utah State (9-3) plays its final non-conference game of the 2018-19 season on Friday night, hosting Eastern Oregon (8-8, 4-2 CCC) inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Dec. 28, at 7 p.m.

Opening Tips
• Utah State leads the all-time series against Eastern Oregon 1-0, last facing the Mountaineers during the 1941-42 season.

• Utah State has never lost a regular season game against a non-Division I opponent and is a perfect 25-0 against NAIA schools since 1973.

• Utah State is best in the Mountain West in ending possessions, averaging a league-best 31.7 defensive rebounds per game to rank fourth in the nation. The Aggies also lead the MW in defensive rebounding percentage (.793).

• Utah State is the only team in the Mountain West that carries a rebounding margin in double digits, outrebounding the opposition by 11.7 per game to rank sixth in the nation.

• Utah State ranks fourth in the nation in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to 36.1 percent (252-of-699).

• Utah State leads the Mountain West in both offensive and defensive shooting percentage, shooting 48.5 percent (342-of-705) from the floor and holding opponents to 36.1 percent (252-of-699).

• Utah State's posts are all averaging double figures and more than five rebounds per game over the last five contests. Senior forward Dwayne Brown Jr. leads the way in scoring with 12.6 points per game, followed by freshman center Neemias Queta with 11.0 and senior forward Quinn Taylor with 10.4. Queta is tops among the group with 8.8 rebounds per game, followed by Taylor with 6.0 and Brown with 5.0.

• Queta has recorded at least one block in every game this season, making it the longest streak for an Aggie since the 2014-15 season. Queta leads the MW with 2.3 blocks per game. Queta has totaled 28 blocks this season to rank fourth all-time for a freshman in Utah State history.

Scouting Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon, picked fifth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, is an NAIA school located in La Grande, Ore. The Mountaineers are currently 8-8 on the year and 4-2 in league play. The game on Friday night will count as an exhibition for EOU.

Eastern Oregon is averaging 87.5 points per game and shooting 47.0 percent (463-of-985) from the floor, 41.1 percent (156-of-380) from behind the 3-point line and 76.9 percent (230-of-299) at the free throw line. Sophomore guard Jordan May leads the team individually with 22.4 points per game, followed by junior guard Landon Jones with 12.3 and junior guard Joel Anderson with 12.1. Junior center Jarek Schetzle leads EOU on the glass with 5.9 rebounds per game, while Anderson leads the team with 4.9 assists per game.

Defensively, teams are scoring 84.6 points per game against Eastern Oregon and shooting 45.2 percent (425-of-940) from the floor, 35.4 percent (134-of-378) from behind the 3-point line and 72.2 percent (285-of-395) at the free throw line. Schetzle leads EOU with 1.3 blocks per game, totaling 17 on the year, and Anderson leads the team with 1.6 steals, totaling 24 this season.

Rookie Coaching Starts
Utah State is off to its best start under a first-year head coach in school history as Craig Smith has led the Aggies to a 9-3 record over their opening 12 games, matching the start by Ladell Andersen during the 1961-62 season.

Holding Teams to Season Lows
Utah State has held three opponents to their lowest shooting percentages of the year, including Saint Mary's (.290), Northern Iowa (.310) and Alabama State (.207).

Mountain West Leaders
Utah State leads the Mountain West in nine statistics, including scoring defense (65.5), scoring margin (+15.7), free throw percentage (.768), field goal percentage (.485), field goal percentage defense (.361), rebounding offense (42.1), rebounding margin (+11.6), defensive rebounds (31.7), defensive rebound percentage (.793).