Chargers unleash The Beast on Chico.

Byline: Adam Jude The Register-Guard

Conventional basketball terminology doesn't work when describing Charles Easterling, which is why his Eugene Chargers teammates simply call him The Beast.

At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, he is too big and too wide for the average guard. Yet his speed and ballhandling also make him a mismatch for the typical forward.

"They tried everybody on him, and nobody could stop him," Eugene coach Scott Jones said after Easterling dazzled a crowd of about 400 in leading the Chargers to a 116-104 victory over the Chico Force in an International Basketball League game Thursday night at the Morse Event Center.

"He truly is The Beast," Jones said. "He dominated portions of this game."

Easterling was especially dominant early in the fourth quarter of a tie game.

Antwon Mills hit a turnaround jumper to give the Chargers (2-1) the lead for good at 86-84 with 10:30 to go, and Easterling followed with a three-minute stretch that sealed it.

In transition after a steal, he slowed down to wave at a trailing defender before rolling in an easy bucket.

He followed his own miss on the next possession with a rebound basket, then provided the sound effects to his own highlight reel with an emphatic roar.

"The coach was telling us we can't let up," said Easterling, who finished with 26 points and eight rebounds. "That whole three minutes, I had it in my head like, `Yeah, I take take this guy every time.' They kept switching (defenders) and I kept going at 'em.'

All game, the Chargers ran a series of isolation plays for Easterling, and on one such occasion during his spurt he broke down a smaller defender before finding Adam Zahn for an easy two-handed dunk.

"He's got some incredible moves," said Zahn, the former Duck.

"For his size, he plays huge. He catches you off-guard with his athleticism."

To cap off his own run, Easterling again broke down a smaller defender in the lane, using a wicked crossover between his legs to break free for a layup - a move you'd usually see only on a fuzzy, underground mix tape on YouTube.

"They thought because they were small they'd be quick enough to stay in front of me," Easterling said.

"They didn't want to put a big dude on me because I'm going to go right by him. It don't matter - it would've been the same thing inside and out."

By the time Easterling slowed down (his feet and his mouth) to rest on the bench, the Chargers had built a 100-90 lead with 7:22 left.

Easterling's play overshadowed the best game of the young season for Zahn, who had 21 points, eight rebounds, four dunks and one three-point field goal.

"I'm getting in the flow and getting used to playing with the other guys," Zahn said. "As a team, we're going to be best when we're in transition. We're an athletic, run-and-gun-type team. Personally, that's my favorite part of the game."

Jones said Zahn probably will be inserted in the starting lineup when the Chargers return home for an April 28 game against Central Oregon.

"He looked very good (Thursday)," Jones said. "He's still a little hesitant at times ... but he'll get more confident after a few more games."

With a bigger and more athletic lineup, Eugene led most of the first half until Chico (0-2) used a 15-4 run to take a 50-48 edge with 1:17 left in the second quarter.

Solomon Yearby scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Chargers, who play their first road game at Vancouver tonight.

Jamar Bohannon had 13 points, Tryian Ridges had 11 points and 11 assists, and Lamar Harris had 17 rebounds and five blocks.