KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Jay Elmore had a perfect second half, scoring all 16 of his points in the second half on 6-of-6 shooting, helping Oregon Tech outlast Multnomah, 82-75, at Danny Miles Court.
The No. 24-ranked Hustlin’ Owls (11-2, 6-1 CCC) extended their win streak to five games, joining a pack of five teams within a half game of the lead in the conference standings.
Following a nearly two-hour delay for the start of the game due to travel issues with the Lions (7-7, 2-6) club, both teams played a sluggish first half – each shooting under 40-percent from the field, with the squads heading into the break knotted up at 34-34.
The Portland school built a 43-40 lead early in the second stanza – before Elmore energized the home faifthul. The junior canned a long 3-pointer and added a fade-away jumper and a running one-hander, part of an 11-0 run that flipped the momentum.
Multnomah cut the margin to 68-61 on a Tyrese Taylor lay-up with four minutes remaining, but Elmore hit his fourth triple of the half with the shot clock winding down to extend the lead back to double-digits.
Free throws sealed the win for OIT – making 8-of-10 freebies in the last three minutes.
The 16 points from Elmore was a season-high – one of five Hustlin’ Owls in double-figures. Both Keegan Shivers and Jamison Guerra had double-doubles – Shivers finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds, with Guerra recording 10 points and 10 assists. Kam Osborn scored 14 and Blake Jensen added 15 in the win.
Taylor scored a game-high 19 points in the loss for Multnomah, with Miles Macadory coming off the bench to score 18.
Tech heads out on the road next week for games at Walla Walla and Lewis-Clark State.
