KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Oregon Tech used a 25-4 run over a nine-minute stretch of the first half, helping the No. 25-ranked Lady Owls knock No. 6-ranked Lewis-Clark State out of sole possession of first-place in the Cascade Conference standings with a 76-61 victory at Danny Miles Court.
The late morning start did not faze OIT (24-3, 18-3 CCC), rallying behind hundreds of elementary school fans to defeat their highest-ranked opponent since a win over No. 3-ranked Marian at the 2019 NAIA Championships.
The Owls can clinch the No. 2-seed in the CCC Championships with a win tomorrow against Walla Walla and an LC loss at Southern Oregon, while an LC win at SOU would give the Warriors (23-3, 19-2) the league crown and OIT would head into the tourney as the third-seed.
Tech held the Warriors 16 points below their season scoring average, limiting LC to 5-of-21 shooting from 3-point range. The Owls recorded a 42-30 rebound edge – including 13 offensive boards that turned into 10 second-chance points.
Things were rosy early on for the hosts – as triples from Sitara Byrd and Callie Stevens gave LC a 10-4 lead four minutes into the game. The visitors would hit a road block in the form of the OIT defense – going 1-for-7 with four turnovers over the next nine minutes – as OIT took control of the game.
Inside baskets from Jozie Ramos and Tatum Schmerbach started the rally, with a Kennedy Tull triple giving the Owls their first lead. Olivia Sprague converted on the block and Kendall Fealey scored in transition, giving Tech a 19-12 lead after one quarter.
The run continued in the second quarter, as Gabbie Gascon splashed a trey and Tull followed with another, as OIT extended the margin to 29-14. A Fealey jumper late in the period extended the Lady Owls lead to 43-24.
LC answered in the third quarter, making five of their first seven field goal attempts, as Byrd knocked down back-to-back tough fade-away jumpers and Stevens added a 3-ball, cutting the deficit to 53-47.
OIT proved to be too much – holding the Warriors to 2-of-11 shooting in the fourth quarter – putting the game away with a 12-0 run. Alexis Elquist hit two mid-range jumpers and Tull added a 3-pointer in the flurry.
Sprague led all scorers with 22 points, adding eight rebounds and eight assists. Tull scored 14, Gascon and Ramos tallied 10, with Elquist scoring eight points and posting a game-high 10 rebounds.
Byrd led LC with 16 points and Stevens scored 15 in the loss – the worst regular-season setback by the Warriors since the 2020-21 COVID season.
Tech closes out the regular-season tomorrow night at 7 p.m. – hosting Walla Walla – with the club honoring seniors Jenna Wallace and Kayley Elliott.
