Fiegi's 41 Leads OIT over Concordia
PORTLAND, Ore—In a back and forth affair inside the Cavalier Gymnasium, a pair of last-second buckets by Oregon Tech to close out each half turned out to be the difference maker as the Owls defeated Concordia 81-79 in men’s basketball conference action.
With the result, Oregon Tech moved to 14-2 on the season and 5-1 in Cascade Collegiate Conference matches while Concordia dropped its fifth straight game for a 5-9 overall mark and 1-4 in the CCC.
After trailing by six early in the first, Concordia erased the deficit and managed to swing the score to a five-point advantage by the 3:06 mark with an 11-2 run capped by a three-point play by Matt Ochs (Clackamas, Ore./Clackamas H.S.).
After the teams traded scores on two occasions, and the Cavs still holding a five-point edge, a Ryan Fiegi (Medford, Ore./South Medford) jumper and a long-ranged three by Mike Nieraeth (Bonanza, Ore./Bonanza H.S.) with two seconds left on the game clock would send the Owls into the locker room with the match nodded at 43.
For the game, Fiegi would run up a career-high 41 points after firing for 13-of-23 from the floor and 7-of-10 from behind the three-point arc.
Concordia would generate the first seven points after the break for the 50-43 lead and would stretch the gap to 10 points with a three-point shot by Desmond Meray (Spanaway, Wash./Bethel H.S.) with 8:33 remaining.
With a quick response, the Owls streaked back with an 18-1 run led by 10 points by Fiegi and five by Jguwon Hogges (Atwater, Calif.) to stake a seven-point lead of their own with just over three minutes on the timer.
In yet another streak, Concordia rattled off six straight via a Steven Vaughan (Milwaukie, Ore./Rex Putnam H.S.) layup and a pair of buckets by Meray to close to within one with under a minute to play in regulation. After a pair if Fiegi free throws, netting the senior his 41st point, Vaughan delivered with his fourth successful three-point launch with 13 seconds left to create the game’s first tie of the second half.
Thoughts of an additional period were quickly erased as Hogges penetrated the lane and found the net with an awkward layup as time expired to give the Owls the last-second win.
For Concordia, Vaughan scored a team-high 21 points while Matt Ochs scored an efficient 17 points after hitting 8-of-9 field goals. Ochs nearly captured his first double-double of the season after collecting a game-high nine rebounds, seven of which came from the offensive variety.
Team stats favored the Cavaliers in steals, turnovers, assists and rebounds, but a 5-of-15 performance from the free throw line against 17-of-23 from the Owls provided an equalizer.
Concordia returns to action on Jan. 8 when it travels to Corban College. Opening top is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Salem, Ore.