Ryan Fiegi had 30 points to lead OIT to a 74-71 win over second-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene Monday night.
OIT Downs MidAmerica Nazarene, Advances to Title Game vs. Bellevue
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – Oregon Tech is one win away from its second national championship in five seasons.
Led by Ryan Fiegi’s 30 points, the 11th-seeded Hustlin’ Owls dispatched of No. 2-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 74-71 Monday night to move into Tuesday night’s NAIA Division II final against top-seeded Bellevue (Neb.), which defeated Northwestern (Iowa) 70-67 in the other semifinal.
The title game, which will be televised live by CSTV, will tip off at 6:30 p.m. PST. It marks the third title-game appearance for the Hustlin’ Owls, who finished second in 1998 and defeated Bellevue to win the 2004 crown.
The championship game will also be streamed live over the Internet at www.cstv.com. Audio of the game, provided by OIT broadcasters Bobby Thompson and Mike Garrard, can be accessed at
www.oitsports.com.
The Pioneers (31-5), who trailed the entire second half, had a chance to tie the game with 7.6 seconds remaining, but Danny Hawkins, who had a game-high 31 points, made just one of two free throws to pull MidAmerica Nazarene within one, 72-71. After OIT broke the press and scored on a layup by Mike Nierath to go up by three, 74-71, a last-second 3-point attempt by MidAmerica Nazarene’s Adam Hepker was off the mark, setting off a wild celebration on the OIT bench and in the stands among the few hundred Owls supporters in attendance.
Like he has the entire tournament, Fiegi carried most of the offensive load for the Hustlin’ Owls (30-6), hitting 11 of 22 field goal attempts and 3 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc. The reigning Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Year also had a team-high four assists. After sparking OIT to a 35-32 halftime with 15 first-half points, Fiegi quickly went back to work after intermission, scoring nine points in the first 3:35 as OIT turned expanded its lead to 46-37.
Guard Jguwon Hogges, who finished with 10 points, was the only other Owl in double figures . Hogges hit a clutch 3-point field goal just before the shot clock expired with 5:42 remaining. OIT’s bench, led by eight points each from Myles Daley and Ryan Beesley, outscored the MidAmerica Nazarene reserves, 20-8.