Lady Owls Claim 78-74 Win Over Rival Raiders
Klamath Falls, Ore. – The Oregon Tech women’s basketball team had five players in double-figures while shooting 50.0% (13-26) from the 3-point line to claim a 78-74 victory over Southern Oregon University tonight at Danny Miles Court.
The Owls improve their season record to 10-6 and move to 3-4 in the conference standings. Southern Oregon drops to 11-4 on the year and even in CCC play at 3-3.
Nicole Morgan led the Owls with a double-double 17 points and 10 rebounds while also handing out six assists and three steals. Morgan shot 6-10 from the field, including 5-6 from the 3-point line. Lisa Busch netted 16 points while Meagan Miyasaka tied a season-high with 14 points. Amanda Johnston contributed 12 points followed by Kellie Morey with 11 points in the win.
Jacki Speer had a monster night scoring 32 points on 10-20 from the field and 12 of 17 from the free throw line, while also grabbing 10 boards. Rhiannon Dickison finished with 16 points followed by Ashley Baker with 14 in the loss.
Both teams battled even for the first 10 minutes of the game before the Owls were able to gain a nine point advantage, 24-15, with 6:51 remaining in the half.
SOU then continued to chip away, eventually cutting their deficit to one, before the Owls were able to bump the lead to 32-29 at the half.
Tech gained their only double-digit lead making it 40-30 Owls at the 17:44 mark of the second stanza, but an ensuing 15-5 Raider run then tied the game at 55-55 with 12:23 remaining. Five more ties would then leave the teams knotted at 64-64 with 4:19 to go in the game.
Oregon Tech then gained a five point advantage, but not before SOU would again cut the deficit to just one at 72-71 with 1:42 to play. A Tech 4-0 run then pushed the lead to 76-71. A 3-pointer on the Raiders next possession gave SOU hope, but Lisa Busch was able to ice the game on two free throws to give Tech the 78-74 win.
Next up for the Owls is Northwest Christian University on Friday, January 9, in Eugene. The tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. and can be heard on KLAD AM 960.