Lavar Moore led the Owls with 31 points, his sixth 30+ point performance this season. Tech would fall to SOU by an 84-40 final. (photo by Kelly Caleb)
Southern Oregon Holds on Late to Win 84-80
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Oregon Tech held a 74-73 lead with just over two minutes to go but a Jordan West jumper gave No. 10 Southern Oregon University the lead for good and the Hustlin’ Owls fell in Cascade Collegiate Conference men’s basketball action by an 84-80 final tonight at Danny Miles Court.
Oregon Tech drops to 12-7 overall and 5-4 in CCC play. The win for Southern Oregon, their seventh-straight over the Owls, improved them to 17-3 on the season and 7-2 in the conference standings.
Lavar Moore recorded a team-high 31 points, including a 7-for-10 effort from the 3-point line and seven assists. Brandon Bautista added 15 points and seven assists with Austen Flint chipping in 14 points and Kyle Waits a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Eric Thompson knocked down a game-high 32 points to lead the Raiders to the win, while Jordan West recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Weber added 12 points, six rebounds and six assists and Ben DeSaulnier 10 points in the game.
Oregon Tech held a pair of six point leads early, the last at 10-4, but it was SOU, and their 14-2 run, that led to their own six point advantage, 18-12, nearing the midway point of the first half.
SOU held the same six point margin, 28-22, but when an Eric Thompson triple capped an 8-2 spurt, the visitors went up 36-24 with under two minutes to go in the opening period.
Brandon Bautista’s trey on the Owls’ next possession got it back to a nine point deficit, with another Bautista basket at the buzzer getting Tech to eight down, 39-31, at the break.
Tech dashed out of the intermission on a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to 39-38, keeping it close at 41-40 three minutes in.
SOU, however, went on an ensuing 10-3 run and continued to hold the eight point advantage at 54-46 with 12 minutes remaining.
The Owls chipped away over the next seven minutes with another Bautista score getting the Owls to within a point at 63-62.
SOU moved up five points, 73-68, on a Tim Weber basket with just over three minutes to play.
Laver Moore continued to keep the Owls within striking distance, and a trey with 2:49 to go pulled the Owls to within two, 73-71. An SOU turnover, on their next possession, led to a triple from Austen Flint, as the Owls took their first lead since the 12:50 mark in the first half.
Jordan West, however, would score on SOU’s next possession to give the visitors a 75-74 lead with 1:45 on the clock with the Raiders connecting on 7-of-8 free throw tries down the stretch to secure the 84-80 win.