Oregon Tech Suffers First Loss in CCC Play

12/30/2015 11:54:45 PM

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Oregon Tech couldn’t overcome a nine point fourth quarter deficit, falling for the first time in Cascade Collegiate Conference play, tonight to Warner Pacific College, 73-65, at Danny Miles Court.

Oregon Tech fell to 10-4 overall and 4-1 in CCC play.  Warner Pacific improved to 9-1 on the season and remains undefeated in the conference standings at 5-0.

WPC got off to a hot start and after Kyeli Hendryx drilled a 3-pointer to open the game, the Knights rolled to a 25-12 lead after the first quarter.

An Ashleigh Vandenbrink trey got the Owls back to a single-digit deficit, 28-20, but the Knights pushed their advantage back to double-digits, 40-30, with 2:31 to go until the half.

Vandenbrink was on both ends of a 13-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers, with Tess Armstrong connecting on back-to-back treys in the run to give the Owls a 43-40 lead at intermission.

The teams traded baskets to begin the third quarter before WPC managed to move up six, 53-47, on a Daesha Jackson score.

Armstrong and Nohea Waiwaiole triples tied it at 53-all with 3:53 on the clock, before the Knights scored the final six, taking a 59-53 lead into the final stanza.

Two Tech free throws and a Megan Whetstone score got the Owls to within two points, 59-57, but WPC scored the next seven, moving up nine points, 66-57, with 3:44 remaining.

The Owls closed to within four points on three occasions, the last with 24 seconds to play, but the Knights iced the game on four-straight free throws, winning by the 73-65 score.

Morgan Roberts (pictured- by Kelly Caleb) and Megan Whetstone netted 13 points each and combined for nine rebounds in the loss for Tech.  Tess Armstrong added 12 points with Karly LeVeque 10 points and four steals.  Carly McIsaac grabbed a team-high six rebounds with Whetstone and Mary Drzayich recording four assists each. 

Lindsay Loe led all scorers with 19 points to go with a game-high six assists.  Daesha Jackson added 17 points and six rebounds with Kendra Preuninger and Taylor Howlett netting 11 points each in the win. 

Oregon Tech finished 22-of-59 (37.3%), including 9-for-23 from long distance.  Tech hit only 12-of-22 tries from the charity stripe with WPC holding a 38-32 edge on the boards.

WPC connected on 23-of-51 (45.1%) with an 11-for-21 effort from long range.  The Knights finished 16-of-17 from the free throw line.