Klamath Falls, Ore.- On Monday night, the Owls of Oregon Tech hosted their first ever meeting against the Red Wolves of Indiana University East at Danny Miles Court in Klamath Falls.
Tech entered tonight’s match up with a record of 6-3, coming off of a recent 24 point road victory over NCAA DIII Pacific University. The Red Wolves enter the contest on a three game losing streak with a record of 4-3. Included in those losses was the defending NAIA national champions, Marian University, who ended the Lady Owls season in 2016 at the National Tournament. Both the Owls and the Red Wolves were picked in the coaches Top 25 preseason poll, 20
th and 26
th respectively.
Off the opening tip, the Owls control the ball, with Carly McIsaac making the first basket of the game. The Red Wolves would hold their own though with both teams making defensive stops and trading buckets on the offensive end, before a 5 point swing in favor of the visiting team would force a timeout. The Red Wolves would come out of the timeout on fire on both ends of the court, keeping Tech scoreless, while extending the lead to 9 over the next 3:00 minutes. At the end of the first quarter, the visitors would stretch the lead to 12 points with a score of 10-22.
In the second half, the Red Wolves aggressive defense would pick up 4 quick fouls, forcing them to back off a bit, while leaving the door open for the Owls to fly through. Nohea Waiwaiole would get on a hot streak, hitting on 4 of 5 attempts, one of them a big 3-pointer, helping to close the point differential. The Owls 13-3 scoring run would bring the score to 23-25 before a media timeout would break up the play.
Coming off the timeout, Megan Morris would hit on a 2-point attempt leveling the score at 25-25. The remainder of the half would see the two teams slug it out on both ends of the court, as the teams enter the half with a score of 33-34 in favor of the visiting team. Waiwaiole leading the way for the Owls with 15 points and sophomore Mackenzie Campbell with 10 points for the Red Wolves.
The second half of action would have both teams pick up right where they left off, running hard and slugging it out. The defensive efforts by both teams would limit the scoring, but keep the intensity of the game exciting. Finally the speed of play would catch up with the Red Wolves, leaving gaps in their defense that Tech would start to exploit. The Owls pulled away going on a 9-4 scoring run, taking them into a timeout with a 4 point lead. The third quarter of play would see both teams score 17 points, with just :30 seconds left on the clock. Tech would work the last possession and find the hands of senior Ashleigh Vandenbrink behind the three-point line. Vandenbrink would hit the open shot to send the Owls up 53-51 to end the quarter.
Vandenbrink would continue her shooting in the fourth quarter, hitting her next two attempts from behind the 3-point line, while Morris would collect an easy pass over the top for a fast break lay-in, taking the home teams lead to 8 points before a Red Wolves timeout would halt the play for them to regroup.
The Owls would stay hot, extending their lead to double digits and not looking back to close out the game. Vandenbrink would finish the game scoring 15 points in the 4
th quarter and tying her career high with 22 points, while Waiwaiole would have a career high night leading the Owls in scoring with 28 points as the Owls win with a score of 83-69.
The Owls move to 7-3 on the season, as they look to begin play in the CCC on December 9
th on the road at Northwest Christian University. They will return home on the weekend of December 17
th and 18
th.