Southern wears down Oregon Tech for 73-57 win
SOU Sports Information
ASHLAND – On a night when offensive highlights were often at a premium, Southern Oregon leaned on defense and execution as it wore down Oregon Tech for a key 73-57 win Thursday night at Mountain Avenue Gym.
Tiani Bradford scored eight in the fourth quarter to finish with 17 points and five rebounds, Demi Sahlinger went for 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, and the Raiders (14-1 overall, 7-0 Cascade Conference) pulled away late to lock down their 24th straight home conference victory and 14th in a row overall.
They moved two games ahead of the Owls (12-5, 5-2) in the standings, keeping pace with 19th-ranked Eastern Oregon as the only teams with perfect CCC records going into Sunday's 1 p.m. home game against last-place Walla Walla.
OIT was held to 34-percent shooting, going 10-for-32 in the second half without a 3-point make, and committed 19 turnovers. SOU shot 44 percent (25-for-57) and matched a season-low with eight turnovers for its fourth consecutive win over the Owls.
SOU's lead was 49-43 when Sahlinger was fouled shooting a jumper with two seconds left in the third quarter. She hit both free throws and the Owls never got any closer.
Up 59-49 midway through the fourth, Toria Bradford picked Morgan Roberts-Ili's pocket and went coast to coast for a layup. Leading by 12 with 3:47 left, Sahlinger found Tiani Bradford for a 3-pointer that made it 66-51, ending any thoughts of a comeback.
SOU only got seven points from its bench, but all five starters scored in double figures: Autumn Durand logged 13 points and seven rebounds, Toria Bradford had 11 points, four rebounds and two steals, and Casey Williams was solid again with 10 points and eight boards.
OIT leading scorer Ashleigh Vandenbrink scored nine points in the first quarter but just six the rest of the game. Roberts-Ili added 13 points and seven assists, and reserve Bailey Nelson added 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Raiders ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run to go up 19-15. Up 36-35, Majerle Reeves hit a 3-pointer and Durand added a free throw to make it 40-35 at halftime.
The Raiders have held three straight opponents under 40-percent shooting. They've also totaled fewer turnovers than their opposition 13 games in a row.