Oregon Tech Rides Defensive Effort in Win Over Walla Walla
College Place, Wash. - Walla Walla kicked off their weekend series with the Owls of Oregon Tech earlier this afternoon. Fueled by a strong second quarter, the Owls (17-8, 11-4 CCC) extended their winning streak to seven games by knocking off the Wolves (2-22, 1-14 CCC), 79-38.
The opening quarter saw back-and-fourth action between both teams as the Wolves defense held the Owls to 27.8 percent shooting. A 3-pointer by Kyle Meadows broke a 12-12 tie as the Owls took a 15-12 lead heading into the second quarter. Owls' senior post Bailey Nelson cleaned up the offensive glass, recording five offensive boards while scoring six of her game-high 15 points in the opening period. Wolves' sophomore guard Carolina Montes paced the Wolves with seven points.
The Owls went on an 11-0 run to start the second quarter and built a 14 point lead. This run was fueled by stout defense as they held the Wolves scoreless for the first seven minutes of the quarter. Carolina Montes finally got the Wolves on the scoreboard by knocking down a pair of free throws at the 3:12. Sparked by their bench (14 points), the Owls went into halftime doubling up the Wolves, 32-16. Montes led the Wolves in scoring, recording nine of her team-high 14 points in the first half.
The Wolves responded by opening up the second half with bang. Wolves' freshman guard Holly Wagner wasted no time by knocking down a 3-pointer in the opening possession. Carolina Montes followed suit, converting a 3-point play to quickly cut the Owls lead to 11. After a 4-0 run by the Owls was answered with a 5-0 by the Wolves, Owls coach Scott Meredith took a timeout immediately following a Megan Morris layup that extended the Owls lead to 17 at the 5:10 mark. Coming out of the timeout, the Owls picked up the defensive pressure and ended the quarter on a 21-4 run, recoding 15 of those points from their full-court pressure. The Owls led after three quarters, 57-31.
The Owls continued their pressure to start the fourth quarter while adding on to their big lead. Oregon Tech went on to take game one against Walla Walla, 79-38.
Bailey Nelson recorded 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, six of those on the offensive glass. The Owls recorded 22 offensive rebounds that led to 22 second chance points.
Carolina Montes led the Wolves with 14 points while Holly Wagner had her best game of the season by scoring nine points on 3-4 from 3-point range.
The Wolves and Owls will now get some rest before facing off again Saturday, February 2 at 6:30 p.m. on
Windemuth Court.