KLAMATH FALLS – Kami Walk poured in the highest point total for a Southern Oregon player in 28 years and dominated the fourth quarter to help the Raiders pull away for a 77-67 win over Simpson (Calif.) on Saturday at Danny Miles Court.
Walk, a sophomore forward from Eugene, scored 39 – putting her at No. 4 on SOU's all-time single-game list – and pulled down 12 rebounds for her third double-double in five games. She did it from all over the floor, shooting 11-of-17 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 15-of-16 from the line. Her free-throw make total was the fifth-highest in SOU history.
The Raiders trailed by one with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter after an Ellie Hamel jumper, but on SOU's ensuing possession Walk sparked a 14-2 Raider run in which she contributed nine points. Walk finished with 16 in the quarter and totaled 29 in the second half.
With their second win against Simpson (1-7), the Raiders improved to 4-1 heading into Tuesday's Cascade Conference opener against Oregon Tech. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
Redshirt-freshman post Clara Robbins added season-highs of 13 points and six rebounds for SOU, shooting 6-of-11 off the bench. Dominique Harding recorded nine points, six rebounds and three steals.
The Raiders shot just 39 percent compared to Simpson's 50 but maintained the edge by compiling a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds and committing just nine turnovers while forcing 22.
They faced a 37-34 halftime deficit after defeating the Redhawks by 39 points just 12 days ago.
Kalei Iwami struggled from the field in her first start but chipped in 10 points and hit a key 3-pointer during the game-swinging run.