via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
Oregon Tech 85, Northwest 56
Oregon Tech opened the second half on an 18-0 run coupled with a 52-23 rebound edge pull into a first-place tie in the Cascade Conference standings with an 85-56 win over Northwest University at Danny Miles Court.
The fourth win in a row for the Hustlin’ Owls (9-3, 5-1 CCC) coupled with a College of Idaho home loss to Corban, moved Tech into a 4-way tie for the top spot in the league standings.
OIT held the Eagles (2-10, 1-5) to 38% shooting from the floor and 3-of-22 from 3-point range – the fifth-straight foe to make under 44% of their attempts and the sixth-straight opponent to shoot under 30% from long range.
Tech converted a season-high 23 free throws in the win – including eight in a 15-0 first half run that built a 31-13 lead – with Kam Osborn and Blake Jensen adding lay-ups and Keegan Shivers splashing a trey.
NU cut the margin to 38-28 with a 11-3 run of their own, as Nash Wobrock five of his team-high 14 points in the flurry.
Leading 43-30 at the break, OIT forced seven turnovers and held NU without a made field goal over the first seven minutes of the second half – as Osborn hit consecutive lay-ups to start the run and Shivers capped it with a long triple – giving the hosts their largest lead of the night at 61-30.
Erik Fraser led the Owls with 14 points and seven rebounds, Osborn had 13 points and five assists, with Shivers logging 12 points and 10 boards. Tech outscored the Eagles 15-2 in second chance points and tallied 22 points of NU miscues.
Oregon Tech 103, Evergreen State 58
Blake Jensen led six Oregon Tech players in double figures with 18 points and 12 rebounds, as the Hustlin’ Owls remained in a 3-way tie for first-place in the Cascade Conference standings with a 103-58 win over Evergreen State at Danny Miles Court.
The Hustlin’ Owls (10-3, 6-1 CCC) extended their win streak to five games, knocking down 10 3-pointers – part of a 59% shooting night from the floor – while outrebounding the Geoducks, 46-20. Tech ran the lanes, posting 28 fast break points while getting 53 points from their reserves.
OIT broke the game open early on, as Jamison Guerra canned a 3-pointer, Jackson Cooper recorded consecutive inside baskets, Keegan Shivers scored twice drives to the bucket and Jensen powered home a two-hand jam, part of a 15-2 run that built a 26-10 lead.
Shivers, Jay Elmore and Grant Tull drained consecutive 3-pointers late in the half to balloon the margin to 52-28, with Elmore knocking down back-to-back triples early in the second half to extend the lead to 70-39.
The onslaught continued, as a steal and dunk from Dakota Reber, followed by lay-ups from Tull and Jensen gave Tech a 92-49 edge, with a Logan Thebiay dunk pushing the Owls past the 100-point mark for the second time this season.
Shivers had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists; Cooper, Reber and Kam Osborn each scored 10, as did Tull – which was a career-high. Elmore was a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range in the win.
The Geoducks (1-8, 1-6) got 17 points from Jerry Boston Jr. and 13 points from Garret Long in the loss.
OIT heads to Portland next weekend for road dates at Warner Pacific and Multnomah.
