via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
Oregon Tech 81, Walla Walla 44
Jozie Ramos and Tatum Schmerbach each scored 14 points, with Oregon Tech using a commanding 50-6 edge in points in the paint to cruise past Walla Walla, 81-44, on K-12 Field Trip Day at Danny Miles Court.
Playing in front of hundreds of school aged fans from the Basin, the Lady Owls (13-3, 9-1 CCC) ran their win streak to seven – holding the visiting Wolves to 24.6% shooting from the field.
“We started quickly,” said head coach Joy Lease. “We executed in transition, which led to some easy baskets and allowed our starters to limit their minutes with a huge match-up tomorrow night vs. LC State.”
OIT scored the first 13 points of the game – getting baskets from Kennedy Tull, Alexis Elquist, Ramos and Schmerbach – holding WWU (4-13, 1-10) without a made field goal over the first five minutes.
The Owls extended the margin with a 17-1 flurry spanning the first and second quarters – as Kaitlyn Wright and Brooke Anderson each had two buckets – giving the hosts a 32-7 edge. Tech pushed the lead to 43-14 at the break – the fewest points in a half the Lady Owls have surrendered this season.
A 13-0 fourth quarter run gave OIT a 72-33 advantage, with Gabbie Gascon capping the surge with back-to-back transition lay-ups.
Ramos added 13 rebounds in the victory, with Gascon scoring nine points along with six rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Elquist posted 13 rebounds for Tech, as the Lady Owls finished with a 60-25 edge on the glass. OIT converted 50.7% of their field goals, the third-straight game above the 50% mark.
Natalee Trevino scored 13 points to lead the Wolves, with Chariah Daniels scoring 12.
Oregon Tech 80, Lewis-Clark State 65
Tatum Schmerbach recorded a double-double and Kennedy Tull canned four 3-pointers, as Oregon Tech earned a statement win, rolling to an 80-65 victory over No. 19-ranked Lewis-Clark State at Danny Miles Court.
The Lady Owls (14-3, 10-1 CCC) won for the eighth-straight time, picking up their second win this season against a Top-25 team. OIT set a new school-record by scoring 78-or-more points in their seventh-straight game.
Tech used a commanding 49-32 rebound edge, while making a season-high 24 free throws, outscoring the Warriors (14-4, 8-4) 24-5 at the foul line.
LC made three of their first four field goals, taking an 11-9 lead on a Tatum Brager 3-pointer – but missed their next six shots and committed two turnovers – as Tech took command.
Tull drained a long trey and Schmerbach added a pair of post baskets, part of a 16-0 run over a 5-minute stretch, giving the Lady Owls a 25-11 lead.
The Warriors battled back, scoring 10-in-a-row to cut the margin to 27-23, but Jozie Ramos converted twice on the block, as Tech took a 40-32 lead to the break.
OIT put the game out of reach in the third quarter – as Tull hit a 3-pointer and Schmerbach added six points in a 12-2 run that stretched the margin to 54-36, with a Gabbie Gascon triple giving the hosts their largest lead of the night at 63-40.
Schmerbach finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, with Tull scoring a season-high 17 points, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Gascon scored 16 points, adding eight rebounds and eight assists, with Ramos scoring 15.
Brager led LC with 14 points and point-guard Payton Hymas added 13 – with the Owls holding the Warriors to 6-of-25 shooting from 3-point range.
Tech continues their 4-game homestand next weekend, hosting College of Idaho on Friday and Eastern Oregon on Saturday for the 15th-annual Pink-Out, supporting Sky Lakes Breast Health Services.
