via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
Oregon Tech 85, Multnomah 80
Erik Fraser drained a 24-foot 3-pointer with just over a minute to play, breaking an 78-78 tie, helping Oregon Tech clinch the No. 2-seed in the upcoming Cascade Conference Tournament with an 85-80 victory over the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University at Danny Miles Court.
The Hustlin’ Owls (21-6, 17-4 CCC) took the Lions best shot – falling behind by 15 points in the first half – but made 64% of their field goal attempts after the break, outscoring Nomah, 51-33, to complete the season sweep.
MCJU (16-10, 12-9) dominated the bulk of the first half, as Braedon Edison scored 9-straight points in a 17-1 run, staking the Portland school to a 24-11 lead. Tech cut the lead to 36-32 with three minutes left in the half, but 3-pointers by Noah Madsen and Lareel Stewart keyed 11-straight points to give the visitors their largest lead at 47-32.
Kam Osborn caught fire for Tech early in the second half, cutting the deficit to 50-41 with a 3-point play – adding back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the hosts with 58-56. Keegan Shivers canned a triple, Jamison Guerra drove to the basket for a deuce and Blake Jensen connected on two free throws, part of a 7-0 run, giving the Owls a 63-62 lead.
The clubs followed with eight lead changes over the next seven minutes, before Fraser caught a Guerra pass deep on the right side of the floor and buried the long triple. Stewart converted at the other end off a lob in the paint to pull MCJU within 81-80, but Osborn found Jensen for a lay-up with 35 seconds left to extend the Owls lead to three.
The Lions tried to tie, but a Keilan Torkornoo contested 3-pointer missed drew air. On the ensuing inbounds play, OIT found Jensen for a breakaway dunk – with the defense not allowing Nomah another point.
Osborn had 21 points and five assists, with Guerra scoring 10 of his 17 points after halftime. Jensen had 16 points and seven rebounds, Shivers had 13 points, with Fraser ending the night with 12 points and nine assists.
Edison led MCJU with 18 points and Stewart scored 16 – two of five Lions in double figures.
Oregon Tech 107, Warner Pacific 62
Oregon Tech honored six senior student athletes in style, as the No. 24-ranked Hustlin’ Owls ended the regular-season on a 4-game win streak, blowing past Warner Pacific, 107-62, at Danny Miles Court.
Each of the 14 players in uniform scored for OIT (22-6, 18-4 CCC), who will play host to Multnomah on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank.
Blake Jensen led the seniors with 14 points and six rebounds, Erik Fraser had 12 points and seven boards, with Keegan Shivers finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds. Kam Osborn scored eight, Jay Elmore had seven points and Jamison Guerra added six points and six assists – as the elder statesmen of the club played their final regular-season home game.
Tech started the game on a 20-6 run over the opening seven minutes, capped by a Jensen 3-point play. The Knights (11-16, 6-16) closed the margin to 36-31 on a long Adan Slater triple, but the rally was short-lived. OIT scored the next 16 points – Osborn converting twice in transition, Jackson Cooper grabbed a rebound and scored, Fraser scored twice on the baseline, with Dakota Reber and Elmore canning 3-pointers – ballooning Tech’s lead to 52-31.
The second half belonged to the reserves – as no OIT starter played more than eight minutes after the break. Quincy Townsend, playing in his fifth allowed game during a redshirt year, had 10 points and six rebounds, Jared Sucher scored 10 and Sean Chris Tresvant scored a career-high eight points – as the Owls got a season-high 57 bench points.
OIT limited WPU to 30% shooting in the second half and finished the night with a 60-23 rebound edge – including a 21-3 margin on the offensive glass.
In the loss, Cade Baker scored a career-high 24 points for the Knights.