KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Lady Owls (18-11, 12-7 CCC) took down Warner Pacific (12-15, 9-10 CCC) on Friday night at Danny Miles Court in a foul-laden game, using a third quarter run to overcome an eight-point deficit and win 76-67.
 
"I'm so proud of our team for the way they played and handled themselves in a close, very physical game," said head coach Scott Meredith. Warner jumped all over us in the first quarter and we spent the rest of the half digging ourselves out of that hole. Our crowd and the support they gave us was a huge factor in keeping up our energy and overcoming some difficult situations. We are excited to play at home again tomorrow.
 
The Knights fought their way into the first quarter with strong offense and defense, scoring 13 points and holding Tech scoreless. The Owls made their first basket four minutes into the stanza and from there a 9-2 run helped them regain lost ground, but the period ended in favor of WPU, 20-11.
 
Oregon Tech continued to play catch up through the second quarter, countering an 8-0 push from Warner with an 11-2 but still lagged at the half 34-28.
 
That changed in the third as the Lady Owls went on a 20-for-3 run to move from an eight-point deficit to a nine-point advantage, outscoring the Knights 24-13 in the stanza.
 
The final period featured back-and-forth action as Warner Pacific fought to regain the lead but OIT held on to victory.
 
Junior Amanda Constant led Oregon Tech with a near double-double, scoring 18 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Makaila Napoleon followed up with 13 points and two blocks, and sophomore Courtney Clemmer scored 11 points and six boards.
 
Gabriella Bruno took game high honors and led the Knights with 19 points. Kali Kruger tallied another 12 points and four blocks and Darbi Pink scored 11.
 
The Owls were able to score 22 from the free-throw line in the game, with Warner adding 18 from the charity stripe as both teams struggled with heavy fouling – the Knights committed 26 and Tech committed 19.
 
Oregon Tech led in most other stats, taking a 50-38 rebounding advantage, a 17-10 assisting edge, and a 32-16 lead from their bench.
 
Warner Pacific earned a 15-12 advantage with points off turnovers despite only forcing 14 while the Owls forced 16.
 
The Lady Owls will play their final regular season game tomorrow night at 5:30pm at Danny Miles Court against Multnomah University. The team will then take part in the Cascade Collegiate Tournament, with the first game set for Tuesday at 7:00pm with the location to be decided. The Owls are currently tied for fourth place with Corban University.
 
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