#8 Owls to Host Beacons for Wednesday Quarterfinal Game
Men's Basketball
February 25, 2020
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The No. 8 nationally ranked Hustlin' Owls will begin play in the 2019-20 Cascade Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Championship Tournament presented by U.S. Bank Wednesday night, hosting a quarterfinals game against Northwest Christian University at Danny Miles Court.
"This matchup should a great one for spectators," said head coach
Justin Parnell. "NCU is a young and very talented group and can put points on the board in a hurry. Their guards are extremely talented and put a lot of pressure on you to defend the drive."
This game is very important for us as we want to keep playing working on getting better. We were knocked out first round last year and haven't forgot that feeling.
Oregon Tech will enter the championship as the No. 3 seed with a 14-6 record over regular season play. The Beacons placed at No. 5 after losing the tiebreaker to Warner Pacific and hold a 9-11 conference record of their own. The teams split the regular season series this year, with NCU winning in Eugene 87-82 and Tech picking up the victory in Klamath Falls 112-91.
The Hustlin' Owls hold a 24-6 record on the year and are led by record-breaking First-Team All-American senior
Mitchell Fink (4rpg), who ranks first in the nation in total assists (209) and second in assists per game (7.2). Fink also leads the team in scoring – he averages 19.45ppg and recently broke Tech's record for career points. Fellow senior and NAIA Honorable Mention All-American
Seth Erickson has also proven himself as a force to be reckoned with, averaging 17.4 points and five rebounds per game.
Two other Owls average in the double-digits, including sophomore
Matt Van Tassell (11.7ppg) and junior
Harrison Steiger (10.5ppg). Oregon Tech ranks first in the nation in total rebound defense (28.62) and second in scoring margin (17.62), total rebound margin (12.86), and three-point field goal percentage (0.414).
Northwest Christian is led by junior Ernest Ugoagu, who averages 18.1 points and five rebounds per game. The team holds a 14-16 overall record on the year and ranks second in the nation in total blocks (158) as well as third in blocks per game (5.27). Freshmen Stevie Schlabach and Kaden Sand round off the Beacon's double-digit scorers, averaging 14.4 points per game and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
Wednesday's matchup will be the 62
nd meeting between the Beacons and Owls, with Tech leading the overall contest 46-15.
Probable Starters –
Northwest Christian: Ernest Ugoagu 6-2 JR (18ppg/5rpg); Logan Davis 6-1 SR (10ppg/3rpg/4apg) ; Shawn Carson 6-5 SR (7ppg/6rpg); Malik Corey 6-1 SO (9ppg/3rpg/3apg); Kaden Sand 6-5 SR (11ppg/5rpg)
Oregon Tech: Harrison Steiger 6-3 JR (11ppg/4rpg);
Seth Erickson 6-3 SR (18ppg/5rpg) or
Matt Van Tassell 6-7 SO (12ppg/5rpg);
Garret Albrecht 6-9 JR (10ppg/6rpg);
Scotty Burge 6-1 JR (6ppg/4rpg/3apg);
Mitchell Fink 6-1 SR (19ppg/4rpg/7apg).
Others to watch –
Northwest Christian: Stevie Schlabach 6-4 FR (14 ppg/4rpg); Logan Sand 6-3 FR (8ppg/4rpg); DeShawn Hobson 6-3 SO (5ppg/3rpg); Kaleb Amundi 6-8 FR (3ppg/2rpg).
Oregon Tech: Tyler Hieb 6-5 SR (9ppg/2rpg);
Lachlan McKimm 6-9 SO (6ppg/4rpg);
Jordan Henderson 6-9 SR (5ppg/3rpg).
Tipoff for Wednesday's game will be at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available starting at 9:00 am in the Athletics Office. Tickets can also be purchased online at
https://oregontech.universitytickets.com/, with pricing at $10 for reserved seats and $8 for general 5$ for seniors/military/OIT alumni.
Coverage of the game will be available on KLAD (92.5 FM) with Mike Garrard, Bobby Thompson, and Cooper Roberts calling the shots. The broadcast will start at 6:30 pm for the
Justin Parnell Coaches Show followed by the opening tip at 7:00 pm. Live audio and video streaming and live stats of all home games will be available at
www.OregonTechOwls.com.
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