KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Senior
Mitchell Fink scored 22 points in the second half and junior
Garret Albrecht earned a career high 24 points on Wednesday night at Danny Miles Court to lead No. 8 ranked Oregon Tech (25-6) to an 87-83 victory over Northwest Christian University in the Cascade Conference Tournament Quarterfinals.
"That's your typical first round game in the CCC," said OIT head coach
Justin Parnell. "NCU is a terrific team and is very well coached. Kudos to them for their energy tonight. Mitchell was unbelievable in the second half. He completely took over. Garret continues to play at a really high level and that makes us a much better group."
Northwest Christian ends their season with a 14-17 record. The Hustlin' Owls will continue on the road in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Semifinals presented by U.S. Bank as they travel to Ashland on Saturday at 7:00 pm to take on #2 seeded and No. 7 ranked Southern Oregon University at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
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Albrecht led the Owls out of the gate, scoring the first seven points for Tech as they pushed ahead 7-2 for an early advantage. The Beacons managed to wear away at the deficit but struggled to change the lead until a 7-0 boost sent them over the top.
The Hustlin' Owls caught up soon after and the game went back and forth, with neither team taking a clear advantage. The teams remained close to the half, though a last-minute basket from Northwest gave them a two-point edge to the locker room.
Northwest Christian pulled ahead early in the second half, going 16-for-4 over four minutes to take a 10-point lead. It didn't take long for nationally ranked Tech to break out of the deficit, however, with the team scoring a 10-0 run to tie things up just a few minutes later.
The game remained close from that point to the last two minutes, when the Owls pulled ahead on a basket and three-pointer from Fink. Albrecht notched an additional point from the charity stripe to put the possibility of a tie just out of reach as Tech held out to the end.
Albrecht scored game high with his 24 and also grabbed six rebounds. Fink followed with his 22 points and eight assists. Junior
Harrison Steiger scored 15 points, three steals, and one of the Owl's two blocks.
Four Beacons scored in double-digits, including Kaden Sand with 17, Stevie Schlabach with 16, Logan Davis with 14 points, five assists and four steals, and Shawn Carson, who scored 12 and grabbed seven boards.
The two teams fought hard, with 16 lead changes and 10 ties in the game.
Tech led 60-38 in the paint and held a 19-14 assisting edge.
NCU took a 26-12 advantage from their bench.
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