Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

COMING UP: at Eastern Oregon, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; at College of Idaho, Saturday, 5 p.m. (MST)
 
92.5 KLAD-FM TO CARRY ALL 28 GAMES: All 28 regular-season men's basketball games, along with all potential postseason contests, will be broadcast live in the Klamath Basin on Oregon's Country Giant, 92.5 KLAD-FM. Hall of Fame Voice of the Owls, Bobby Thompson, returns for his 33rd year behind the microphone, joined by new OIT sports information director, Mike Safford. Each broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off with the Justin Parnell Show, with fans outside the KLAD listening area able to listen online.
 
WATCH LIVE: Both weekend road games will feature an online video stream for fans unable to make the trip. Friday's game at Eastern Oregon will have Live Video through the Mountie Sports Network (PPV - $7.95), with Live Stats through the EOU SIDEARM Stats Portal. Saturday's game at College of Idaho will have Live Video through the Yotes Digital Network (PPV - $10.00) with Live Stats through C of I's SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
OVERTIME WIN: Last Saturday, Tech used a furious second half rally to force overtime, eventually earning an 84-79 win at Simpson. It was the 69th overtime game in program history – and the first road overtime win since the 2011-12 season. The Owls have a 33-36 combined record in all-time overtime games – which have featured six double-overtime and four triple-overtime contests.
 
BIG SECOND HALF: The Owls struggled offensively in the first half against Simpson, converting 31-percent of their field goal attempts. Things changed after the break, as OIT overcame a 12-point deficit in the period to earn the victory. Tech made 21 of their final 36 field goal attempts, including 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range after halftime, earning their 44th-straight win over the Redhawks.
 
GUERRA HAS CAREER NIGHT: Guard Jamison Guerra had a banner night in Redding, scoring a career-high 24 points in the overtime win. The sophomore made 8-of-12 field goals, including a pair of 3's – adding a career-high five rebounds and five assists. It marked Guerra's 17th double-digit scoring game of his career and the 15th time he has logged 5-or-more assists.
 
ELMORE COMES UP CLUTCH: Tech would not have won Saturday's game at Simpson without the late-game heroics of Jay Elmore, who hit a pair of triples in the final three minutes – including a tying 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to force the extra session. The transfer scored a season-high 12 points, improving his 3-point percentage to 43-percent – while becoming the lone Hustlin' Owl this season to record a made 3-pointer in every game.
 
SHIVERS FILLS STAT SHEET: Another game, another full stat column for guard Keegan Shivers in the win over Simpson. The sophomore scored 16 points, adding eight rebounds and three assists, including a big 3-pointer to open up the overtime period. Shivers has recorded 6-or-more rebounds in five of the six games this season and is making 42-percent of his 3-point attempts.
 
UP FRONT: The tandem of Kody Bauman and Kaison Faust proved big dividends for OIT at Simpson, as the two forwards played key minutes in the victory. Bauman converted 5-of-6 field goals, scoring 10 points with eight rebounds – improving his season field goal percentage to nearly 65-percent. Faust had his best game of the season, making 4-of-6 field goals, scoring 10 points with eight rebounds – upping his field goal percentage to 63-percent.
 
BLOCK STREAK ROLLS ON: Joey Potts continued his stellar defensive play, recording three blocks in Saturday's win at Simpson. The senior has recorded 2-or-more blocks in 7-straight games dating back to last season, with his 19 blocks already No. 44 on the OIT single-season list. Potts has recorded 3-or-more blocks in 3-straight games and has 12 career games with at least two blocks.
 
CONFERENCE PLAY UNDERWAY: Cascade Conference play begins in earnest this weekend, as all 12 teams will play back-to-back games. The regular-season champion following the 22-game, home-and-home, double round-robin schedule, will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships, as will the winner of the 8-team CCC Championships.
 
TOUGHEST TRIP ON THE DOCKET: For the Hustlin' Owls, the annual trek to Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho has proven to be the most difficult road swing in the Cascade Conference. If having just 18.5 hours to prepare for C of I (as the team will lose an hour heading to the Mountain Time Zone) was difficult enough, Quinn Coliseum and the J.A. Albertson Activities Center are among loudest venues in the circuit. Since EOU and C of I became travel partners in 2001, Tech has swept the road swing just three times (2003, 2005, 2018) – while the Owls have been swept on the trip on six occasions. The Idaho portion has been particularly tough, as the Owls are a combined 10-27 all-time in C of I's arena – with the last win coming in 2017-18.
 
LONGTIME RIVAL: Outside of Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon has been the Owls longest rival – as the two teams have met 188 times dating back to 1950, with Tech holding a 115-73 series lead. The two teams met every season from 1950-81 and after a two-year hiatus during the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, have met every year since. EOU won 11-of-12 games against OIT during the mid-1960's, while the Owls won 20-in-a-row over a 10-year span from 1996-2006.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EASTERN OREGON: The trip starts in La Grande against Eastern Oregon, as the Mountaineers (3-3) will be playing their second home game of the season. EOU has averaged 70 points per game – but are converting just 41-percent of their field goal chances and have a negative rebound margin. The Mounties have a solid unit, paced by All-CCC guard Phillip Malatare (15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), with Idaho State transfer Emmit Taylor (12.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Carroll transfer Malachi Afework (11.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg) both dynamic scorers. OIT has picked up wins in eight of the last 10 meetings, including a sweep of the series in 2021-22.
 
CLASH OF SMALL COLLEGE TITANS: OIT and College of Idaho have dominated the small-college basketball landscape over the past 40 years – making more national tournament appearances than any other programs in the region. The Hustlin' Owls have three national titles and six national semifinal appearances in 22 national tournament trips, while C of I claimed a national title and three semifinal appearances in 24 trips to the national tourney.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – COLLEGE OF IDAHO: Saturday's match-up with defending CCC champ, College of Idaho, marks the Owls fourth game this season vs. a Top-10 team, as the Yotes (5-1) enter play ranked No. 4 in the NAIA. C of I boasts a 5-game win streak since an opening loss at then No. 1-ranked Arizona Christian and takes a 23-game home win streak and a 24-game home conference win streak into the weekend. The Coyotes can score the basketball – averaging 81 points and game, make 45-percent of their field goals and hold a sizeable plus-nine rebound margin – but have allowed opponents to make 42-percent of their 3-point attempts. Reserve guard Johnny Radford (16.8 ppg, 2.0 spg) is the sparkplug; senior point-guard Charles Elzie (12.3 ppg, 2.5 apg) having his best season, while forwards Tyler Robinett (11.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Drew Wyman (9.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) are tough match-ups.
 
AROUND THE CASCADE CONFERENCE: Last weekend, Corban fell from the unbeaten ranks, dropping a road game at Antelope Valley, while College of Idaho swept home dates with Providence and Madonna. Other league match-ups this weekend feature Lewis-Clark State and Walla Walla traveling to Northwest and Evergreen, with Warner Pacific and Multnomah making the short trip to fellow Willamette Valley foes Bushnell and Corban.
 
RECORD BOOK: Five members of the Hustlin' Owls are among the Top-75 in the OIT Men's Basketball Career Record Book. Kaison Faust ranks No. 39 in free throw attempts (254), No. 41 in blocked shots (24) and free throws made (178), No. 45 in rebounds (426), No. 54 in games played (91), No. 60 in steals (57), No. 61 in field goals made (303), No. 68 in points scored (784) and just outside the Top-75 in field goal attempts (526), with Keegan Shivers No. 36 in 3-pointers made (96) and No. 44 in 3-point attempts (230), ranking just outside the Top-75 in steals (36). Joey Potts is No. 13 in blocked shots (52); Jamison Guerra is No. 63 in assists (153) and just outside the Top-75 in 3-pointers made (32) and attempted (105); Erik Fraser is No. 69 in 3-point attempts (117) and No. 73 in 3-pointers made (39); with Kam Osborn just outside the Top-75 in 3-pointers made (28) and attempted (85).
 
SUCCESS IN DANNY'S HOUSE: Since OIT moved to their current campus in 1964, the Hustlin' Owls have had a decisive home floor advantage inside the Athletic Center – winning nearly 82-percent of their home games. In the first 58 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold a 768-171 overall record in the building – including an 81-11 mark under current head coach Justin Parnell. OIT has recorded a winning record in 56-of-58 seasons (going 5-7 in 1965-66 and 1-8 in 1970-71), including undefeated records four times (1986-87, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11).
 
OVER THE CENTURY MARK: The Owls have scored over 100 points in a game 187 times in program history, including this season's win over Pacific Union. Tech has a 17-game win streak when scoring 100-or-more points in a game and marks the tenth-straight season the club has scored 100-points in at least one game. OIT scored 100 points in a game for the first time on Feb. 9, 1957 against Eastern Oregon (110-62) – starting a streak of 66-straight wins when scoring 100 points that stretched 33 years – with the Owls a combined 177-10 when scoring 100 points.
 
3-POINT STREAK NEARING THE 1,000 MARK: The 3-point shot has been key to the Hustlin' Owls success over the years, with Tech converting at least one 3-pointer in 960 consecutive games. OIT last failed to make a 3-pointer on Dec. 4, 1992, at Humboldt State, going 0-for-7 from outside the arch. During the streak, the Owls made one 3-pointer in a game on five occasions.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: OIT returns to the Basin next weekend to start a 3-game homestand, beginning Saturday, Dec. 10, against Southern Oregon. It is Military Appreciation Night with students asked to dress in their best camouflage attire.