EUGENE, OR. — The Oregon Tech Lady Owls (19-11) led for nearly the entire game but came up just short at the end in an overtime loss to Bushnell (19-12). The loss for Tech knocks them out of the CCC Tournament and brings their season to a close.
Following the loss, HC Scott Meredith said: "After playing a really solid game at both ends of the floor, we were all very disappointed in the way it ended. I really don't have the words to describe it. I just know our team played their hearts out and left it all on the court."
(4) Bushnell University 83
(5) Oregon Tech 77 (OT)
After a hectic week of traveling, the Lady Owls arrived in Eugene, looking to upset the Beacons on their home floor.
Tuesday night's contest was a quarterfinal matchup of the 2022 CCC Women's Basketball Tournament, and it did not disappoint.
The game adopted a very quick pace in the first quarter, becoming a frequent back-and-forth affair.
Through the first ten minutes, the Beacons outshot Tech 56% to 50%, but the Owls were able to grab a slim lead after shooting 100% behind the arc.
With a 22-21 lead, Tech exploded in the second quarter, limiting Bushnell to just 30% shooting and running a quick and efficient offense.
Abby Kreiser and Olivia Sprague scored seven points apiece in the second, despite Sprague playing only two minutes due to foul trouble.
With the backcourt pacing the Lady Owls, Tech went into the locker room with a 46-36 advantage.
In the third quarter, Bushnell upped the tempo, using the home crowd to their advantage, forcing Tech back on their heels.
The Beacons inched closer after the Lady Owls shot 4-of-12 from the field, cutting OIT's advantage to 56-50 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, the Beacons would continue to press on, eventually taking a 66-64 lead with 1:30 to play.
However, the Lady Owls wouldn't back down as Abby Kreiser hit two free throws with three seconds left to put Tech up by two.
After Bushnell advanced the ball with the timeout, they inbounded and drew an intentional foul on Melissa Lee, earning two free throws.
NAIA All-American Morgan McKinney stepped to the line and hit both free throws, sending the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, Bushnell outscored the Owls 15-9 to survive a valiant upset attempt from the visitors.
The Lady Owls registered four players in double figures on Tuesday:
Olivia Sprague: 24 points (game-high) on 9-of-14 shooting
Abby Kreiser: 18 points on 4-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds
Shelby Blodgett: 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds
Maddyson Tull: 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting
Morgan McKinney led the Beacons, who had 24 points (game-high) on 7-of-17 shooting with 14 rebounds (double-double).
Libby Mathis also had an excellent game for the Beacons, scoring 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds.
