SALEM, OR. — The Oregon Tech Lady Owls (17-7, 10-7) caught fire in the second half, playing through a fire alarm en route to a bounce-back win over Corban University (4-21, 3-16). The victory for Tech provides the Lady Owls with momentum ahead of their clash with Southern Oregon in Klamath Falls on Tuesday.

Following the victory, HC Scott Meredith said: "Very pleased how our team rebounded on day 2 of this road trip. After a very competitive 1st quarter, our defense tightened up, and we had a little separation going into the half. Our team really responded to some adjustments in the 3rd quarter, and we were able to put it away from there. Happy about the energy and determination our team showed."
 

Oregon Tech 78 Corban 51

Needing to get back in the win column, Oregon Tech used a dominant performance to defeat the Lady Warriors on Saturday afternoon.

The victory for the Lady Owls was their 10th in CCC play, as they attempt to build momentum down the home stretch of the regular season.

In the first quarter, both offenses came out strong, but it was Tech who would lead 23-20 after one. 

The Lady Owls were able to win the battle of possessions in the first period, getting off five more shots and getting to the line three more times than the Warriors.

In the second period, Corban would cool off a bit, but it was Tech who remained efficient from the field, building a 41-29 lead at the break.

At the break, Shelby Blodgett led all scorers with 10, but Tech had three players with eight points or more, displaying a balanced attack.

In the second half, the Lady Owls caught fire, hot enough to set off the fire alarms in the Jeffers Sports Center (For context, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the fire alarm went off inside the Corban gym).

After it became public information that the popcorn machine was smoking, which triggered the alarm, both sides decided to play on, through the siren that couldn't be disabled until the fire department showed up.

Playing through the alarm, Tech outscored the Lady Warriors 14-11 across the final ten minutes to finish off their complete performance.

As a part of the strong display, true freshman Olivia Sprague came up just short of her first career triple-double, in an effort where she recorded seven steals or more for the second time this season. 

The Lady Owls had four players in double figures on Saturday: 

Shelby Blodgett: 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds

Olivia Sprague: 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting with eight assists, seven steals, and four rebounds

Abby Kreiser: 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting with six rebounds and six assists 

Maddyson Tull: 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds

Tech also got a solid outing from Jenna Wallace who had eight points and grabbed five rebounds.

Corban University was led by Madison Hodnett, who scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting with ten rebounds (double-double).

The Lady Warriors also got a double-double out of Holly Golenor who scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Tech will return to action to face (R.V.) Southern Oregon (21-4, 14-3) on Tuesday in Klamath Falls. A victory over their arch-rivals could provide Tech with the boost they need to make a run towards the NAIA National Tournament.

On Tuesday night, it will be a "Pink-Out" to show that as an institution and as a community, we will continue our fight against breast cancer and cancer awareness. The first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative pink t-shirt to wear during the game.