KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (19-7, 16-2) caught fire late in the first and second half to hold off their rivals from the west. After falling behind in both halves, late runs and an energetic home crowd allowed the Hustlin' Owls to defeat Southern Oregon for the 6th straight meeting by a score of 79-73 at Danny Miles Court.
Big kudos to Southern Oregon, Zac did a great job getting his guys prepared." Said head coach Justin Parnell. "He has done one heck of a job this season in a tough situation. We really competed the last 10 minutes and made some huge plays. Shivers with the big 3's and Potts with a few hustle plays."
(RV) Oregon Tech 79 Southern Oregon 73
Looking to rebound off a tough road loss to Corban, Tech used a lively crowd and timely late runs to win their 6th straight game over Southern Oregon.
Both sides went back and forth in the first half, exchanging big buckets and big defensive stops.
Through the first ten minutes, Southern Oregon had the momentum, getting hot from the field, building an early 20-12 lead.
After OIT HC Justin Parnell was forced to call a timeout, his side immediately responded with an 8-0 run to cut SOU's lead to 22-21.
From that point on, the tide would turn back-and-forth until a late Tech run allowed them to grab a 39-32 halftime lead.
The late run was sparked by back-to-back three's from Keegan Shivers and Matt Van Tassell that quieted the road supporters.
At the break, Tech was led by Shivers and Van Tassell, who had seven points apiece.
In the second half, SOU would get hot once again, sprinting out to a 62-55 lead with just 7:40 to play.
However, Keegan Shivers and Tech would bounce back yet again.
Just moments after SOU grew a seven-point lead, Shivers connected from long range to cut the Hustlin' Owls deficit to five.
Down the stretch, with six minutes to play, Tech busted out all the stops and got clutch buckets on the offensive end to surge back in front.
As he's done so many times this season, Joey Potts turned the momentum with some massive dunks before he sealed the deal with a minute to play.
With a slim lead, Tech needed a big stop to put the game on ice.
And a big stop they got.
Tez Allen dribbled the ball down for SOU and attempted a step-back three over Potts but was denied as Potts sprinted down the floor with his arms in the air.
The emphatic block was the icing on the cake as the crowd went wild, and Tech claimed the southern part of the state as their territory once again.
The Hustlin' Owls did an outstanding job of finishing off the game at the stripe, all a part of 17-of-21 performance at the free-throw line.
The Hustlin' Owls had four players in double figures on Tuesday, highlighted by a huge outing from Keegan Shivers:
Keegan Shivers: 23 points on 5-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds
Kellen Gerig: 13 points on 6-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds
Joey Potts: 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting with seven rebounds
Matt Van Tassell: 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting
Southern Oregon University was led by Atmar Mundu, who scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
Most importantly for Tech, on Tuesday evening, their victory drew them back even atop the CCC Standings with #10 The College of Idaho
Tech will return to action this weekend when they battle Multnomah (12-14, 8-10) on Friday and Warner-Pacific (14-12, 10-8) on Saturday in a fight for seeding in the upcoming conference tournament. Friday will be Black Out for Hunger night as fans are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the Klamath Lake County Food Bank and dress in black.
Saturday will be senior night as Oregon Tech honors their five seniors, Harrison Steiger, Scotty Burge, Garret Albrecht, Kellen Gerig, and Lachlan McKimm.
