COMING UP: at Menlo, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; at Cal Maritime, Saturday, 6 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both weekend games will be streamed online – as Friday's game at Menlo will be carried on the GSAC Sports Network, while Saturday's match-up at Cal Maritime carried on the Owls Sports Network (produced by CMA). Live Stats for both games will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal with in-game updates on "X" by following @OITWBB.
 
MULTIMEDIA: All photos from the 2023-24 season will be posted online via the OIT Women's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips and interviews will be posted online via the new OIT Women's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MENLO: The Lady Owls head to the Bay Area this weekend, opening against Menlo College – the third 2023 NAIA Tournament opponent the squad has played this season. The Oaks (3-1) finished last season 21-10, opening the new year with wins over Simpson, Pacific Union and Division II Dominican – averaging 71 points a game, holding opponents to a 36-percent shooting percentage, while forcing 19 turnovers a night. NAIA All-American Kiara Brown (15.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg) leads the attack, with the trio of Jordyn Rosette (13.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Tia Morgan (11.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Alberte Frisch (10.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) all averaging in double-figures.
 
HISTORY VS. THE OAKS: Friday's game is the eighth all-time meeting between Menlo and Tech, with the Oaks holding a 4-3 series lead – including a 1-3 mark in Haynes-Prim Pavilion. Last season, OIT opened the year at home with Menlo, rallying in the fourth quarter for a 64-59 victory.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – CAL MARITIME: The weekend ends Saturday on the shore of San Francisco Bay in Vallejo, as Tech heads to Cal Maritime. The Keelhaulers (0-1) had a rough 2022-23 season, finishing 2-22 – with their lone wins coming against a Pacific Union team Tech defeated 89-19. CMA has a new leader, Imhotet Aman-Ra – with the team dropping their opener, 84-55, to Lincoln University, converting 36-percent of their field goals and committing 31 turnovers. Forward Alicia Porter (25.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg) earned All-Cal Pac honors last season after leading the league in scoring, with Dylan Fulton (12.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Marissa Serrano (10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Annika Carey (10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) key parts of a 9-player roster.
 
HISTORY VS. THE KEELHAULERS: OIT has dominated the series with CMA, winning 15-of-16 meetings – including 6-in-a-row. The Lady Owls are a perfect 6-0 in Vallejo, with the last meeting during the 2021-22 season – a 76-36 win in Klamath Falls.
 
IN THE BAY AREA: This weekend marks Tech's first trip to the Bay area in four years – when they picked up a road win at CMA. The Owls have recorded a 13-4 record against squads around San Francisco – playing CSU-Monterey Bay, Dominican, Menlo, UC Santa Cruz, and CMA over the past 20 seasons.
 
HUGE SWEEP IN ASHLAND: Playing the first two of four games away from the Basin, the Lady Owls earned two key victories in Ashland – cruising to a 77-51 win over Simpson and used a big second half to top Hope International, 79-68. OIT cranked up the defense, holding both opponents under 36-percent shooting from the field, while combining to record 25 more rebounds than the two sides.
 
BEST STARTS: The 3-0 start by the Lady Owls is the third-straight season OIT has opened the year with three wins and the eighth 3-0 start in program history. The 2007, 2011 and 2022 teams began the year 4-0, the 2021 team started 5-0, the 2008 club began 6-0, with the 2014 team starting 8-0 and the 2013 setting a school record by winning their first 14 games.
 
SPRAGUE LEADS THE WAY: Tech was paced by guard Olivia Sprague, who recorded her 12th and 13th 20-or-more point games of her career. The junior opened the weekend with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win over Simpson, while logging 28 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against Hope International. It marked the second time Sprague has recorded consecutive 20-point games.
 
ELQUIST DOUBLES UP: Forward Alexis Elquist had the best weekend of her college career – scoring 10 points with eight rebounds in Friday's win, following it up with career-bests of 14 points and 13 rebounds in the victory over Hope International. For the season, Elquist has connected on 52-percent of her field goal attempts – averaging 10 points and eight rebounds a night.
 
TULL CONTINUES HOT START: Kennedy Tull recorded her second and third-straight double-digit scoring games to start the 2023-24 season, filling up the stat sheet in both victories. The third-year player had 10 points, three rebounds and two assists on Friday, following it up with 13 points, five rebounds and four dishes in Saturday's victory. Tull is converting 60-percent of her field goal attempts on the year, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, while posting a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
GASCON KEY TO OWLS SUCCESS: Production from the point-guard spot has been crucial to the Lady Owls 3-0 start, as Gabbie Gascon has been a consistent force on both ends of the floor. The sophomore scored 12 points in both weekend wins, adding a combined 11 rebounds and four assists – converting 13-of-15 free throw attempts.
 
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING IN BIG WAY: Three true freshmen have continued to make an impact early in the season, as Tatum Schmerbach, Jozie Ramos and Kendall Fealey are key parts of the regular rotation. Schmerbach scored six points, grabbed seven rebounds and added five assists vs. Simpson, adding two points, five rebounds and four assists against Hope International. Ramos combined for six points, seven rebounds and eight assists in the two victories, with Fealey adding six points, four rebounds and three steals.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Both Tech and Southern Oregon earned a pair of wins in Ashland against Hope International and Simpson, while Bushnell got into the win column with two victories over Division III foes. LC State and Eastern Oregon recorded a pair of high-quality victories over Montana Tech and Montana Western, while Northwest and Corban dropped both ends of a weekend doubleheader against The Master's and Rocky Mountain. This week, Bushnell and Northwest will host Jessup and Whitman in Kirkland, Wash., Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho host Carroll and Simpson in Caldwell, Idaho, with Multnomah heading to the Islands for games against Chaminade and Hawaii-Hilo.
 
RECORD BOOK: Four Lady Owls begin the season ranked in the career Top-50 record book, led by Olivia Sprague, who is No. 13 in 3-pointers made (109), No. 15 in 3-point attempts (274), No. 17 in assists (205), No. 19 in steals (109) and in points scored (834), No. 22 in field goal attempts (718), No. 24 in field goals made (288), No. 29 in free throws made (149), No. 33 in blocked shots (20) and in free throw attempts (188) and No. 44 in rebounds (261). Kennedy Tull ranks No. 37 in free throws made (115), No. 39 in 3-pointers made (22), No 44 in 3-point attempts (63) and No. 45 in free throw attempts (151); Gabbie Gascon is No. 38 in 3-point attempts (78), No. 43 in 3-pointers made (19) and No. 49 in assists (89); Kayley Elliott is No. 45 in blocked shots (15), No. 50 in 3-pointers made (14) and just outside the Top-50 in 3-point attempts (48), with Alexis Elquist No. 50 in 3-point attempts (50) and blocks (12) and just outside the Top-50 in 3-pointers made (12).
 
SUCCESS AT DANNY MILES COURT: Danny Miles Court has been a difficult place for opponents since Tech brought women's basketball back as a varsity sport in 2002. Over the last 22 seasons, the Lady Owls have won 75-percent of their home dates – posting a stellar 237-76 overall mark. The 2012-13 squad finished the year with a 15-1 mark, while a season later, the Owls had a 16-2 record – at one point winning 19-consecutive home games. Last season, Tech recorded a 12-3 mark at home. During the past 21 seasons, OIT had a winning record every season on their home floor.
 
SCORING 90, ALLOWING UNDER 50 EQUAL WINS: OIT has scored 90-or-more points in a game 35 times, posting a 32-3 record in the high-scoring contests. The Lady Owls are riding an 87-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game, recording a 161-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Lady Owls will have Thanksgiving Week off in preparation for the start of Cascade Conference play – hosting Eastern Oregon on Dec. 1 (Military Appreciation Night) and College of Idaho on Dec. 2.