COMING UP: at Southern Oregon, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All 28 regular-season men's basketball games and all postseason contests will be broadcast live on 92.5 KLAD-FM with Mike Safford calling the action –with the Justin Parnell Show beginning 30 minutes prior to tip-off, with Live Stats available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal. Live Video will be available via the Owls Sports Network (PPV – produced by SOU, with Bill Jacobs on the call) – with in-game updates on "X" via @OITMBB.
 
TICKETS: Southern Oregon requests fans, if possible, to purchase tickets to Wednesday's game via their Online Ticket Portal to avoid long lines at the Lithia Motors Pavilion ticket window. General admission tickets are $8.00, with reserved (seat-back) tickets set at $10.00
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2023-24 season will be posted online via the OIT Men's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips and interviews will be posted online via the new OIT Men's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – SOUTHERN OREGON: Tech heads over the hill Wednesday to face a Southern Oregon team currently tied with Lewis-Clark State atop the Cascade Conference standings. The Raiders (6-4, 4-0 CCC) have won five of their last six games (the lone loss a home decision to Jessup), riding a stout defense that has limited opponents to 64 points per game and a 41-percent shooting clip (with only 3-of-10 opponents breaking the 70-point barrier). SOU is hot and cold from 3-point range – making just 32-percent of their long-range attempts – but have converted 19 3-pointers (vs. Cal Maritime) and 18 3-pointers (at Evergreen) in a game. Four veteran players lead Matt Zosel's club – forwards Dominic McGarvey (11.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Khalil Chatman (10.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg), wing Cole McAninch (9.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and point-guard Teron Bradford (10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.1 apg).
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE RAIDERS: The OIT-SOU rivalry dates back to the opening of Oregon Tech – as the two teams met during the 1947-48 season – the first of 249 meetings, most of any opponent (Tech has played Eastern Oregon (190), Western Oregon (154), Corban (106) and College of Idaho (103) more than 100 times). The Owls hold a 162-87 series lead, winning 11 of the last 13 match-ups, including a 60-57 road win in Ashland last season. OIT will take a 3-game win streak at Lithia Motors Pavilion into the game and have a 4-1 mark in the Raiders new home arena.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Two teams remain atop the CCC standings, as Lewis-Clark State (5-0) and Southern Oregon (4-0) lead the league, with three teams – OIT, C of I and Corban each a game back with one loss. During the holiday break, LC State and Walla Walla, C of I and Eastern Oregon, along with Multnomah and Warner Pacific will all complete their home-and-home travel partner schedule. Other match-ups include EOU heading to Florida for games against Fort Lauderdale and Florida College, Corban hosting Portland Bible, Linfield meeting Northwest and Pacific traveling to Walla Walla.
 
OWLS RANKED NO. 24 IN NAIA POLL: For the first time since the NAIA merged into one division, OIT climbed into the regular-season Top-25 poll, sitting at No. 24 in the Dec. 13 tabulation (the Owls were ranked in the preseason Top-25 during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons). The ranking extends Tech's string of Top-25 appearances to nine seasons, dating back to the 2015-16 season.
 
TALE OF TWO SHOOTING NIGHTS: Despite sweeping the Washington road trip for a third-straight year (first time OIT has accomplished the feat), the Owls took two different routes to the victories. At Northwest, Tech struggled from the field – converting a season-low 37-percent of their field goal attempts – but used a 30-8 edge in points from the foul line to claim the win. A night later at Evergreen State, the Owls had their best shooting night of the year (including 13 3-pointers), making nearly 64-percent of their field goals in the 29-point win. It marked the 11th-best shooting percentage in program history and third-highest since 2010 – trailing only a .685 clip against Park Gilbert in 2021 and a .648 percentage last season against Bushnell.
 
FREE THROW FRENZY: A game removed from allowing 36 free throw attempts to College of Idaho, the Hustlin' Owls were the benefactor of 39 free throw chances at Northwest – converting 30. It marked the 24th time in program history that OIT made 30-or-more free throws and the third time in the last 15 years Tech made 30-or-more free throws in a game.
 
SHARING THE ROCK: Tech shared the basketball at a high-level clip at Evergreen, recording 32 assists on 37 made field goal attempts – the most assists by the Hustlin' Owls since the 2020 season at Multnomah. OIT leads the CCC and ranks No. 18 in the NAIA in assists per game (17.5).
 
JENSEN CONTINUES BIG YEAR: Blake Jensen had another outstanding weekend in Washington – tying his career-high with 20 points in Friday's win at Northwest. The junior combined to make 11-of-18 field goals on the trip and added 8-of-10 free throws in the Friday victory. Jensen ranks No. 2 in the CCC in field goal percentage – including a .702 shooting clip over his last six games (33-of-47), averaging 13 points per game over the stretch.
 
BIG SHOTS: Struggling with their jump shots at Northwest, the Owls turned to Keegan Shivers down the stretch – with the junior converting from long range in crunch time. Shivers hit three 3-pointers inside the final five minutes – the only three 3-pointers converted by OIT in the game – part of a 14-point night. Heading into Wednesday's match-up at SOU, Shivers is 73 points away from joining the Hustlin' Owls 1,000-point club.
 
GUERRA DISHES IT UP: Point-guard Jamison Guerra took on a facilitator role on the road swing – attempting just eight shots in the two games. The junior focused on setting up his teammates – recording six assists at Northwest and posting a career-high 12 assists (including 10 in the first half) at Evergreen. It marked the most assists in a game for an OIT player since current assistant, Mitchell Fink, had 13 assists at Multnomah in 2020. Guerra currently leads the conference and the NAIA, averaging 7.6 assists per game.
 
MORE FROM THE UPPER CLASSMEN: Veteran players continued to be key to the Owls success – as senior Kody Bauman and juniors Kam Osborn, Erik Fraser and Jay Elmore were instrumental in the weekend wins. Bauman finished 5-for-5 from the field at Evergreen scoring 11 points, with Osborn scoring 10 points in both victories – extending a double-digit scoring streak to four games. Fraser had 10 points at Northwest and 11 at Evergreen – having scored 8-or-more points in 9-straight games, while making 71-percent (20-of-28) field goal attempts over his last five contests; with Elmore making both 3-point attempts at Evergreen, improving his team-leading 3-point percentage to .436.
 
FRESHMAN STEPS UP: Tech got key production from Yanni Fassilis in the return to his home state of Washington. The freshman logged eight points, eight rebounds and three steals at Northwest, adding six points at Evergreen – improving his season field goal percentage to .571.
 
EVERYONE PLAYS: A big second half lead at Evergreen allowed OIT to get every player on the roster extending playing time – with the reserves each contributing in the victory. Post Logan Thebiay recorded career-highs with nine points and seven rebounds, with forward Jackson Cooper scoring four points and adding a career-high eight rebounds. Grant Tull scored a season-high seven points, Garrett Osborne had three points and two rebounds, while Scotty Riddle Jr. hit a 3-pointer for his first career points, adding three assists.
 
CONFERENCE LEADERS: As a team, the Hustlin' Owls lead the CCC in field goal percentage (.498) and assists per game (17.5), ranking No. 2 in scoring offense (83.5) and 3-point percentage (.381), while sitting at No. 3 in scoring margin (+8.9), rebound margin (+4.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4). Individually, Jamison Guerra leads the conference (and the NAIA) in assists per game (7.4), ranking No. 9 in steals per game (1.4); Blake Jensen is No. 2 in field goal percentage (.635), No. 7 in rebound margin (6.9) and No. 8 in blocked shots per game (1.1); Keegan Shivers is No. 5 in rebound margin (8.1) and No. 6 in assists per game (3.2); with Kody Bauman No. 5 in field goal percentage (.544).
 
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Two Cascade Conference teams sit atop the NAIA attendance rankings, as College of Idaho (1,279) claimed the top spot, just ahead of the Hustlin' Owls (1,274) – both well ahead of Concordia-Nebraska (929) and Xavier (879). OIT's attendance average would rank No. 1 in the NCAA Division III, No. 10 in the Division II and No. 254 out of 361 Division I teams – ahead of the University of Portland (1,019) and Portland State (804).
 
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 over 81-percent of their home games. Over the last 60 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold a 777-178 overall record in the building – including an 90-18 mark under current head coach Justin Parnell. OIT has recorded a winning record in 57-of-59 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). OIT finished 2022-23 with an 8-5 home record, their 52nd-straight winning season on their home floor and has a 3-2 mark at home in 2023-24.
 
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 993 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. UNLV holds the current 3-point streak record (1,202), just ahead of CCC rival Corban (1,190), Duke (1,159) and College of Idaho (1,133).
 
CAREER RECORD BOOK: Seven members of the Hustlin' Owls are among the Top-75 in the OIT Men's Basketball Career Record Book. Keegan Shivers leads the group, ranking No. 12 in 3-pointers made (175), No. 16 in 3-point attempts (429), No. 42 in rebounds (446), No. 44 in field goal attempts (734), No. 45 in points scored (927), No. 52 in assists (178), ranking No. 56 in steals (64) and No. 57 in field goals made (316). Jamison Guerra is No. 19 in assists (329), No. 53 in free throws made (162), No. 54 in steals (67), No. 55 in 3-point attempts (200), No. 58 in free throw attempts (211), No. 62 in 3-pointers made (58) and just outside the Top-75 in points scored (718); Jay Elmore is No. 57 in 3-pointers made (65) and No. 65 in 3-point attempts (163); Erik Fraser is No. 62 in 3-pointers made (58) and No. 63 in 3-point attempts (167); Kam Osborn is No. 64 in 3-pointers made (54) and No. 66 in 3-point attempts (161); with Blake Jensen No. 42 in blocked shots (25) and Kody Bauman No. 43 in blocked shots (24).
 
NEXT WEEK: Tech will have the next two weekends off – waiting 16 days before their next game, a Jan. 5 date at Danny Miles Court against Warner Pacific for the annual Rogue Credit Union White Out.