COMING UP: at No. 20 Southern Oregon, Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Wednesday's game at Southern Oregon, along with all remaining Lady Owls contests, will be broadcast live in the Klamath Basin on 104.3/960 Sports with Mike Safford on the call. Broadcasts will begin 30 minutes prior to tip-off with the Joy Lease Coaches Show. Wednesday's game will also have a video stream – as the SOU feed will be carried on the Owls Sports Network (with Bill Jacobs on the call) – with Live Stats available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal. In-game updates will be provided from Ashland on "X" by following @OITWBB. 
 
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 have been posted online via the OIT Women's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips and interviews posted online via the new OIT Women's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SOUTHERN OREGON: Sole possession of first-place in the Cascade Conference is on the line, as Southern Oregon looks to hold serve at home. The No. 20-ranked Raiders (8-2, 4-0 CCC) lone losses have come on the road at the hands of Carroll and Jessup, with the team a perfect 4-0 at home – with the wins by an average of 21 points. SOU is anchored by defensive pressure, holding opponents to 35-percent shooting and 51 points per game on the season, while forcing over 17 turnovers a night. Forward Kami Walk (16.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) is among the top players in the conference, while newcomers to the SOU program – Meghan McIntyre (13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.6 spg) and Sierra Scheppele (8.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg) – have made an immediate impact. Head coach Carlotta Kloppenberg-Pruitt is a perfect 6-0 all-time against their Klamath Basin rivals.
 
HISTORY VS. THE RAIDERS: Wednesday's match-up between OIT and SOU is the 82nd meeting since 1976, with the Raiders holding a 43-38 series edge – including wins in 6-straight meetings. The Lady Owls are searching for their first win against their rivals inside Lithia Motors Pavilion – as their last win against SOU in Ashland came at Ashland High School's Mountain Avenue Gymnasium. The Raiders have had the upper hand in the series recently, winning 13-of-16 meetings since 2015-16, countering an OIT win streak of 11-straight games from 1982-85.
 
SISTER ACT: The OIT-Southern contest will feature Lady Owls forward Tatum Schmerbach facing her older sister, Emma Schmerbach, a starting guard for the Raiders. Both starred at South Medford High, with the older Schmerbach averaging seven points and four rebounds per game. Their father, Chris, is a Klamath Union High and SOU grad and former assistant coach for the Raiders men's basketball program.
 
BEST STARTS: The 10-0 start by the Lady Owls is the second time OIT has opened a season with 10-consecutive wins. During the 2013-14 season, OIT established a school record by winning their first 14 games, eventually winning the Cascade Conference Tournament title and advancing to the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
 
WIN STREAKS: The Lady Owls take a 10-game win streak into Wednesday's match-up at Southern Oregon – equaling the fourth-longest win streak in program history. The 2018-19 squad won 13-straight, the 2013-14 team opened the year with 14-straight wins, with the 2004-05 squad setting the current school record with 16-straight victories. Tech holds a 5-game win streak on the road, chasing a 10-game win streak mark established between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
 
RATINGS: For the first time since November of 2021, the Lady Owls received votes in the current NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, earning four points from the 21 national raters. OIT, one of seven unbeaten teams remaining in the association, last entered the Top-25 during the 2019-20 NAIA Division II preseason poll (at No. 21). In the current Massey Rating computer index, Tech sits at No. 22 – the third-best team in the CCC – behind No. 11 LC State and No. 21 Southern Oregon. Both LCSC (No. 7) and SOU (No. 20) were ranked in the latest NAIA Top-25 poll.
 
GREAT SHOOTING NIGHT: Tech connected on 52-percent of field goal attempts at Evergreen State – the fifth time in 2023-24 that the club has posted a field goal percentage greater than 50-percent. The Lady Owls are closing in on the top two marks in program history – as the 2015-16 team recorded 11 50-percent or better shooting games, with the 2021-22 team achieving the feat eight times. OIT leads the CCC with a .469 field goal percentage and tops the league, averaging 77 points per game.
 
WINNING ON THE GLASS: OIT continued their season-long dominance on the glass – extending their rebound win streak to 10. The Lady Owls, however, saw a string of 8-straight games with a double-digit rebound margin snapped at Evergreen, with the final rebound count at 37-35. For the year, OIT leads the CCC, averaging 11.6 more rebounds than the opposition.
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Lady Owls clamped down on the two Washington opponents – holding both foes under the 30-percent mark from the field. Tech limited Northwest to 29-percent from the floor, with Evergreen making just 25-percent of their shots, with the two squads combining to make 5-of-32 3-point chances. OIT has held four opponents under 30-percent shooting on the season and leads the CCC in defensive field goal percentage (.340). In addition, the Owls combined to force 46 turnovers in the two wins.
 
SPRAGUE STEALS THE SHOW: Another weekend, another remarkable performance from Olivia Sprague, as the junior narrowly missed a triple-double at Northwest – but logged the most steals by a Lady Owl in two decades. Sprague scored 23 points, had nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks – adding a career-high nine steals, the most by an OIT player since Samantha Gilbert set the school mark against Warner Pacific in 2003. The guard added 14 points and eight rebounds at Evergreen – closing within 45 points of the 1,000-point mark for her career. Sprague is the only player in the CCC among the Top-10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots and steals.
 
RAMOS NEAR PERFECT: Evergreen was not able to stop post Jozie Ramos, as the freshman recorded one of the top shooting nights in program history. Ramos scored a career-high 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field – equaling the No. 2 field goal percentage mark (with at least eight field goal attempts) by a Lady Owl – as Courtney Clemmer finished 11-of-12 from the floor against Warner Pacific in 2020. Brittany Cherry holds the school record, converting all 10 field goal attempts against Menlo in 2010. Ramos climbed into the CCC lead in field goal percentage for the year, converting .635 percent of her attempts.
 
TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH: Tech had a second-near triple-double, as Tatum Schmerbach flirted with the rare feat in the win against Evergreen State. The freshman ended the night with 12 points, adding seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists – her fourth double-digit scoring game, third game win 7-or-more rebounds and third game with at least five assists. For the season, Schmerbach is averaging seven points, five rebounds and three assists a night.
 
ON POINT: The tremendous sophomore season for Gabbie Gascon continued in Washington, posting back-to-back quality outings in the two road wins. The point-guard had 10 points and five assists at Northwest, followed by nine points, four assists and three steals at Evergreen. For the year, Gascon is averaging 11 points, four assists and two steals per game, ranking among the league leaders in free throw percentage.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: The CCC standings shook up a bit, as three teams completed weekend sweeps – OIT, Southern and Eastern Oregon – while Lewis-Clark State dropped their first league tilt, a home decision to Bushnell. Tech and SOU are the lone unbeaten teams remain in the circuit, while all 12 teams have at least one league victory. OIT and SOU complete the first set of travel partner games for the season, while over the next two weeks, LC State and Walla Walla, C of I and Eastern, along with Multnomah and Warner Pacific, will complete their home-and-home series. Two others – Northwest and Corban – will play Division III teams to round out their non-conference schedules.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, Tech leads the CCC in scoring offense (77.1), scoring margin (+20.7), field goal percentage (.469), 3-point percentage (.316), defensive field goal percentage (.340), assists per game (18.8) and rebound margin (+11.6), ranking No. 2 in free throw percentage (.750), steals per game (10.6) and scoring defense (56.4). Individually, Olivia Sprague leads the league in assists per game (4.3), ranking No. 2 in scoring average (18.3), No. 3 in 3-point percentage (.393) and free throw percentage (.893), No. 5 in steals per game (2.4) and blocked shots per game (0.9), No. 8 in rebounds per game (7.0) and No. 10 in field goal percentage (.463). Jozie Ramos leads the CCC in field goal percentage (.635) and ranks No. 5 in blocked shots per game (0.9); Gabbie Gascon is No. 2 in free throw percentage (.903), No. 3 in assists per game (3.9), ranking No. 9 in steals per game (2.0); Kennedy Tull is No. 5 in 3-point percentage (.379) and No. 8 in field goal percentage (.478); with Alexis Elquist No. 9 in rebounds per game (6.9).
 
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Through three home games, the Lady Owls are averaging 930 a contest – No. 2 in the NAIA. Tech trails only Carroll College (1,170), with the Owls holding a sizeable lead on No. 3 Concordia-Nebraska (775). OIT would rank No. 2 in attendance in the NCAA Division III, No. 11 in the Division II and rank 180th of 362 Division I programs.
 
RECORD BOOK: Five Lady Owls currently rank among the Top-50 in the OIT record book, led by Olivia Sprague, who is No. 11 in assists (239), No. 12 in 3-pointers made (122), No. 13 in steals (130), No. 14 in 3-point attempts (307) and points scored (955), No. 15 in field goals made (337) and field goal attempts (816), No. 26 in free throws made (159), No. 28 in blocked shots (28), No. 30 in free throw attempts (199), ranking No. 39 in rebounds (309). Kennedy Tull ranks No. 31 in free throws made (135), No. 36 in 3-pointers made (29) and free throw attempts (173), No. 37 in 3-point attempts (83), ranking just outside the Top-50 in points scored (404); Gabbie Gascon is No. 34 in 3-point attempts (101), No. 39 in 3-pointers made (26), No. 41 in assists (118) and just outside the Top-50 in steals (57), free throws made (86) and free throw attempts (100); Kayley Elliott is No. 40 in blocked shots (16), No. 48 in 3-pointers made (15) and just outside the Top-50 in 3-point attempts (52); with Alexis Elquist No. 36 in blocked shots (18) and is just outside the Top-50 in 3-point attempts (53) and 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 76-percent of their home dates – posting a stellar 239-76 overall mark, including a 3-0 mark this season. 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. 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 36 times, posting a 33-3 record in the high-scoring contests. The Lady Owls are riding an 90-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game (including both weekend wins), recording a 164-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Lady Owls 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.