KIRKLAND, Wash. –
Keegan Shivers scored a career-high 31 points, as Oregon Tech overcame an 11-point first half deficit, rallying to stop Northwest University, 78-70, at Kristi Brodin Pavilion.
The Hustlin' Owls (12-12, 9-9 CCC) move to the .500 mark for the first time since late November and pulled into a 3-way tie for sixth-place in the league standings with Lewis-Clark State and Bushnell.
"I challenged our guys at halftime, as Northwest was controlling the glass," said OIT head coach
Justin Parnell. "We set the tone in the first five minutes of the second half. It's a great win for our team in one of the tougher environments in the Cascade Conference."
NU (6-16, 4-13) jumped out to a 23-12 lead, as CaCoa Chatman scored 11 of his team-high 24 points in the early run. Tech chipped away at the deficit, as back-to-back 3's from
Joey Potts and
Jay Elmore cut the margin to 28-24, with a Shivers triple just before halftime pulling the visitors with 36-35 at the break.
Shivers gave OIT their first lead with a 3-pointer early in the second half, but the Eagles regained the lead and held a 47-46 edge off an Isaiah Williams bucket.
Kody Bauman responded with a thunderous dunk and Potts followed with a transition jam – giving the Owls the lead for good.
OIT extended the margin to 68-58 on a
Blake Jensen put-back – but the Owls did not convert a field goal over the final six minutes of the game – while making just 10-of-19 free throws in the late stretch. The Tech defense was the story, holding NU to 2-of-11 shooting in the decisive minutes and forced two turnovers.
Jensen logged his second double-double in a row off the bench, scoring 11 points with 13 rebounds, while
Jamison Guerra had 11 points and six assists.
The Owls return home next weekend for two key match-ups – Friday vs. Walla Walla at 2 p.m., followed by the annual ASOIT Blackout for Hunger and Senior Night vs. Lewis-Clark State on Saturday at 6 p.m. The first 400 fans who donate two cans of food (or $2.00) will receive a special Blackout for Hunger t-shirt.
