COMING UP: vs. Bushnell, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Corban, Saturday, 3 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both weekend games, along with all remaining Lady Owls contests, will be carried 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 – simulcast on the Owls Sports Network. Live Stats are available online through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal, with in-game updates provided on "X" by following @OITWBB. Single-game tickets can be purchased prior to each game online through the OIT Ticket Portal.
 
14TH ANNUAL PINK OUT ON FRIDAY: The 14th-Annual Oregon Tech Basketball Pink Out, presented by Sky Lakes Breast Health Services, is set for this Friday night – with the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative Pink Out t-shirt. The first Pink Out game was played in 2009 to honor Oregon Tech president, Martha Anne Dow, who died in 2007 after a battle with breast cancer. The Pink Out game raises money for cancer research and the Martha Anne Dow Endowed Scholarship.
 
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 – BUSHNELL: The weekend homestand opens with a rematch of the 2023 Cascade Conference quarterfinal playoff game, as a short-handed Bushnell team makes the journey over Willamette Pass. The Beacons (9-6, 5-4 CCC) have a roster of seven players – with the squad posting wins this season against LC State and Jessup, but have dropped games to Walla Walla and Evergreen State. BU averages 61 points per game and connects on 27-percent of their 3-point tries, but commits just 14 turnovers a night. Guard Aspen Slifka (18.1 ppg, 6.1) and post Libby Mathis (15.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg) are as good of a 1-2 punch in the CCC, with returner Aly Mirabile (6.4 ppg, 4.0 apg) and newcomer Ayden Krupke (11.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg).
 
HISTORY VS. THE BEACONS: Friday's match-up is the 36th meeting between OIT and Bushnell, with the Lady Owls holding a 23-12 series lead, including a 12-6 record at Danny Miles Court. Last season, Tech swept three games from the Beacons – including a 67-62 decision in the CCC quarterfinals.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – CORBAN: The first half of the league slate ends Saturday afternoon against Corban, as the Warriors (5-10, 4-5) head to the Basin after being swept at home by College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon. The Salem school is searching for their first win against a team with an above .500 record, with the Warriors making just 35-percent of their field goals and 25-percent of their 3-pointers, while allowing 73 points a game. Returning guards Madie Godwin (16.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and Kirsten Koehnke (5.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.6 apg) are back for Bill Pilgerim's squad, with newcomers Autumn Agnew (10.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Lizzy Bennett (7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) key contributors to the Corban lineup.
 
HISTORY VS. THE WARRIORS: The weekend match-up between Tech and Corban is the 53rd meeting between the rivals, with the Lady Owls holding a 35-17 series edge. OIT completed a series sweep of the Warriors last season, including a dominating 66-34 victory in Salem to extend their win streak against Corban to four games.
 
WIN STREAKS SNAPPED IN IDAHO: The Lady Owls ran their season-opening win streak to 14 games with a victory Friday afternoon at Walla Walla – equaling a school record – but the string was snapped 24 hours later in a road loss at Lewis-Clark State. Tech saw a record-setting 8-0 start in CCC ended (previous mark was 5-0 on three occasions), with the 14-game win streak equaling the second-best string of wins in program history (the 2004-05 team won 16 games in a row).
 
RATINGS: For the first time since November of 2021, the Lady Owls received votes in the current (Dec. 17) NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, earning four points from the 21 national raters. OIT last entered the Top-25 during the 2019-20 NAIA Division II preseason poll (at No. 21). Heading into the release of Wednesday's Top-25, the Lady Owls were ranked No. 2 in the CCC rater poll, behind LC State. In the current Massey Rating computer index, Tech sits at No. 19 – with LC State at No. 12 and Southern Oregon at No. 25. The Top-25 will be released each every-other Wednesday for the remainder of the regular-season.
 
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES: The Cascade Conference announced the 2023-24 women's basketball Academic All-Conference team, with each of the 11 Lady Owls eligible for the award earning the distinction. To be selection, student-athletes must maintain a 3.20 or greater grade point average and academically be a sophomore, junior or senior. Honored by the CCC were Chelsea Ching, Kayley Elliott, Alexis Elquist, Lily Everson, Gabbie Gascon, Elli Kent, Ebony McMillan, Olivia Sprague, Kennedy Tull, Jenna Wallace and Kaitlyn Wright.
 
ANOMALIES FROM A LONG, LONG ROAD TRIP: It wasn't an easy trek for the Lady Owls, as the Walla Walla-LC State road swing provided challenges on and off the court. Out of OIT's control was the weather – which forced a 9-hour journey through snow and ice to Walla Walla and a day-long journey through below-zero temperatures to return to the Basin from Lewiston. Tech had to endure tough conditions at Walla Walla's Windemuth Court, which lost heating (with temperatures outside below zero) – with the Owls winning the game, however, finished 0-for-8 from 3-point range, just the second time in a decade the team failed to make a 3-pointer. In Lewiston, OIT was outrebounded for the first time this season (42-39); LCSC connected on 54-percent of their field goal attempts (highest by an opponent in five seasons); with Tech converting a season-low 34-percent of their field goal chances.
 
SECURING THE BALL: Despite the road split, the Lady Owls did a great job against defensive pressure, combining to commit just 24 turnovers and finished the weekend with plus-nine turnover margin for the trip. OIT picked up the defensive pressure, recording 21 total steals in the two games, while lowering their season turnover average to 16.0.
 
SPRAGUE ROLLING: A week after joining the OIT 1,000-point club, Olivia Sprague continued her scoring spree across the Cascade Conference. The junior posted back-to-back 20-point games – scoring 22 points with five rebounds at Walla Walla, adding 25 points and six boards at LC State – the 16th and 17th 20-point games with the Owls. Sprague has recorded at least 10 points and five rebounds in each of the last 14 games, has posted 17-straight double-digit scoring games (57 for her career) and heads into the weekend the only CCC player ranking among the Top-8 in all five top statistical categories (scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks).
 
GASCON CONTINUES TO IMPRESS: Point-guard Gabbie Gascon had another banner weekend, scoring 14 points with a career-best seven assists at Walla Walla, while adding 21 points and five rebounds at LC State. The sophomore is averaging 18 points per game over the last five contests (including three 20-or-more point games). Gascon, the CCC's leader in free throw percentage, had four steals at Walla Walla, the fifth-time this season with 3-or-more steals.
 
FRESHMAN ON THE GLASS: Freshman forward Tatum Schmerbach continued her breakout season, recording a career-high 14 rebounds and four steals in Friday's win at Walla Walla. Schmerbach has recorded at least five rebounds and three assists in each of the last six games and heads into weekend play averaging 6.5 rebounds and three assists a night.
 
RESERVE POSTS KEY: Tech got key production on the road trip from back-up posts Jozie Ramos and Kayley Elliott, both providing a big boost off the bench. Ramos scored six points and had three rebounds at Walla Walla, adding seven points and eight boards at LC State. Elliott tied a season-high with nine points at WWU and four points at LC – combining to make 6-of-8 field goals, improving her season field goal percentage to 54-percent.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: With a home sweep of OIT and SOU, LC State took control of first-place in the CCC standings, holding a half-game lead on Tech and a two-game lead on Southern – with surging Eastern Oregon alone in fourth place. The first half of the conference schedule closes this weekend – as LC and Walla Walla travel to Warner Pacific and Multnomah, Northwest and Evergreen State head to Eastern and College of Idaho, with Corban and Bushnell facing OIT and SOU.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Lady Owls rank among the Top-2 in nine different Cascade Conference statistical categories with six weeks left in the regular season. OIT leads the 12-team league in scoring average (75.9), scoring margin (+17.0), assists per game (18.1), defensive field goal percentage (.342) and rebound margin (+11.4), ranking No. 2 in scoring defense (58.9), free throw percentage (.742), field goal percentage (.447) and steals per game (10.5). Individually, Gabbie Gascon leads the CCC in free throw percentage (.932), ranking No. 2 in assists per game (3.9) and No. 8 in steals per game (2.1) and 3-point percentage (.358), with Olivia Sprague ranking No. 2 in scoring average (18.3), No. 3 in assists per game (3.8), No. 4 in free throw percentage (.905), No. 5 in 3-point percentage (.369) and steals per game (2.3), No. 6 in rebounds per game (7.6) and No. 8 in blocks per game (0.9). Jozie Ramos ranks No. 6 in the league in blocks per game (1.0), Tatum Schmerbach is No. 9 in assists per game (3.1), with Alexis Elquist No. 10 in rebounds per game (6.7).
 
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Through five home games, the Lady Owls are averaging 912 fans per contest – No. 2 in the NAIA ranks. Tech trails only Carroll College (1,333), with the Owls holding a sizeable lead on No. 3 Concordia-Nebraska (751). OIT would rank No. 1 in attendance in the NCAA Division III, No. 11 in the Division II and rank 192th of 362 Division I programs – No. 3 among all Oregon schools (trailing only Oregon and Oregon State) – with the team averaging more fans per game than all Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Northeast Conference and Patriot League teams.
 
RECORD BOOK: Six Lady Owls currently rank among the Top-50 in the OIT record book, led by Olivia Sprague, who is No. 9 in points scored (1,047), No. 10 in field goal attempts (892), No. 11 in assists (253) and 3-pointers made (131), No. 12 in steals (141), 3-point attempts (335) and field goals made (372), No. 20 in free throws made (172), No. 24 in blocked shots (32), No. 28 in free throw attempts (213), ranking No. 33 in rebounds (354). Kennedy Tull ranks No. 31 in free throws made (142), No. 33 in free throw attempts (189), No. 36 in 3-pointers made (31) and 3-point attempts (94), ranking just outside the Top-50 in points scored (431); Gabbie Gascon is No. 33 in 3-point attempts (122), 3-pointers made (37) and assists (138), No. 37 in steals (69), No. 38 in free throws made (113) and just outside the Top-50 in free throw attempts (128); Alexis Elquist is No. 34 in blocked shots (21), No. 49 in 3-point attempts (54) and just outside the Top-50 in 3-pointers made (13); 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 Jozie Ramos No. 47 in blocked shots (15).
 
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 241-76 overall record, including a 5-0 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 a 91-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game, recording a 165-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Lady Owls hit the road for back-to-back weekends – traveling next week to College of Idaho (Jan. 26) and Eastern Oregon (Jan. 27), followed by a trip to Portland to face Multnomah (Feb. 2) and Warner Pacific (Feb. 3) – before finally returning home Feb. 6 to meet rival Southern Oregon.