COMING UP: at Multnomah, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; at Warner Pacific, Saturday, 3 p.m.
 
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. Live Video for both games will be available – Friday via MU's You Tube Channel and Saturday via the Owls Sports Network (produced by WPU). Live Stats for both weekend games will be available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal. In-game updates for both games will be provided on "X" by following @OITWBB.
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2023-24 season have been posted online via the OIT Women's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips posted online via the new OIT Women's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MULTNOMAH: OIT hits the road to the Rose City this weekend, opening Friday night at Multnomah – facing a Lions (5-15, 2-12 CCC) team that has dropped nine of their last 10 games. MU has just eight healthy players on their roster and is among the league leaders in 3-pointers made per game (8.1), but rank last in the league in rebound margin (-10.0). The CCC's leading scorer, Savannah Huerta (20.5 ppg, 2.4 apg) leads the way for the Lions, with guards Kailyn Allison (12.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Mia Martineau (9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Gracie Browning (8.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg) playing the bulk of the minutes.
 
HISTORY VS. THE LIONS: The Owls will put a perfect 17-0 all-time record on the line against Multnomah, with all 17 wins coming by double-digit margins. OIT earned an 87-71 victory last month – a game in which the Lions finished with just four players on the floor. Tech is 9-0 all-time against the Lions inside Jim Skagen Court.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WARNER PACIFIC: The weekend comes to a close at Warner Pacific, as the Knights (6-12, 4-10) are looking to stop a January swoon, dropping 11 of their last 12 games. Offense has been the issue for WPU, as the team is connecting on just 35-percent of their season field goal attempts, 26-percent of their 3-point tries and scoring just 57 points a night. Forward Emily Brown (9.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) has had a solid season for the Knights, with the guard line of Teirra Hicks (10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg), McKeeley Tonkin (8.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Larsa Guzman (6.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) all key contributors.
 
HISTORY VS. THE KNIGHTS: Tech will put a 3-game win streak on the line against Warner Pacific – including the 70-37 victory in Klamath last month. The two teams have played 65 previous times, with OIT holding a 43-22 series lead, but the series is close inside C.C. Perry Gym, with the Owls holding a slim 19-15 series lead.
 
BEST START EVER?: The Lady Owls have secured both their best 18 and 19-game start in program history – starting the season 17-1 after the win at C of I and 17-2 after the loss at EOU. Prior to this season, OIT opened a year 16-3 twice – in 2011-12 and 2013-14, with the 2014-15 team starting the year 15-4. The Owls have started a year with a 14-5 record seven times.
 
NEW RANKINGS ON WEDNESDAY: A new NAIA Top-25 will be released on Wednesday, as the Lady Owls head into the week ranked No. 20 – but are now tied with Southern Oregon as the No. 2 team in the CCC coaching ballot. OIT was ranked No. 5 in the first NAIA West ARC ballot – behind Carroll, LC State, Providence and Vanguard – the method to determine at-large bids and seeding to the NAIA Championships.
 
TWO GOOD HALVES / TWO TOUGH HALVES: Tech split the road trip to College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon – with the Owls recording an outstanding half of basketball in both games. OIT combined to make 31-of-52 field goals, including 7-of-8 3-pointers, between the second half at C of I and first half at EOU, scoring 85 total points. Unfortunately, the Lady Owls were unable to replicate the numbers over the remaining minutes – making 19-of-64 field goal chances, scoring a combined 49 points.
 
ON THE GLASS: The Lady Owls are the top rebound team in the Cascade Conference averaging over 11 rebounds per game more than their opponents. Tech is a perfect 17-0 when outrebounding their foes, however, are 0-2 when their opponent wins the battle of the boards – as LC State had a plus-3 rebound margin vs. OIT and EOU had a plus-4 margin.
 
GASCON HAS CAREER WEEKEND: The breakout season for Gabbie Gascon continued in a big way, as the guard recorded back-to-back huge nights at College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon. On Friday, the sophomore scored 21 points and tied a career-high with seven rebounds, in the road win at C of I, following it up with a career-high 25 points in the Saturday loss at EOU. Gascon combined to make 17-of-26 field goals in the two games, including 7-of-9 3-point attempts – and currently leads the CCC in both 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. Over the last eight games, Gascon is averaging 18 points per game, making 53-percent of her field goal and 3-point field goal attempts, converting 37-of-38 free throws.
 
SPRAGUE'S STREAK ENDS: Olivia Sprague recorded her fourth 20-or-more point game in five outings on Friday, leading the Owls with 26 points in the win at College of Idaho – her 19th 20-or-more point and the 60th double-digit scoring game at OIT. The following evening, the junior had a string of double-digit scoring games snapped at 21 after scoring eight at EOU. Over the weekend, Sprague became the eighth player in program history to surpass 1,100 career points.
 
SCHMERBACH ON THE BOARDS: Tatum Schmerbach continued her big rookie campaign, logging 11 rebounds in Friday's win at C of I – the third time this season Schmerbach recorded double-digit rebounds. The freshman has been consistent over the last 10 games, recording 5-or-more rebounds in each of the games, averaging eight rebounds per game during the run.
 
ELQUIST HAS BIG NIGHT: Tech got big production in Saturday's loss at Eastern from post Alexis Elquist, who scored 13 points and added eight rebounds – making 5-of-7 field goal attempts. It marked the sixth double-digit scoring game of the season for the senior, who knocked down both of her 3-point attempts on the road trip.
 
NEW STARTERS: After using the same starting five for the first 17 games, OIT changed up the lineup in both weekend games. Kennedy Tull came off the bench in both games as she deals with an injury sustained in the Jan. 20 win over Corban. Replacing the junior at C of I was Kaitlyn Wright, as the sophomore scored four quick first quarter points in the road win. A night later, freshman Jozie Ramos made her first career start, scoring six points with three rebounds at Eastern.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: The OIT loss at Eastern allowed Southern Oregon to pull even with the Owls in the CCC standings at 11-2, a game and a half behind league-leading Lewis-Clark State (13-1). Tech does have a chance to clinch a postseason berth this weekend with a victory and a Northwest loss. Along with SOU and OIT traveling to Portland to meet Warner and Multnomah, LC State and Walla Walla host C of I and Eastern Oregon, with Bushnell and Corban off to Northwest and Evergreen State.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Lady Owls lead the CCC in rebound margin (+11.4), defensive field goal percentage (.340) and defensive 3-point percentage (.272), ranking No. 2 in scoring average (75.7), scoring margin (+16.6), field goal percentage (.448), free throw percentage (.754) and assists per game (17.6). Individually, Gabbie Gascon leads the league in 3-point percentage (.429) and free throw percentage (.941), No. 2 in assists per game (3.9), No. 6 in field goal percentage (.494) and No. 9 in steals per game (2.1). Olivia Sprague is No. 3 in scoring average (18.0), No. 4 in assists per game (3.6) and free throw percentage (.879), No. 7 in steals per game (2.2), No. 8 in rebounds per game (6.9), No. 9 in 3-point percentage (.364) and No. 10 in blocks per game (0.8); Jozie Ramos is No. 9 in blocks per game (0.9); with Tatum Schmerbach No. 10 in assists per game (2.7).
 
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Through seven home games, the Lady Owls are averaging 953 fans per contest – No. 2 in the NAIA ranks. Tech trails only Carroll College (1,347), with the Owls holding a sizeable lead on No. 3 Concordia-Nebraska (765). OIT would rank No. 1 in attendance in the NCAA Division III, No. 11 in the Division II and rank 186th of 362 Division I programs – ranking No. 8 among all 4-year college basketball programs in the Northwest (trailing only Oregon, Washington, Oregon State, Washington State, Gonzaga, Idaho and Boise State).
 
RECORD BOOK: Six Lady Owls currently rank among the Top-50 in the OIT record book, led by Olivia Sprague, who is No. 8 in points scored (1,114), No. 9 in 3-pointers made (139), field goal attempts (953) and steals (148), No. 10 in assists (264) and field goals made (395), No. 11 in 3-point attempts (358), No. 14 in free throws made (185), No. 19 in blocked shots (35), No. 28 in free throw attempts (229), ranking No. 32 in rebounds (372). Kennedy Tull ranks No. 31 in free throws made (142), No. 33 in free throw attempts (189), No. 36 in 3-pointers made (32) and 3-point attempts (99), ranking just outside the Top-50 in points scored (446); Gabbie Gascon is No. 28 in assists (154) and in 3-pointers made (48), No. 30 in 3-point attempts (139), No. 32 in steals (77), No. 35 in free throws made (122) and No. 48 in free throw attempts (137); Alexis Elquist is No. 34 in blocked shots (22), No. 48 in rebounds (247) and No. 49 in 3-pointers made (15) and attempted (56); Kayley Elliott is No. 39 in blocked shots (17), No. 45 in 3-pointers made (17) and No. 50 in 3-point attempts (55); with Jozie Ramos No. 38 in blocked shots (18).
 
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 243-76 overall record, including a 7-0 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 92-game win streak (including Friday's win over Bushnell) when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game, recording a 166-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
NEXT WEEK: After 4-straight road games, OIT returns home for five of the final seven games – including three games next week – Feb. 6 vs. Southern Oregon, Feb. 9 vs. Evergreen State and Feb. 10 vs. Northwest.