KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – A dominant second half performance lifted Oregon Tech to their 12th-straight win to start the season, a 70-37 victory over Warner Pacific at Danny Miles Court.
 
The Lady Owls (12-0, 6-0 CCC) remained atop the Cascade Conference standings – holding the Knights to 20-percent shooting (12-of-60) from the field, with the 37 points by the visitors the fewest in the 65 meetings between the schools.
 
"Coach told us to quit settling for 3's," said Kaitlyn Wright, who scored a season-high 10 points off the bench. "We attacked the middle of their defense and got much better looks."
 
Tech used an 11-2 run spanning the first and second quarters to build a 22-13 lead, but the Knights (6-5, 4-3) started a 10-0 run with a Hannah Harris 3-pointer and grabbed a 23-22 edge on a driving McKeeley Tonkin lay-up. However, Wright secured an offensive rebound and scored to give the Owls the lead and an Elli Kent transition capped the period.
 
Following the break – it was all OIT. Three quick buckets from Gabbie Gascon, Alexis Elquist and Tatum Schmerbach started the run. Olivia Sprague canned a pair of 3-pointers and Gascon added a third – part of an 18-0 run – as the hosts did not allow a field goal for an 8-minute stretch, taking a 57-29 lead early in the fourth quarter.
 
The Lady Owls outscored WPU 44-14 in the final 20 minutes – converting 59-percent of their second half field goal chances, including 11-of-18 shot attempts in the third quarter. Tech clamped down on the Knights attack, as the Portland school made 5-of-33 chances in the back half.
 
Sprague led all scorers with 19 points, adding eight rebounds, four assists and four steals – moving within 13 points of the coveted 1,000-point mark for her Tech career. Gascon scored 12, with Elquist posting her second double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds.
 
Harris led WPU with a season-high 12 points and Teirra Hicks added seven points and six rebounds.
 
OIT closes out the weekend homestand tomorrow, hosting Multnomah at 3 p.m. – live on 104.3 & 960 Sports.