COMING UP: at No. 19 Northwestern (Iowa), Friday, 6 p.m. (CDT) / 4 p.m. (PDT); at No. 1 Dordt (Iowa), Saturday, 5 p.m. (CDT) / 3 p.m. (PDT)

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both games will be streamed online for fans unable to make the trip to the Siouxland – Friday's game at Northwestern through the GPAC Network and Saturday's game at Dordt through HUDL-TV. Live Stats for both contests will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2024-25 season will posted online via the OIT Women's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips posted online via the OIT Women's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – NORTHWESTERN: The Lady Owls season begins where the Hustlin' Owls season ended in 2023-24, as OIT heads to the Bultman Center in Orange City, Iowa, and a date with Northwestern College. NWC finished last season 19-12, defeating Rio Grande in the first-round of the NAIA Tournament before losing to Indiana Wesleyan with a trip to Sioux City on the line. The Red Raiders averaged 73.9 points per game and averaged nine rebounds more than their opponents, with the club returning all five starters – helping the team earn the No. 4 spot in the GPAC poll and a No. 19 ranking by the NAIA. Third-team All-American Molly Schany (17.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg), a 6-foot-1 forward, is NWC's top player, while All-GPAC guard Hali Anderson (13.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.0 apg) a tough matchup. Also back for the 5-time NAIA champs are forwards Emily TerWee (8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Lexie Van Kekerix (6.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and Maren Narem (6.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg).
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – DORDT: The marquee match-up for OIT in the preseason is Saturday, as the Owls face the defending NAIA champions from Dordt University. The Defenders finished last season 35-2, averaging 82 points per game, converting 47-percent of their field goal attempts and averaged 12 rebounds per game more than their opponents. DU will have to replace three starters, including their top-two scorers, as Bailey Beckman and Karly Gustafson combined to average 27 points per game. DU returns first-team All-America guard Macy Sievers (12.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 7.0 apg, 2.7 spg) – among the top players at her position in the NAIA, along with starting forward Janie Van Donge (11.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg). The team will be helped by two key recruits – guard Ava Lingemann, the South Dakota Class B Player of the Year, along with forward Desta Hoogendoorn, a 2-time Iowa all-state selection.
 
AGAINST THE GPAC: The two games are the first Tech will play against a squad from the Great Plains Athletic Conference – among the top NAIA women's basketball circuits year-after-year. The GPAC features teams from South Dakota (Dakota Wesleyan), Nebraska (College of St. Mary, Concordia, Doane, Hastings, Midland) and Iowa (Briar Cliff, Dordt, Morningside, Mount Marty, Northwestern and Waldorf) – with the league combining for 15 NAIA titles over the last 25 years. OIT met Jamestown, a former GPAC school, twice at the NAIA Championships (2016, 2017).
 
FURTHEST EAST?: The two games in Orange City and Sioux Center will mark the furthest east the OIT women's basketball team has ever played a game. Outside of trips to Sioux City, Iowa for the NAIA Division II national tournaments in 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 (which is 45 miles to the west of the 2024 venues) and the 2024 NAIA first/second rounds in Helena, Mont., the OIT has never left the footprint of Washington, Oregon, Idaho or California.
 
FACING NO. 1: Dordt becomes the first No. 1-ranked team to ever face the Lady Owls and the highest ranked team Tech has faced since the 2016-17 season, when OIT defeated No. 3-ranked Southern Oregon. The squad has played one other Top-5 opponent – No. 4 ranked St. Xavier in the 2015 NAIA Division II Tournament. Last season, the Owls defeated a Top-10 foe, stopping No. 6-ranked Lewis-Clark State, 76-61.
 
TECH RANKED NO. 20, PICKED SECOND IN CCC POLL: After ended last season ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Top-25 Poll, the Lady Owls earned the No. 20 position in the preseason rankings – the third all-time preseason rank for the club (No. 22 in 2003, No. 20 in 2016). OIT was joined in the tabulation by No. 10-ranked Southern Oregon and No. 24 ranked Lewis-Clark State. In the Cascade Conference preseason poll, OIT was selected second overall – their highest preseason ranking in the league poll in 19 seasons. Both SOU and OIT shared the six first-place votes, with the Raiders claiming the top spot, as LC State, Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho rounded out the Top-5.
 
LOOKING BACK: The first season under Joy Lease was one for the records, as the 2023-24 club opened the year 14-0, earning key December wins over Eastern Oregon and at Southern Oregon, with the team posting a convincing February victory over Lewis-Clark State. Tenacity on the glass was key, as the Lady Owls set a new school record for rebound margin (+11.1) and averaged nearly 75 points per game. The squad finished second in the CCC regular-season, reached the CCC Tournament semifinals and earned an at-large bid to the NAIA Championships. Tech opened tourney play with a 79-72 win over Jessup in Helena, Mont., before a loss to eventual national semifinalist, Carroll, ended the season. The 27-5 record was the best win-percentage in program history.
 
ALL-STARS RETURN: Experience is key for the Lady Owls, as four All-CCC performers will be on the court for the 2024-25 season. Two-time NAIA All-American Olivia Sprague anchors the club, as the senior had a remarkable 2023-24 season, ranking among the CCC Top-10 in seven categories – averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot per game, while connecting on 65 3-pointers and making 86-percent of her free throw chances. Point-guard Gabbie Gascon had a breakout sophomore season, earning All-CCC honors after averaging 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals a night – leading the league with an 88-percent free throw percentage. Freshman of the Year, Tatum Schmerbach was a huge surprise around the league, averaging eight points and seven rebounds per game, while 2-time All-CCC post, Maddyson Tull, returns after a year away from the game – having led the 2022-23 team in scoring and rebounds and enters the year with over 1,000 career points.
 
SIZE ON THE BLOCK: The Owls will have a size advantage on many CCC opponents, with four players on the roster standing 6-foot-1 or taller. Returning starter, fifth-year senior Alexis Elquist, averaged six points and six rebounds last season, with Jozie Ramos making an impact as a true freshman, scoring in double-figures in nine of the final 11 games of the season. Maddyson Tull brings four seasons of experience into a super-senior season, with true freshman Avery Andrews hoping to crack the rotation.
 
NEWCOMERS: With the bulk of the squad returning and losing just three players from last season (Kayley Elliott, Jenna Wallace, Elli Kent), Joy Lease brought in three new freshmen (along with the return of Maddyson Tull) to join the Lady Owls program. Point-guard Brooke Anderson was the Southwest Conference Player of the Year at Grants Pass High, earning 6A All-State honors as a senior, while wing Annie Campos was selected as the OSAA 4A State Player of the Year, leading Henley High to the state championship. In addition, 6-foot-3 post Avery Andrews, adds to the depth in the middle, coming off a 5A All-State season at Mountain View High in Bend.
 
QUOTES FROM THE COACH: "The goal for the season is to start the season in Sioux City and end the year in Sioux City," said head coach Joy Lease. "We are going to find out where we are at in Iowa – whether we are right there or are there things we need to get better at. It's a win-win for us either way. The last few years, we haven't had size and depth – which is exciting for this year. It will be interesting to see how teams match up with us. We can put a really big lineup on the floor, but just as easily put a small, fast lineup out and not lose much.  Staying grounded will be key for us moving forward this year. We can't believe what we read about ourselves, we need to show up every day like we are the underdog and know that every team is gunning for us."
 
AROUND THE CCC: Walla Walla was the first Cascade Conference team in action, earning an 11-point home win over Thompson Rivers (B.C.). Preseason favorite, Southern Oregon, joins Tech on the Plains, traveling to Nebraska for games against Dakota State and Concordia, with Multnomah hosting Montana Tech and Walla Walla off to Linfield and George Fox. In addition, four teams are playing Division I exhibitions – Warner Pacific at Oregon, College of Idaho at Gonzaga, with both Bushnell and Eastern Oregon facing Boise State.
 
RECORD BOOK: Seven Lady Owls open the season ranked among the Top-50 in the OIT record book, led by Olivia Sprague, who is No. 2 in field goal attempts (1,133), No. 3 in field goals made (478) and steals (179), No. 4 in points scored (1,344) and 3-pointers made (165). No. 5 in 3-point attempts (427), No. 7 in free throws made (223), No. 8 in assists (306), No. 13 in free throw attempts (274), No. 16 in blocked shots (40), No. 18 in games started (75), ranking No. 19 in rebounds (459) and No. 32 in games played (89). Maddyson Tull is No. 7 in field goals made (451) and free throw attempts (287), No. 9 in points scored (1,087), No. 13 in rebounds (512), No. 15 in field goal attempts (840), No. 17 in blocked shots (38), No. 18 in free throws made (178), No. 19 in games started (73), No. 29 in games played (97) and No. 50 in assists (91); Kennedy Tull ranks No. 24 in free throws made (167), No. 28 in free throws attempts (221), No. 30 in 3-pointers made (44), No. 33 in 3-point attempts (131), No. 34 in games played (84), No. 44 in assists (110), No. 45 in points scored (559), ranking No. 48 in field goals made (174) and No. 50 in field goal attempts (407); Gabbie Gascon is No. 20 in assists (187), No. 23 in 3-pointers made (59) and steals (93), No. 24 in 3-point attempts (184), No. 26 in free throws made (165), No. 34 in free throw attempts (191), No. 43 in points scored (572), No. 48 in field goals made (174), ranking No. 49 in field goal attempts (424); Alexis Elquist is No. 26 in blocked shots (32), No. 38 in rebounds (325), No. 46 in 3-point attempts (60) and No. 49 in 3-pointers made (15); with Jozie Ramos No. 23 in blocked shots (33) and Tatum Schmerbach No. 50 in blocked shots (14).
 
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 past 22 seasons, the Lady Owls have won 76-percent of their home dates – posting a stellar 248-78 overall record, ending the 2023-24 with a 12-2 home mark. 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. Every season since women's basketball returned to Tech in 2002-23, the Owls have 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 37 times, posting a 34-3 record in the high-scoring contests. The Lady Owls are riding a 93-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game, recording a 167-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
UP NEXT: The Lady Owls will have the week off in preparation for the Lithia Classic, as Tech and Southern Oregon play host to UC Merced and Cal Maritime from the California Pacific Conference.