SALEM, Ore. – Defense down the stretch was key for Oregon Tech, holding Corban to one made field goal over a seven-minute span late in the contest, as a Hustlin' Owls 13-3 run keyed a come-from-behind 65-61 victory inside the C.E. Jeffers Center.
 
OIT (8-3, 4-1 CCC) trailed 47-37 midway through the second half, but limited the Warriors to 36-percent shooting after the break – including a 1-for-13 effort in the key run – to record their third-straight league victory.
 
Keegan Shivers scored 5-straight points, including a transition NBA-range 3-pointer, in a 12-2 Tech surge to tie the game at 49-49 with just over eight minutes remaining. Corban (6-5, 4-1), who saw a 5-game win streak snapped, regained the lead at 54-51 on a Nikola Milosevic lay-up with just over 7:10 on the clock – only to see the Owls catch fire.
 
Jamison Guerra converted twice on the block to give the visitors the lead and Jackson Cooper connected on two free throws, sandwiched around a pair of fall-away jumpers to extend the lead. Cooper gave OIT their largest lead at 64-57 with an inside basket with 25 seconds remaining.
 
The Warriors cut the margin to one possession inside the last 10 seconds, but a steal off an inbound pass by Erik Fraser allowed the Owls to run out the clock.
 
Cooper led OIT with 16 points and 13 rebounds, making 6-of-6 free throw attempts. Shivers finished with 14 points, converting the only two 3-pointers by the Owls on the night. Guerra scored 12, Kam Osborn finished with 11, Blake Jensen posted 10 points and eight rebounds, with Fraser pulling down a career-high 11 boards. Tech won despite making just 40% of their field goals.
 
Luc Krystkowiak led Corban with 16 points and eight rebounds.
 
OIT returns to the floor on Jan. 3, hosting Northwest at 7:30 p.m. for Rogue Credit Union $1.00 Popcorn Night.