COMING UP: at Eastern Oregon, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; at College of Idaho, Saturday, 2 p.m. (PST)

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All 22 Cascade Conference games will be broadcast live on radio in the Klamath Basin on 104.3-FM and 960-AM, beginning with the Joy Lease Coaches' Show 30-minutes prior to tip-off – simulcast online through MyBasin.com. Both games will have pay-per-view video available – Friday at Eastern Oregon and Saturday at College of Idaho – with Live Stats for both games on the OIT 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 – EASTERN OREGON: Conference play begins Friday night in the Grande Ronde Valley, as OIT looks to snap a 12-game losing streak inside Quinn Coliseum against Eastern Oregon. The Mountaineers (4-1) enter league play on a 4-game win streak – including a neutral site victory over Carroll – as EOU averages 72 points a game, converts 82-percent of their free throw chances and force 18 turnovers a night. Despite losing three starters from last season's NAIA Tournament team, returning guards Kelsie Siegner (14.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Brie Holecek (12.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Maggie Smith (9.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg) have been key to the Mounties success, along with newcomer Haylee Johnson (7.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg). The two teams split the season series in 2023-24, with EOU holding a 53-21 series edge, including a 35-7 mark in La Grande.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The road trip ends at College of Idaho, as the Lady Owls put a 3-game win streak in Caldwell and 5-game overall win streak on the line vs. the Coyotes (2-3). C of I enters the weekend averaging 60 points per game and converting 34-percent of their field goal attempts – but make nearly eight 3-pointers per game and commit just 10 turnovers a contest. A trio of returners pace the club – forward Brooke Beresford (10.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg), along with guards Mia Austin (8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and Kylie Waltermeyer (6.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg), while newcomer Ashton Adamson (8.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) has been key on the block. C of I holds a 25-24 all-time series lead, including a 15-8 series edge on their own floor.
 
TOUGH TRIP: The trip to the easternmost outposts in the CCC is arguably the toughest trip for OIT to make each season. Since EOU and C of I became travel partners in 2002, the Lady Owls have swept the road swing just twice – winning in La Grande and Caldwell during the 2002-03 and 2015-16 seasons. On the flip side, Tech has been swept on the trip eight times.
 
CONFERENCE SEASON IS HERE: The 11-week, 22-game Cascade Conference schedule begins in earnest this week, as the 12 conference teams vie for one of the eight bids to the CCC Tournament in February. Teams will face each of the other 11 opponents in home-and-home series, playing Friday-Saturday weekend match-ups – minus travel-partner games (OIT matched-up with Southern Oregon). Last season, Southern Oregon claimed the regular-season title, finishing one-game clear of both OIT and Lewis-Clark State.
 
HUGE TRIP TO ARIZONA: Tech closed out the regular-season with a trip to the Phoenix metro, matching up against two Great Southwest Athletic Conference teams.  The Lady Owls used stifling defense to clamp down on Park and Arizona Christian, extending their win streak to four games with two key victories. OIT held the two Arizona teams to a combining 29-percent shooting clip from the field, outrebounding the two opponents by 12 boards a night. The defense helped the Owls overcome a rough shooting weekend – making just 35-percent of their field goals, including a 3-for-24 performance from 3-point range.
 
RARE TOP-25 NON-CONFERENCE WIN: The match-up at Arizona Christian marked Tech's third contest this year against a Top-25 opponent, with the Owls ending a 4-game losing streak against a Top-25 opponent. For OIT, it was a rare preseason Top-25 victory – the first by the Lady Owls since 2012, a neutral-site 68-65 win over NAIA Division I No. 15-ranked Lewis-Clark State.
 
ON THE BLOCK: The Owls three posts led the way for Tech on the road swing – as starters Jozie Ramos and Alexis Elquist, along with top reserve, Maddyson Tull – keyed the two victories in Arizona. Ramos scored 12 points with seven rebounds in the opener against Park and provided the biggest bucket against ACU, converting a 10-foot jumper inside the final 10 seconds, to provide the winning margin. Elquist recorded a career-high 16 rebounds in the win at Park, with Tull averaging five points and five rebounds per game off the bench.
 
TULL PLAYS WELL: Guard Kennedy Tull stepped up in a big way in Arizona, as the senior was the lone Lady Owls player to score in double-figures in both victories. Tull scored a game-high 13 points, tying a career-high with seven rebounds vs. Park, adding 10 points and six boards in the win over Arizona Christian – combining to convert 7-of-14 field goal attempts.
 
SOPHOMORES STEP UP: The Owls got production at both ends of the floor from sophomores Tatum Schmerbach and Kendall Fealey during the trip to the desert, as the duo were instrumental in OIT's two road wins. Schmerbach scored 12 points, adding five rebounds and four assists against Park, following it up with six points and a team-high 11 rebounds against ACU. Fealey scored eight points with three assists at Park, adding a season-high 11 points against ACU – combining for eight steals in the two games, tying a career-high with five in the upset-win in Glendale.
 
STEAL MACHINE: It has been a banner year defensively for Gabbie Gascon, as the guard has posted multiple steals in each of the six non-conference match-ups. The junior ranks No. 18 in the NAIA in steals per game (3.7), combining for six steals on the Arizona trip – four at Park Gilbert and two at Arizona Christian. Gascon leads Tech with an 11.5 points per game scoring average, adding 3.7 assists a contest.
 
NUMBER CHANGE: Head coach Joy Lease announced this week that reserve post Avery Andrews has changed numbers – as the freshman will wear No. 45 for the remainder of the season.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: The first two Cascade Conference games of the season were played last week – with LC State topping Walla Walla and Multnomah outlasting Warner Pacific – with College of Idaho and Bushnell each going to Montana, dropping games against Providence and Carroll. Heading into the weekend, both LC State and Southern Oregon remain unbeaten on the season with 6-0 records, while Eastern Oregon (4-1) and OIT (4-2) each riding 4-game win streaks. This week, along with SOU and Tech heading to EOU and C of I, LC State and Walla Walla travel to Northwest and Evergreen State, with Warner Pacific and Multnomah off to Corban and Bushnell.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, OIT ranks No. 1 in the CCC (and No. 18 in the NAIA) in rebounds per game (11.3), No. 2 in steals per game (12.0) and assists per game (16.2), No. 3 in scoring offense (73.8), No. 4 in turnover margin (+4.8), blocked shots per game (3.7) and scoring margin (+12.0), No. 5 in field goal percentage (.400), No. 7 in scoring defense (61.8) and No. 11 in 3-point percentage (.208) and 3-pointers made per game (2.7). Individually, Gabbie Gascon ranks No. 3 in steals per game (3.7) and No. 5 in assists per game (3.7); Alexis Elquist is No. 3 in rebounds per game (8.5); Kendall Fealey is No. 4 in steals per game (2.8) and No. 8 in assists per game (3.2); Tatum Schmerbach is No. 5 in rebounds per game (7.8) and No. 8 in assists per game (3.2), with Jozie Ramos No. 9 in blocks per game (0.8) and No. 10 in field goal percentage (.490).
 
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 (76), ranking No. 19 in rebounds (459) and No. 32 in games played (90). Maddyson Tull is No. 4 in field goals made (468), No. 7 in free throw attempts (301), No. 9 in points scored (1,129), No. 11 in rebounds (539), No. 13 in field goal attempts (881), No. 15 in free throws made (186), No. 17 in blocked shots (39), No. 21 in games played (103) and No. 50 in assists (95); Kennedy Tull ranks No. 19 in free throws made (179), No. 23 in free throws attempts (237), No. 26 in games played (90), No. 29 in 3-pointers made (47), No. 31 in 3-point attempts (145), No. 39 in assists (121), No. 41 in points scored (614), ranking No. 44 in field goals made (194) and No. 49 in field goal attempts (441); Gabbie Gascon is No. 17 in assists (209), No. 18 free throws made (181) and in steals (115), No. 23 in 3-pointers made (66), No. 24 in 3-point attempts (209), No. 30 in free throw attempts (216), No. 39 in points scored (641), No. 43 in field goals made (197) and in field goal attempts (484), ranking No. 50 in rebounds (243); Alexis Elquist is No. 18 in blocked shots (38), No. 33 in rebounds (376), No. 45 in 3-point attempts (62) and No. 48 in 3-pointers made (16); with Jozie Ramos No. 18 in blocked shots (38) and Tatum Schmerbach No. 39 in blocked shots (18), No. 46 in both rebounds (263) and No. 47 in assists (104).
 
TECH JUST OUTSIDE THE TOP-25: The Lady Owls climbed two spots in the latest Top-25 poll, now listed as the third team in the "others receiving votes" category. Tech received 67 voter points from the 20 conference raters – just 15 points behind No. 25-ranked Northwestern (Iowa). Two CCC teams are in the Top-25 – No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon and No. 14 Lewis-Clark State, as are three preseason opponents – No. 1 Dordt, No. 20 Arizona Christian and No. 25 Northwestern.
 
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 23 seasons, the Lady Owls have won 76-percent of their home dates – posting a stellar 250-78 overall record – including a 2-0 mark this year. 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 39 times, posting a 36-3 record in the high-scoring contests. The Lady Owls are riding a 95-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game – including the two wins in Arizona, recording a 169-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
UP NEXT: Tech plays their lone December game at home and their only home date over a seven-week stretch, hosting rival and No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon next Saturday (Dec. 14) at 5:30 p.m.