COMING UP: vs. No. 6 Lewis-Clark State, Friday, 11 a.m.; vs. Walla Walla, Saturday, 7 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All remaining Lady Owls contests, will be carried live on radio 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 – simulcast with Live Video on the Owls Sports Network. Live Stats for both games will be available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal, with in-game updates 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.
 
NOTE START TIMES: Game times this weekend have been adjusted due to Cascade Conference mandated protocols – as LC State plays road Friday games earlier (to avoid a competitive disadvantage of rest time), while Walla Walla plays early Friday games and late Saturday games due to their religious affiliation (Seventh Day Adventist Sabbath runs sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday). Friday's start time is set for 11 a.m. and is Field Trip Day, as OIT welcomes all K-12 kids to the game for free. Saturday's start time is set for 7 p.m.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Lady Owls return home Friday morning for a rematch with No. 6-ranked and league-leading Lewis-Clark State, looking to atone for an 88-71 loss to the Warriors (23-2, 19-1 CCC) last month in Lewiston. LCSC is the dominant force in the conference, leading the circuit in scoring average (77.0), in field goal percentage (.467), in 3-point percentage (.359) and turnovers forced per game (18.4) – and head to the Basin riding a 15-game win streak. The Warriors have withstood a pair of season-ending injuries on their roster, with their group of 10 led by 2-time CCC Player of the Year, Callie Stevens (16.9 ppg, 3.0 apg). Ellie Sander (13.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg) has been key to the LC success, with a solid group of wings in Sitara Byrd (8.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg), Darian Herring (7.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Mataya Green (4.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) all tough at both ends of the floor. OIT is 1-7 all-time vs. the Warriors (not including a COVID forfeit win), with the lone victory coming on a neutral court in 2012.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WALLA WALLA: The regular-season ends with a Saturday evening data against a Walla Walla team having their best season in program history. The Wolves (9-16, 6-14) remain in the playoff chase for the first time, despite losing six of their last eight games – and are searching for their first-ever 10-win season. WWU forces 16 turnovers a game, which makes up for an offense that converts 36-percent of their field goal chances and just 26-percent of their 3-point attempts. The tandem of Chariah Daniels (14.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg) and Jaliyah Casem (14.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg) have had outstanding seasons, along with newcomer Natalee Trevino. The teams met a month ago inside a frigid Windemuth Court, with OIT outlasting the Wolves, 71-64 – the closest game in the all-time series – with Tech improving their all-time record against WWU to a perfect 20-0.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Only one postseason spot has been locked in – as Eastern Oregon will be the No. 4 seed in the CCC Championships – with the seven other spots still in flux. OIT can finish as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the tournament – claiming the No. 2 seed with two wins and a LC State loss at Southern, while SOU can grab the league title with victories over Walla Walla and LC State, with LC winning the crown with a win Saturday at SOU. Bushnell needs a win over either EOU or College of Idaho to claim the No. 5 seed, with C of I claiming the No. 6 seed with a victory in one of their two final games. Corban and Evergreen State hold a one game lead on Walla Walla and a 2-game cushion on Northwest for the final two playoff slots.  
 
BEST START EVER?: The Lady Owls have secured their best 26-game start in program history, as the 23-3 record in 2023-24 surpassed the previous high-water mark of 21-5 established during the 2013-14 and 2016-17 seasons.
 
20-WIN SEASONS: The Feb. 9 win over Evergreen State secured Tech their 16th 20-win season in program history. With 23 wins on the year, the 2023-24 Lady Owls are among the all-time leaders in wins, as prior to this season, OIT has three 23-win seasons, two 24-win seasons, with the 2015-16 team finishing 26-9 and the 2013-14 team ending the year with a 28-6 record.
 
TECH RANKED NO. 25, FOR NOW: The Lady Owls currently sit at No. 25 in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, released on Feb. 14 – the third-straight polling period in the rankings. Two CCC teams – No. 6 LC State and No. 22 Southern Oregon – join Tech in the poll. Unfortunately, for OIT, the squad has fallen from No. 4 to No. 8 in the latest NAIA Western ARC rating – which determines the at-large bids to the NAIA Championships, despite going 7-1 during that period.
 
PLAYOFFS CLINCHED: With their victory on Feb. 2 at Multnomah, OIT clinched a Cascade Conference Tournament berth for the 12th-straight season. The Lady Owls will be competing in the postseason for the 27th time, including six NAIA National Tournament appearances (2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) and two CCC Tournament titles (2014, 2015). Tech holds a 20-17 all-time mark in the CCC Tournament, which will begin on Feb. 27.
 
ANOTHER 50-PERCENT GAME: Saturday's win at Bushnell saw Tech convert 51-percent of their field goal attempts – the tenth time during the season the Lady Owls have surpassed the 50-percent shooting mark – one off the single-season school record. OIT ranks second in the CCC with a .456 team field goal percentage – on pace to break the single-season school record.
 
REBOUND STREAK ROLLS ON: OIT claimed a rebound edge in both weekend wins – extending a string of games with a positive rebound margin to seven. The Lady Owls lead the CCC and rank No. 6 in the NAIA in rebound margin (+12.2), recording 18 games this season with at least 10 more rebounds than their opponents.
 
SCHMERBACH NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Lady Owls were paced on the road swing by Tatum Schmerbach, who was honored as CCC Player of the Week. The freshman averaged 16 points, six rebounds and five assists in the two games, converting 52-percent of her field goal attempts and all six free throws. Schmerbach had 18 points in the win at Corban, adding a career-high three blocks and three steals, while scoring 13 in the victory at Bushnell.
 
MORE FROM THE FRESHMEN: Tech's other two freshmen were key in the Valley wins, as Jozie Ramos and Kendall Fealey continued their stellar play. Ramos had six points and six boards at Corban, adding 10 points and a pair of blocks at Bushnell – as the post is averaging 12 points a game over her last five games and her 25 blocks on the season ranking No. 23 on the OIT single-season list. Fealey recorded nine points and two steals at Bushnell, pushing her steals total to 35 on the year – third-best on the team and just outside the Top-15 in the CCC.
 
SPRAGUE CLIMBING THE CHART: Guard Olivia Sprague had another banner weekend, scoring 19 points in Friday's win at Corban, adding 17 more in the victory at Bushnell – converting 5-of-10 3-point attempts. The junior, who is averaging 20 points a game over her last three outings, has climbed into the single-season Top-20 in three categories – No. 9 in points scored (463), No. 14 in field goals made (170) and No. 20 in 3-pointers made (54). Sprague became the sixth player in program history to surpass 1,200 career points – heading into the weekend with 1,235 points as a Lady Owl.
 
SENIOR NIGHT: Saturday marks the final home regular-season game for two OIT senior student-athletes – as third-year senior Jenna Wallace and fourth-year senior Kayley Elliott will be honored in a ceremony at halftime of the men's game (approximately 9:30 p.m.).
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Final playoff seeding is on the line this weekend – with Corban and Bushnell off to College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon, Evergreen State and Northwest head to Warner Pacific and Multnomah, with OIT and Southern hosting LC State and Walla Walla.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, OIT leads the CCC in rebound margin (+12.2), defensive field goal percentage (.348) and defensive 3-point percentage (.276), ranking No. 2 in scoring average (76.3), field goal percentage (.456), free throw percentage (.761), scoring margin (+16.2) and assists per game (17.7). Individually, Olivia Sprague ranks No. 3 in scoring average (17.8) and 3-point percentage (.409), is No. 4 in free throw percentage (.873), No. 6 in assists per game (3.4), No. 7 in steals per game (2.0) and No. 10 in rebounds per game (6.9); Gabbie Gascon is No. 2 in free throw percentage (.919), No. 3 in assists per game (3.8), ranking No. 9 in 3-point percentage (.372) and steals per game (1.8); Jozie Ramos is No. 7 in blocked shots per game (1.0); with Tatum Schmerbach is No. 8 in rebounds per game (7.1).
 
RECORD BOOK: Six Lady Owls currently rank among the Top-50 in the OIT record book, led by Olivia Sprague, who is No. 5 in 3-pointers made (154), No. 6 in points scored (1,235), No. 7 in field goal attempts (1,034), No. 8 in field goals made (439), No. 9 in steals (159), No. 10 in assists (284) and 3-point attempts (383), No. 11 in free throws made (203), No. 16 in blocked shots (39), No. 17 in free throw attempts (250), ranking No. 26 in rebounds (420). Kennedy Tull ranks No. 29 in free throws made (157), No. 30 in free throws attempts (207), No. 33 in 3-pointers made (38) and 3-point attempts (117), ranking No. 47 in points scored (507); Gabbie Gascon is No. 20 in assists (179), No. 26 in 3-pointers made (53) and 3-point attempts (163), No. 27 in steals (84), No. 32 in free throws made (137), No. 46 in free throw attempts (155) and No. 48 in points scored (490); Alexis Elquist is No. 31 in blocked shots (27), No. 40 in rebounds (294) and No. 49 in 3-pointers made (15) and attempted (57); Kayley Elliott is No. 38 in blocked shots (18), No. 45 in 3-pointers made (17) and No. 50 in 3-point attempts (56); with Jozie Ramos No. 33 in blocked shots (25).
 
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Through 10 home games, the Lady Owls are averaging 897 fans per contest – No. 2 in the NAIA ranks. Tech trails only Carroll College (1,363), with the Owls holding a sizeable lead on No. 3 Concordia-Nebraska (789). OIT would rank No. 1 in attendance in the NCAA Division III, No. 16 in the Division II and rank 192nd 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).
 
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 245-77 overall record, including a 9-1 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 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).
 
NEXT WEEK: OIT will host a CCC Tournament quarterfinal game at Danny Miles Court, facing either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Pre-sale tickets for the event will begin this Thursday at 12 p.m. – with current reserved/VIP season ticket holders having until 12 p.m. on Monday to reserve seating before all tickets go on sale to the general public.