KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Jozie Ramos scored 20 points and Tatum Schmerbach converted two big baskets late in the fourth quarter, as Oregon Tech secured the No. 2-seed in the Cascade Conference Championships with an 83-76 victory over Walla Walla on Senior Night at Danny Miles Court.
 
The No. 25-ranked Lady Owls (25-3, 19-3 CCC) finished tied with Lewis-Clark State in the standings – one-game back of regular-season champ, Southern Oregon, winning the tiebreaker with the Warriors to grab the higher seed. Tech will host No. 7-seed Evergreen State on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round.
 
With the first-ever postseason berth on the line, the Wolves (9-18, 6-16) drained their first five shots, including a pair from Jaliyah Casem and Cheriah Daniels, taking a 12-3 first quarter lead.
 
Tech put the clamps down defensively, holding WWU to one made field goal over the next 11 minutes, flipping the score with a 21-5 run to take a 24-17 lead. Ramos had 7-straight points in the rally, including a 3-point play and four free throws – as the freshman finished 10-of-11 from the stripe.
 
Senior Kayley Elliott started a 12-1 run with a lay-up and OIT converted 8-straight free throws in the surge, extending the margin to 47-33 at the break.
 
The lead would grow to 70-49 on a Ramos jumper with 90 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Wolves kept the pressure on. Casem scored seven points and Natalee Trevino hit a deep 3-pointer in a 13-0 fourth quarter run that pulled the visitors within 74-69.
 
Schmerbach answered for Tech, hitting a baseline jumper with just under three minutes to stop the rally, adding a key lay-up with 40 seconds left to give OIT a 79-73 lead.
 
OIT finished the night 25-of-50 from the field – their 11th game of the year making 50-percent or more of their field goals. The Owls were 31-of-36 from the line – their highest free throws made total in five seasons, with the team holding a 42-20 rebound edge.
 
Gabbie Gascon had 15 points and seven rebounds, Schmerbach and Olivia Sprague each scored 13, with Elliott scoring 10. Fellow OIT senior, Jenna Wallace had two points and a rebound in her first career start.
 
Casem led WWU with 22 points, with Trevino scoring 17 – as the Wolves made 11-of-26 shots from 3-point range. The loss eliminated the club from the postseason chase, as Corban claimed the final tournament bid.