COMING UP: at Warner Pacific, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; at Multnomah, Saturday, 5 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All 22 Cascade Conference games will be broadcast live on radio in the Klamath Basin on Oregon's County Giant, 92.5 KLAD-FM, beginning with the Justin Parnell Coaches' Show 30-minutes prior to tip-off – with an audio simulcast online through MyBasin.com. Both games will be streamed online – Friday through Warner Pacific's YouTube Channel and Saturday through Multnomah's HUDL-TV page - with Live Stats available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal. For fans traveling to Portland – neither Warner Pacific, nor Multnomah accept credit cards for admission, only cash, with tickets $7.00 at Multnomah and $5.00 at WP.
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2024-25 season, including the Jan. 3 win over Northwest, are posted online via the OIT Men's Basketball Flickr Page, while highlight clips from both weekend home wins are posted online via the OIT Men's Basketball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WARNER PACIFIC: Tech heads to Portland this weekend for two key games, starting Friday at Warner Pacific, as the Knights (8-5, 3-5 CCC) have already surpassed their win total from 2023-24. WPU is among the top defensive teams in the league – holding squads to 69 points per game and 31% shooting from 3-point range, with just one of 13 opponents reaching 80 points in a game. Returning guard Matt Solomon (18.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg) leads the CCC in scoring, with the trio of Tre'von Cason (13.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg), Terrin Dickey (11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Sean Johnson (10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) all averaging in double-figures. OIT swept the season series last year and holds a 70-26 all-time series lead.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MULTNOMAH: The weekend ends at the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University (as Multnomah was purchased last spring by Jessup of California and now serves as a satellite campus), as the Lions (10-3, 6-2) are off to a tremendous start. Paced by a defense forcing 15 turnovers and averaging eight rebounds more than their opponents, MCJU started the season 6-1 and is one-game out of first in the league standings. Guards Marje Windfield (14.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Alileyon Ford (11.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg) key the backcourt, with forwards Keilan Torkornoo (17.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg), Braedon Edison (12.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Noah McCord (11.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg) having great years. OIT holds a 27-1 all-time series lead, including an 8-0 mark in Portland.
 
TECH DOMINATES AT HOME: Convincing wins over Northwest and Evergreen State ran the Hustlin' Owls win streak to five games, with victories in 7-of-8 contests. Included in the wins was a 103-58 victory over TESC – the fourth-straight year OIT has posted a winning margin in league play of 40-points or more.
 
DEFENSE THE KEY: OIT held their second and third-straight opponents to 61 points or less over the weekend, while running a streak of games with opponents shooting under 44% to six. The Owls held both Northwest and Evergreen under 38% shooting from the floor, recorded 55 more rebounds than the two teams (including 35 offensive rebounds) and forced 32 turnovers in the wins.
 
STEADY OFFENSE: The Owls scored 85 and 103 points in the two victories, with the club surpassing the 85-point mark in 8-of-13 games this year. Tech converted 58.5% of their field goals vs. Evergreen, the sixth time the club has posted a field goal percentage at 57% or better. OIT leads the CCC in both categories – averaging 87 points a game and converting 51.8% of field goal chances.
 
OVER 100 AGAIN: For the second time this season, OIT surpassed the 100-point mark in their win vs. Evergreen State - the 197th time the Owls have scored 100-or-more points. The squad extended a win streak to 27-games when reaching the century mark – and the eighth-straight full season Tech has reached 100 points in a game multiple times. The Owls first scored 100 points in a game on Feb. 9, 1957 against Eastern Oregon (110-62) – starting a streak of 66 wins when reaching the century mark, a string of games which stretched 33 years. To date, OIT has a 187-10 all-time record when scoring 100.
 
OSBORN NEAR MILESTONE: Kam Osborn ran his consecutive games scoring in double-figures streak to eight in the two victories – posting 13 points vs. Northwest and 10 vs. Evergreen. The league leader in free throw percentage (.913) moved within 18 points of becoming the 39th member of OIT's 1,000-point club for a career – joining teammates Keegan Shivers and Jamison Guerra.
 
SHIVERS NEARS EXCLUSIVE CLUB: Guard Keegan Shivers logged his second double-double of the year vs. Northwest – becoming the 11th player in OIT history to grab over 700 rebounds in a career in the process. The fifth-year senior is 16 points away from joining Kevin Baker, Matt Foster, Bob Townsend and Herb McEachin as the only Hustlin' Owls to record 1,400 points and 700 rebounds in a career, with Shivers 21 made 3-pointers away from breaking Townsend's school record of 272 made triples in a career.
 
JENSEN CONTINUES HOT STREAK: The Owls got a big effort from post Blake Jensen, converting 7-of-11 field goals and 14-of-19 free throws in the two games. The senior recorded his 11th career double-double vs. Evergreen State, scoring 18 points and grabbing a season-high 12 rebounds. Jensen heads into the weekend leading the CCC in field goal percentage (.680).
 
TULL SEES INCREASED MINUTES: Forward Grant Tull saw his minutes increased over the weekend – playing more minutes in each of the two games than he played during the first eight contests of the year. The junior responded, making 6-of-8 field goals, posting five points and four rebounds vs. Northwest, followed by a career-high 10 points and four boards vs. Evergreen State.
 
EVERYONE PLAYS: The lopsided wins allowed every player on the roster to get playing time – with back-up post Logan Thebiay recording season-highs of seven points and four rebounds vs. Evergreen State. Both Kaden Groenig and Quincy Townsend got in the action – Groenig recording four assists vs. TESC and Townsend knocking down a jumper – with the duo still able to play in one additional game to keep their redshirt intact.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: OIT moved into a 3-way tie with LC State and College of Idaho atop the league standings – as all three clubs have one loss in CCC play, a game clear of Corban and Multnomah – with both Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon heading into the weekend on 3-game win streaks. This week, Bushnell and Corban travel to LC and Walla Walla, EOU and C of I head to Northwest and Evergreen State, with OIT and SOU meeting Multnomah and Warner Pacific.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, Tech leads the CCC in scoring average (87.0) and field goal percentage (.518), ranking No. 2 in scoring margin (+11.6), assists per game (15.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5), No. 4 in 3-point percentage (.344) and rebound margin (+8.4), No. 5 in 3-pointers made per game (7.4), No. 6 in steals per game (6.4), No. 7 in scoring defense (75.4), No. 8 in free throw percentage (.696) and No. 10 in blocks per game (1.9). Individually, Jamison Guerra leads the league in assists per game (6.4), 3-point percentage (.500) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4.0), ranking No. 9 in field goal percentage (.547) and No. 10 in steals per game (1.3), with Blake Jensen leading the league in field goal percentage (.680) and Kam Osborn leading the league in free throw percentage (.913). In addition, Keegan Shivers is No. 8 in 3-pointers made per game (1.8) and No. 10 in rebounds per game (6.3), Jackson Cooper is No. 5 in field goal percentage (.582), Dakota Reber is No. 8 in field goal percentage (.553) and Jay Elmore is No. 9 in 3-point percentage (.424).
 
SUCCESS IN DANNY'S HOUSE: Since OIT moved to their current campus in 1964, the Hustlin' Owls have had a decisive home floor advantage inside the Athletic Center – winning over 81-percent of their home games. Over the last 61 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold a 791-180 overall record in the building – including an 104-20 mark under current head coach Justin Parnell. OIT has recorded a winning record in 57-of-59 seasons (going 5-7 in 1965-66 and 1-8 in 1970-71), including undefeated records four times (1986-87, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11). The Owls currently are 5-1 at home, looking for their 54th-straight winning season on their home floor.
 
DEEP DIVE INTO ATTENDANCE: The Hustlin' Owls continue to lead the NAIA in attendance, averaging 1,473 fans per game through six dates (highest per game average since averaging 1,442 fans in 2010) – well ahead of College of Idaho (1,150), Lewis-Clark State (801), Evangel (777) and Taylor (751). OIT ranks eighth among all Northwest college teams (Boise State – 10,522, Gonzaga – 7,289, Oregon – 6,490, Washington – 5,886, Washington State – 3,512, Oregon State – 3,111, Idaho – 1,623, Oregon Tech – 1,473, Eastern Washington – 1,471, Northwest Nazarene – 1,293) and No. 3 among all Oregon colleges (Oregon – 6,490, Oregon State – 3,111, Oregon Tech – 1,473, Portland – 1,152, Portland State – 493, Southern Oregon – 415, Pacific – 233, Corban – 185, Willamette – 158, Linfield – 157).
 
STILL IN THE RANKNGS: The 20 NAIA conference raters dropped Tech from the Top-25 for the first time since the start of last season (eight polling periods) – with the Owls receiving 33 voter points in poll, released Dec. 11. Two teams OIT has played this year are in the Top-5 – No. 2 College of Idaho and No. 4 Arizona Christian – with LC State ranked No. 15. The next polling period is set for Jan. 15.
 
RECORD BOOK:  Six players rank among the Top-75 of the Hustlin' Owls career record book, led by Keegan Shivers, who ranks No. 2 in 3-pointers made (252) and 3-point attempts (637), No. 10 in field goal attempts (1,092), No. 11 in points scored (1,384) and rebounds (703), No. 13 in field goals made (475), No. 30 in assists (271), No. 36 in steals (86), No. 41 in games played (114), No. 44 in free throws made (182), ranking No. 55 in free throw attempts (228) and No. 59 in blocked shots (19). Jamison Guerra is No. 6 in assists (563), No. 13 in free throws made (257), No. 16 in free throw attempts (339), No. 21 in steals (116), No. 25 in points scored (1,167), No. 26 in field goal attempts (895), No. 31 in field goals made (409), No. 34 in 3-point attempts (297), No. 41 in games played (114) and No. 42 in 3-pointers made (92); Kam Osborn is No. 32 in 3-pointers made (108), No. 33 in 3-point attempts (302), No. 37 in free throws made (190), No. 40 in points scored (982) and field goal attempts (755), No. 44 in free throw attempts (247), No. 50 in field goals made (342) and assists (183), No. 58 in games played (90) and No. 66 in steals (52); Erik Fraser is No. 31 in 3-point attempts (306), No. 33 in 3-pointers made (106), No. 52 in blocked shots (21), No. 54 in steals (69) and games played (99), No. 70 in field goal attempts (606), No. 72 in field goals made (282) and No. 75 in points scored (766); Blake Jensen is No. 30 in blocked shots (36), No. 32 in free throw attempts (280), No. 38 in free throws made (189), No. 45 in rebounds (433) and No. 57 in games played (91); with Jay Elmore No. 30 in 3-pointers made (117) and No. 37 in 3-point attempts (275).
 
OVER 1,000-STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A 3-POINTER: The 3-point shot has been key to the Hustlin' Owls success over the years, with Tech extending their string of games with a made 3-pointer to 1,028. OIT last failed to make a 3-pointer on Dec. 4, 1992, at Humboldt State, going 0-for-7 from outside the arch. During the current streak, the Owls made one 3-pointer in a game on five occasions. UNLV (1,242) and Duke (1,240) hold the current 3-point streak record, just ahead of CCC rivals Corban (1,225) and College of Idaho (1,176), along with East Tennessee State (1,174).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Hustlin' Owls return to the Basin to open their longest homestand of the season, beginning Jan. 17 against Walla Walla for the second-annual K-12 Field Trip Game – with tip-off set for 1 p.m.