COMING UP: Exhibition at Willamette, Sunday, 2 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All OIT women's basketball games for the remainder of the season will be carried live on 104.3-FM & 960-AM in the Klamath Basin and streamed online at MyBasin.com, with Mike Safford on the call – beginning 30-minutes prior to the scheduled tip off. Sunday's game at Willamette will have video through WU's FloCollege Portal and Live Stats via NCAA LiveStats.
 
UPCOMING PROMOTIONAL NIGHTS: On Dec. 19, Tech will host Military/First Responders Appreciation Night against Bushnell, with the first 1,000 fans receiving a free camo t-shirt courtesy of Winema Electric, while Dec. 20 vs. Corban, it is Rogue Credit Union $1 Popcorn Night. For tickets to all home events, visit OIT's Ticket Portal.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WILLAMETTE: Tech steps away from league play for the final time in the regular-season, making the trip to the Valley for an exhibition game at Division III Willamette. The Bearcats (2-5), from the Northwest Conference, were District 2 rivals of the Lady Owls back in the 1980s, with the team leaving the NAIA for the NCAA in 1998. The current squad has victories over UC Santa Cruz and Warner Pacific, while dropping close games to Bushnell, Western Oregon and Walla Walla – with WU averaging 63 points per game. Guard Riley Walden (12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) is connecting on 41% of 3-point attempts, with fellow guards Kaitlin Imai (11.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg) and Gabbie Wilson (6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg), along with forward Emma Floyd (7.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg) key contributors. The Bearcats hold a 10-6 series edge (dating back to 1982), with OIT's 66-60 victory in 2023 the first-ever win on Willamette's home floor.
 
EXHIBITION GAMES: Sunday's match-up marks the 11th time OIT has played an exhibition game since the NAIA allowed non-countable games to be scheduled in 2004. It is the second exhibition against a Division III team (defeated Linfield in 2021), with the Lady Owls playing six games vs. Division II clubs – a win over Cal Poly Humboldt in 2013, along with losses to Sonoma State (2018, 2019), San Francisco State (2014), Chico State (2021) and Western Oregon (2023). Tech has squared off with three Division I opponents in exhibitions – losing to Oregon in 2013 and Boise State in 2021, while defeating Portland State in 2015.
 
TRIPLE-DOUBLE NETS SCHMERBACH HONOR: After narrowly missing a triple-double three times this season, Tatum Schmerbach reached the lofty pedestal Saturday, becoming the third Lady Owl to notch 10-or-more points, rebounds and assists in a game – earning Cascade Conference Player of the Week honors in the process. The junior had 26 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists against Northwest – joining Nohea Waiwaiole (2018) and Abby Kreiser (2021) in the exclusive club. Schmerbach has scored in double-figures in 16-straight games and ranks among the CCC's Top-10 in each of the three categories (leading the league with a 5.7 assist-per-game average).
 
SPRAGUE BREAKS NEW ERA SCORING MARK: With a lay-up to end the first quarter vs. Northwest, Olivia Sprague surpassed Ashley Vandenbrink for the most points scored by an OIT women's basketball player since the program returned in 2002. The senior pushed her all-time total to 1,455 points by the end of the night – 10 more than Vandenbrink scored from 2013-17. The duo now sit No. 2 and No. 3 on the all-time list – trailing OIT Hall of Fame forward Carmen Arroquero, who scored 2,067 points from 1982-86 – the highest total before the program was disbanded in 1992.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Four teams opened CCC play with 2-0 records – as OIT and Southern Oregon swept Evergreen and Northwest, Corban topped Bushnell and Warner Pacific, with Eastern Oregon earning home wins over LC State and Walla Walla. With finals looming on CCC campuses, this week features a small slate of games, including Evergreen and Northwest playing Pacific Lutheran, Walla Walla and LC State playing Whitman, Corban hosting Linfield and Warner Pacific hosting Simpson.
 
UP NEXT: The Lady Owls close out 2025 with two home games next weekend – Dec. 19 vs. Bushnell and Dec. 20 vs. Corban.