COMING UP: at No. 4 Southern Oregon, Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Corban, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Bushnell, Saturday, 3 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 104.3-FM and 960-AM, beginning with the Joy Lease Coaches' Show 30-minutes prior to tip-off – simulcast online with audio through MyBasin.com. Video of Tuesday's game will be available through Raider Vision (PPV), with both weekend games live on the Owls Sports Network. Live Stats available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
BLACK OUT FOR HUNGER: Friday marks the annual Blackout for Hunger Night at Danny Miles Court, as OIT partners with the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank to help those in need. Fans are asked to wear black (with the Lady Owls wearing black uniforms), with the first 500 fans to donate a non-perishable food item or make a monetary donation to the Food Bank to receive a Blackout t-shirt.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SOUTHERN OREGON: The Top-2 teams in the CCC meet Wednesday night in Ashland (24 hours later following a postponement due to snow), as Tech squares off with No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon. The Raiders (21-0, 15-0 CCC) are off to their best start in school history, taking a 35-game regular-season win streak into the match-up. SOU leads the league is scoring offense (78.7) and scoring defense (54.1), making a league-best 48.6% of field goals and 39.8% of 3's. Portland State transfer Morgan Baird (15.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg) leads Southern's attack, with sisters Meghan McIntyre (10.7 ppg, 3.9 apg) and Bridgette McIntyre (10.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg) anchoring the guard line. Emma Schmerbach (11.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg), older sister of OIT's Tatum Schmerbach, is the Raiders top defender. SOU holds a 45-39 all-time series lead, including a come-from-behind 65-58 win in Klamath in December.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – CORBAN: The Lady Owls returns home Friday for a Blackout for Hunger Night match-up vs. Corban, meeting a Warriors (10-12, 8-8) team who has won 4-of-6 games – including a Friday upset of Eastern Oregon. Corban averages 66 points a game and converts eight 3-pointers a game, thanks to the play of guards Alyssa Wyllie (9.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and Tori Younker (8.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg), along with forwards Lizzy Bennett (10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Madison Hodnett (7.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg). OIT takes a 7-game win streak in the series into the match-up, including an 89-63 victory in Salem last December, with the Owls holding a 38-17 all-time series lead.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – BUSHNELL: The short homestand ends Saturday afternoon, as Tech puts a 6-game win streak against Bushnell on the line. The Beacons (9-13, 8-8) have rebounded from a midseason 7-game losing streak to win 5-of-7 games – despite an offense averaging 58 points a night and converting just 37% of field goals. The offensive attack is led by All-CCC post, 6-foot-4 Libby Mathis (14.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg), along with the guard line of Ayden Krupke (11.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Ellis Mastel (9.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Mandy Sisul (8.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg). Tech won the first meeting, 62-49, improving the Owls all-time series lead to 26-12.
 
ROAD WIN STREAK TO 10: With wins at Evergreen State and Northwest, the Lady Owls extended a road win streak to 10 games – the first single-season 10-game road win streak in program history. OIT recorded 10-straight road wins from Jan. 10-Dec. 6, 2014 – spanning two seasons. During the current streak, the Owls have won the past eight games by 9-or-more points.
 
BEST STARTS: The Lady Owls start the week 17-4 on the season – the fourth time an OIT team has recorded 17-or-more wins in their first 21 games. Tech set the bar last year, opening the year 19-2, while the 2011-12 and 2013-14 team recording 18-3 starts. Six previous times, the Lady Owls have recorded 16-5 starts.
 
PLAYOFF BERTH CLINCHED: With their win over Northwest, OIT clinched a spot in the 8-team Cascade Conference Championships – their 13th-straight appearance and 28th all-time postseason berth. The Lady Owls are 21-18 all-time in the CCC Championships, winning titles in 2014 and 2015, while advancing to seven NAIA Tournaments (2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2024).

BACK IN THE TOP-25: For the first time since the preseason poll, the Lady Owls climbed into the NAIA Top-25, sitting at No. 23 in the Jan. 29 balloting. Four opponents are also in the Top-25 – No. 1 Dordt, No. 4 SOU, No. 13 Arizona Christian and No. 24 LC State. OIT heads into the week rated No. 17 in the NAIA RPI – with the second West ARC rating to be released on Tuesday.
 
REBOUNDS THE KEY: Tech continued their strong play on the boards, running a streak of wins on the glass to 11 – outrebounding Evergreen by nine rebounds and Northwest by 22 – the seventh time this season OIT has logged a rebound margin of 20-or-more. The Lady Owls head into the week ranked No. 4 in the NAIA in rebound margin (+13.4).
 
SCHMERBACH LEADS THE WAY: Sophomore Tatum Schmerbach continued her strong play during the trip to Washington, recording back-to-back double-doubles in the road wins. Schmerbach opened the trip with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists vs. TESC, followed by a team-high 16 points and 12 rebounds at NU – moving her 2-year scoring total over the 500-point mark.
 
RAMOS CONTINUES RUN: Jozie Ramos had another outstanding weekend, leading the Owls with 21 points at Evergreen State, followed by a 15-point effort in the win at Northwest. Over the last 11 games, Ramos has led the Owls in scoring averaging 15 points per game, helping the sophomore push past the 500-point mark for her OIT career.
 
TULL HITS MILESTONE: With her first rebound in Saturday's game at Northwest, Maddyson Tull became the fourth player in OIT history to score 1,200 points and have 600 rebounds in a career. Tull joins Carmen Arroquero, Karissa Dixon and Kassi Conditt in the exclusive club.
 
ANDERSON SHINES IN STARTING ROLE: Thrust into the starting point-guard role with the season-ending injury to Gabbie Gascon on Jan. 25, Brooke Anderson made the most of the opportunity during the trip to Washington. The true freshman had nine points, four assists and four steals at Evergreen State, followed by a stellar night at Northwest, scoring 10 points with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals – averaging 31 minutes per game.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: SOU remained unbeaten in league play, holding a 2-game lead on OIT in the standings with seven games remaining. The Owls hold a game and a half lead on LC State and a three and a half game lead on Eastern for the No. 2 spot. This weekend, LC and Walla Walla travel to EOU and C of I, Northwest and Evergreen State make the short trip to Warner Pacific and Multnomah, with Corban and Bushnell off to OIT and SOU.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, Tech leads the CCC in rebound margin (+13.4), ranking No. 2 in assists per game (18.0) and steals per game (9.7), No. 3 in scoring offense (75.8), scoring margin (+17.4), field goal percentage (.440), blocks per game (3.5) and turnover margin (+3.6), No. 4 in scoring defense (58.3) and 3-point percentage (.324), No. 10 in free throw percentage (.647) and No. 12 in 3-pointers made per game (4.4). Before her injury, Gabbie Gascon led the CCC in assists per game (4.6) and was No. 2 in steals per game (2.8), with Tatum Schmerbach No. 3 in assists per game (4.1) and No. 8 in rebounds per game (7.3). Jozie Ramos is No. 4 in field goal percentage (.538) and No. 5 in blocked shots (1.1), Kennedy Tull ranks No. 6 in free throw percentage (.764) and Alexis Elquist is No. 7 in rebounds per game (7.8).
 
NATIONAL LEADER IN ATTENDANCE: The Lady Owls have had a banner season at the attendance gate, averaging 1,066 fans per game – tops in the NAIA and No. 3 among all Oregon basketball playing schools. OIT sits well ahead of the rest of the NAIA Top-5 – Carroll (658), LC State (609), Southern Oregon (581) and Evangel (524).
 
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 255-80 overall record – including a 7-2 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 2002-03, the Owls have had a winning record every season on their home floor.
 
RECORD BOOK: Eight Lady Owls are currently 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 steals (179), No. 4 in points scored (1,344), field goals made (478) and 3-pointers made (165), No. 5 in 3-point attempts (427), No. 8 in free throws made (223) and assists (306), No. 14 in free throw attempts (274), No. 19 in blocked shots (40), No. 20 in rebounds (459) and ranking No. 33 in games played (90). Maddyson Tull is No. 3 in field goals made (513), No. 6 in free throw attempts (326), No. 7 in points scored (1,236), No. 9 in rebounds (606), No. 10 in field goal attempts (969), No. 14 in free throws made (202), No. 16 in blocks (44), No. 17 in games played (118), ranking No. 45 in assists (113) and steals (64); Kennedy Tull ranks No. 11 in free throws made (210), No. 13 in free throws attempts (276), No. 24 in 3-pointers made (66), No. 25 in 3-point attempts (203) and games played (105), No. 27 in points scored (754), No. 35 in assists (134), No. 38 in field goals made (238), ranking No. 40 in field goal attempts (556); Gabbie Gascon is No. 7 in free throws made (233), No. 10 in steals (146), No. 11 in assists (274), No. 13 in free throw attempts (280), No. 17 in 3-pointers made (83), No. 19 in 3-point attempts (260), No. 21 in points scored (806), No. 34 in field goal attempts (601), No. 35 in field goals made (245), ranking No. 40 in rebounds (315); Alexis Elquist is No. 14 in blocked shots (45), No. 16 in rebounds (488), No. 42 in 3-point attempts (74), No. 43 in 3-pointers made (21), ranking No. 45 in field goals made (207) and field goal attempts (496), while sitting just outside the Top-50 in points scored (488); Jozie Ramos is No. 13 in blocked shots (57), No. 36 in free throws made (119), No. 38 in free throw attempts (172), No. 48 in field goals made (191), No. 49 in rebounds (254) and No. 50 in points scored (504); Tatum Schmerbach is No. 23 in assists (171), No. 34 in blocked shots (25) and rebounds (369), No. 37 in 3-point attempts (90), No. 40 in 3-pointers made (25), No. 44 in field goals made (214), No. 46 in field goal attempts (490) and No. 49 in points scored (512); with Kendall Fealey No. 36 in steals (74).
 
SCORING 90, ALLOWING UNDER 50 EQUAL WINS: OIT has scored 90-or-more points in a game 41 times, posting a 38-3 record in the high-scoring contests – including four 90-point games this season. The Lady Owls are riding a 99-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game, recording a 173-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
UP NEXT: The Lady Owls make their final road trip of the regular-season, making the long trip to No. 24-Lewis-Clark State (Feb. 14 | 5 p.m.) and Walla Walla (Feb. 15 | 7 p.m.).