KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Six Oregon Tech players scored in double-figures, as the No. 24-ranked Hustlin' Owls survived a late Bushnell rally, holding on for an 82-78 victory at Danny Miles Court.
 
OIT (18-5, 14-3 CCC) remains alone in second place in the league standings heading into a crucial 3-game road swing – including games next Friday at third-place Lewis-Clark State and a week from Tuesday at fourth-place Southern Oregon.
 
The win secured Tech a spot in the Cascade Conference Championships – the 31st-straight postseason appearance.
 
The Owls looked to be in charge after Jamison Guerra canned two free throws with 4:32 remaining, giving the hosts a 75-63 lead. The Beacons (10-14, 6-12) countered with a 15-5 flurry – including long 3's from Cory Johnson and Squeeky Johnson, the latter cutting the deficit to 80-78 with 12 seconds left.
 
Tech converted just 3-of-8 free throws in the final 45 seconds – giving the Eugene squad hope. Following a split at the line by Kam Osborn, Cory Johnson tried a game-tying 3-point attempt, but it missed wide of the target and the Owls Keegan Shivers iced the win with a freebie at the other end.
 
OIT opened the game on a 19-5 run, including a pair of 3-pointers from Shivers and led 30-17 late in the first half before Cory Johnson scored 8-straight for the Beacons, cutting the deficit to 34-33 with two minutes left in the period.
 
The Owls regained control early in the second half, as Dakota Reber splashed back-to-back 3's, extended the lead to 60-46 – but 10-straight Bushnell points got the visitors back in the game.
 
Shivers led OIT with 16 points, Guerra had 15 points, nine assists and six boards, Reber finished 5-of-6 from the field, scoring 14. Erik Fraser tallied 13, with Osborn and Blake Jensen each posting 12 in the victory, as the Owls converted 52% of their field goals.
 
Cory Johnson led the Beacons with 25 points, with Kaleb Burnett and Luke Smith each scoring 13 – as Bushnell scored 12 second chance points of 12 offensive rebounds.