SPOKANE, Wash. –
Tatum Schmerbach scored 20 of her game-high 27 points in the second half, as Oregon Tech rallied from a 17-point second quarter deficit to stun No. 3-ranked Dakota State, 91-87, in the final game of the Northwest Crossover Classic.
The win for the Lady Owls (1-1) equaled the highest opponent Tech has toppled in program history, joining the 2016-17 team that defeated No. 3-ranked Southern Oregon, 71-68. OIT salvaged a win for the Cascade Conference in the 12-game, 2-day challenge with the Frontier Conference, as the CCC finished 1-11 against the rival league.
DSU (1-1) started quickly, building a 26-14 lead after one quarter and extending the margin to 37-20 on two Caitlin Dyer free throws with six minutes left in the half. Tech cut the margin to 47-35 at the half, on the strength of a pair of buckets each from
Brooke Anderson,
Jozie Ramos and
Gabbie Gascon.
Avery Andrews capped an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter to pull the Owls within 51-49, with the team blitzing the Trojans to start the final period. Ramos started a 11-0 run over the first three minutes with a jumper, Anderson and
Kendall Fealey connected on shots, Schmerbach drained a triple and Ramos made it 69-59 with an inside bucket.
Tech kept the South Dakota school at a distance the rest of the way, including connecting on 6-of-6 free throws inside the final minute. The Owls finished the second half making 57% of their field goal chances and held the Trojans to 29% shooting from 3-point range.
Schmerbach added six rebounds and six assists, with her big scoring night pushing her string of games with 10-or-more points to 38 – three off the OIT all-time record. Andrews scored 17 points off the bench, one off her career-high, with Anderson tying a career-high with 15 points.
Bria Westlund scored 25 points and had six rebounds and six assists for DSU and Addy Johnson scored 18 in the loss.
OIT heads to California this week – for games Thursday at The Master's and Saturday at Hope International.
