SALEM, Ore. – Tatum Schmerbach scored a game-high 23 points, including seven-straight points inside the final five minutes, as Oregon Tech avenged two regular-season losses to College of Idaho, rolling to a 71-57 victory in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, inside the C.E. Jeffers Center.
 
The Lady Owls (19-10) were the lone lower seed to win today – with Tech to meet top-seeded and host, Corban, Saturday at 5 p.m. – live on 104.3/960 Sports. No. 2 seed Eastern Oregon meets No. 3 seed Lewis-Clark State at 7 p.m. in the second semifinal.
 
OIT never trailed in the game, as Schmerbach canned a 3, with Ayla Marston and Chelsea Ching hitting mid-range jumpers, giving Tech a 13-6 edge. The Yotes (21-8) would pull within 28-25 on a lay-up from Maiya Hardy midway through the second quarter, but the Owls closed the half on an 11-3 run, with a Ching triple giving her club a 39-28 halftime edge.
 
Despite Schmerbach picking up her fourth personal foul at the five-minute mark of the third quarter, the Owls kept C of I at a distance, as Avery Andrews scored seven consecutive points late in the period, with Kendall Fealey converting a driving lay-up to give Tech a 62-49 lead.
 
Schmerbach returned with four minutes left and OIT leading 64-55 and immediately hit a 23-foot triple, a jumper and a driving lay-up, giving the Lady Owls their largest lead at 71-55, closing out the first-round win.
 
Tech converted 53% of their field goals, while holding C of I to a 32% shooting clip.
 
Schmerbach made 10-of-15 field goals on the night, her 14th game with 20-or-more points this season. Fealey finished with 12, Andrews posted 11 points and nine boards off the bench, with Jozie Ramos scoring eight points with nine rebounds.
 
Kylie Waltermeyer led C of I with 19 points and 10 rebounds.