COMING UP: at NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship, presented by Ballogy, 1st/2nd Round in McKenzie, Tenn. – vs. Huntington (Ind.), Friday, 7:30 p.m. (CDT); vs. Bethel (Tenn.)-Talladega (Ala.) winner (with win), Saturday, 4 p.m. (CDT)

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All OIT women's basketball games at the NAIA Championships will be carried live on 104.3-FM & 960-AM in the Klamath Basin and streamed online at MyBasin.com, with Josh Eldrege on the call – beginning 30-minutes prior to the scheduled tip off. All tournament games will have Live Video via the Urban Edge Network, while Live Stats will be available via OIT's SIDEARM Sports Portal.  Ticket prices in $16 for adults and $6 for children and must be purchased through the Bethel Ticketing Platform.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – HUNTINGTON: Tech opens up tournament play against Huntington of Indiana, the fourth-place finisher from the Crossroads League. The Foresters (19-11) enter the tournament on a 4-game losing streak, including a loss to Indiana Wesleyan in the CL Tournament, with the team 7-7 away from their home floor. HU ended a 10-year national tourney drought last season, upsetting LSU Shreveport in the first round as a No. 12-seed in their seventh trip to the championships. The current team averages 70 points a night, making 43% of their field goals – but averages 16 turnovers a night. A big front line is the key to the Foresters success – as 6-foot wing Addie Shank (10.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and 6-foot-1 forwards Annaka Nelson (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Liv Raby (13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) – each were all-league picks. Point-guard Kyndra Sheets (9.2 ppg, 3.7 apg) directs the attack. It is the first meeting between the teams.
 
IF THE LADY OWLS WIN: A win Friday would sent OIT into a Saturday match-up against either host Bethel University or Talladega College of Alabama. BU (25-5) is a title contender, earning one of four No. 1 seeds – as the team opened the year 11-0, fueled by a defense holding opponents to a 36% shooting clip. Mid-South Player of the Year, Micah Hart (18.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg) is the key to the Wildcat success, as are MSC all-stars Mikee Buchanan (15.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Madison Hart (14.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg). The McKenzie, Tenn., school reached the national semifinals last season and making their 16th tourney appearance. TC (18-8) earned a bid as the HBCU Athletic Conference tournament runner-up, riding an offense averaging 67 points a game. Forward Ceara Myers (13.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and guard Teanna Watts (11.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) lead the Tornadoes, who are 2-6 all-time in the NAIA Tournament.
 
BACK TO TENNESSEE: It is the second time this season OIT has traveled to the Mid-South, spending a week in November in Tennessee and Kentucky. The Owls met the University of the Cumberlands, Freed-Hardeman and Lindsey Wilson during the trip – all conference opponents of Bethel University.
 
HISTORY AT NATIONALS: It is the ninth trip for the Lady Owls to the NAIA Tournament – reaching the second round during the 2016, 2019 and 2024 seasons. The No. 8 seed this season marks Tech's third highest seed in the tournament, earning the No. 6 seed in 2025 and the No. 7 seed in 2024.
 
AGAINST THE FIELD: The Lady Owls are a combined 7-11 this season against the 64-team field in the NAIA Championships – playing games against 11 different opponents (Carroll, College of Idaho, Corban, Cumberlands, Eastern Oregon, Freed-Hardeman, Lewis-Clark State, Lindsey Wilson, Rocky Mountain, Simpson, Southern Oregon). Five other teams in the field – Dordt, Hope International, Marian, Milligan and Northwestern – are teams Tech has met in the past.

LOOKING FOR 20TH WIN: OIT heads into the national tournament with a 19-11 record, looking for a victory to post their fourth-straight 20-win season. Since 2002, the Lady Owls have recorded 16 20-win seasons, including a school-record 28 wins in 2014.
 
RECORD-SETTING SHOOTING SEASON: The key to the Lady Owls success in 2025-26 is a record-setting offensive attack, as OIT is on pace to establish a new school record for field goal percentage – converting 46.7% of their attempts through 30 games – ahead of the previous record of 44.9% in 2021-22. Tech has converted 50% or more of their field goals in 11 games, with the team 13-0 this season when scoring 72-or-more points.
 
SCHMERBACH NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR: The most dominating player in the Cascade Conference earned the league's highest honor, as Tatum Schmerbach was selected as CCC Player of the Year – announced last week. The junior was nearly unstoppable, averaging nearly 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists per game, while making 52% of her field goal chances. Schmerbach becomes the second OIT player to earn the honor, as Nikki McElligott won the award in 2004 and 2005 (Carmen Arroquero earned District Player of the Year honors in 1985). Her scoring average is the highest by a Tech player since 1989 and sits 57 points from the single-season points record (needing two made field goals to set the single-season record), while recording 10-or-more points in 36-straight games – five games off the OIT record (41, set by Shelly Isaacs in 1987).
 
SPRAGUE EARNS FOURTH ALL-CCC AWARD: A year removed from a devastating injury that sidelined her for an entire season, guard Olivia Sprague was honored by the CCC coaches – earning the fourth All-CCC award in her remarkable career. The fifth-year player is averaging nearly 13 points, six rebounds and four assists per game – having scored 10-or-more points in 95 of her last 107 contests. Sprague surpassed the 1,700-point mark in her OIT career against Corban and is the only player in program history with 1,500 points, 600 rebounds and 400 assists.
 
RAMOS REACHES 1,000: Forward Jozie Ramos converted Tech's first basket against Corban in the semifinals, pushing the junior over the 1,000-point mark for her career – becoming the 15th OIT player to join the exclusive club – part of a 15-point night, her 17th double-digit scoring game of the season. Ramos, who is averaging 11 points and seven rebounds a game, was honored last week as a member of the All-CCC team, the second-straight year she has earned the distinction.
 
ANDREWS HAS BIG TOURNEY: The tournament was a breakout moment for forward Avery Andrews, who had the best weekend of her OIT career. The sophomore was dominant in the post, converting 12-of-20 field goals in the two games – scoring 11 points with nine rebounds against C of I, before recording a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds in the semifinal loss to Corban. Andrews has made 55.8% of her field goals on the season, currently No. 7 on the OIT single-season field goal percentage list.
 
ANOTHER SEMIFINAL APPEARANCE: Tech avenged two regular-season losses to College of Idaho in the CCC Tournament quarterfinals, cruising to a 71-57 victory – advancing to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. Unfortunately, the Owls ran into a buzzsaw, as Corban continued an improbable season, defeating OIT in the title game, 87-71. It marked the 14th-straight appearance for the Lady Owls in the CCC Tournament.
 
NAIA ATTENDANCE LEADER: The support that the OIT basketball teams receive at Danny Miles Court is unparalleled, as the Lady Owls led the NAIA in attendance average for the 2025-26 season. Tech averaged 971 fans per women's game – ahead of Carroll (905), Midland (719), Dakota Wesleyan (707) and Lewis-Clark State (620). Tech ranks No. 3 among all Oregon women's basketball playing schools in attendance – trailing only Oregon (5,066) and Oregon State (3,951), but ahead of Portland (888) and Portland State (423), along with all Division II and Division III teams.
 
AROUND THE CCC: For the first time in league history, six teams from the Cascade Conference qualified for the NAIA Championships. Regular-season champ, Corban, rolled through the league tournament – giving Eastern Oregon the CCC's second automatic bid, while LC State, College of Idaho, OIT and Southern Oregon each earned at-large bids. Corban earned a No. 3 seed and heads to Kansas to meet Texas A&M San Antonio, LC earned a No. 4 seed and will host a pod in Lewiston and meets Hope International, with Eastern Oregon earning a No. 7 seed and is off to Mitchell, S.D., facing College of the Ozarks. C of I is also a No. 7 seed and travels to Fort Wayne, Ind., meeting Briar Cliff, with SOU grabbing a No. 9 seed in Sioux Center, Iowa, meeting Rocky Mountain in a first-round match-up.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Lady Owls lead the CCC in field goal percentage (.467) and rebound margin (+6.7), ranking No. 2 in assists per game (16.7) and No. 3 in scoring average (73.8) and free throw percentage (.736). Individually, Tatum Schmerbach leads the CCC in assists per game (4.5), is No. 2 in scoring average (18.7), No. 4 in rebounds per game (7.3) and No. 6 in field goal percentage (.517), with Avery Andrews No. 2 in field goal percentage (.558) and Kendall Fealey No. 4 in field goal percentage (.529). Olivia Sprague ranks No. 4 in assists per game (3.6), No. 7 in steals per game (1.9), No. 9 in blocked shots per game (0.8) and No. 10 in free throw percentage (.784), with Jozie Ramos No. 6 in rebounds per game (6.7), No. 7 in blocked shots per game (1.1) and No. 9 in free throw percentage (.791).
 
RECORD BOOK: Seven Lady Owls are currently ranked among the Top-50 in the OIT record book, led by Olivia Sprague, who is No. 2 in points scored (1,705), field goals made (604), field goal attempts (1,462) and steals (232), No. 3 in free throws made (292) and assists (407), No. 4 in 3-pointers made (203) and 3-point attempts (564),  No. 5 in free throw attempts (362), No. 9 in rebounds (619), No. 12 in blocked shots (62), ranking No. 18 in games played (118). Jozie Ramos is No. 5 in blocked shots (106), No. 6 in free throws made (244), No. 8 in free throw attempts (331), No. 13 in points (1,013), No. 14 in field goals made (376), No. 16 in rebounds (526), No. 22 in field goal attempts (750), No. 33 in games played (93), No. 43 in assists (123) and No. 44 in steals (66); Tatum Schmerbach is No. 5 in field goals made (516) and field goal attempts (1,092), No. 7 in rebounds (643), No. 8 in points scored (1,228) and assists (355), No. 16 in blocked shots (52), No. 27 in 3-point attempts (179), No. 29 in steals (83), No. 30 in 3-pointers made (49), No. 33 in games played (93), ranking No. 34 in free throws made (147) and free throw attempts (207); Gabbie Gascon is No. 10 in free throws made (233) and steals (146), No. 12 in assists (274), No. 16 in free throw attempts (280), No. 17 in 3-pointers made (83), No. 19 in 3-point attempts (260), No. 23 in points scored (806), No. 37 in field goal attempts (601), No. 39 in field goals made (245), No. 41 in rebounds (315) and No. 45 in games played (79); Kendall Fealey is No. 15 in steals (128), No. 19 in blocked shots (43), No. 26 in assists (167) and No. 33 in games played (93); Chelsea Ching is No. 33 in games played (93), No. 38 in 3-pointers made (31) and No. 40 in 3-point attempts (88); with Brooke Anderson No. 38 in 3-point attempts (90) and No. 43 in 3-pointers made (25).
 
SCORING 90, ALLOWING UNDER 50 EQUAL WINS: OIT has scored 90-or-more points in a game 47 times, posting a 44-3 record in the high-scoring contests. The Lady Owls are riding a 105-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game, recording a 179-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
 
UP NEXT: With two wins, the Lady Owls would head to Sioux City, Iowa, and the Final Site of the NAIA Tournament, with third-round games set for March 19-20