SOU splits twin bill with Oregon Tech

Published 9:50 pm Tuesday, February 6, 2024

KLAMATH FALLS — Meghan McIntyre handled the offense, and the Cascade Conference’s top defense came at No. 22 Oregon Tech in overwhelming waves Tuesday at Danny Miles Court.

McIntyre poured in a season-highs of 29 points and seven assists as No. 24 Southern Oregon scored a 75-68 upset of the Owls, topping off a perfect five-game road swing that put the Raiders (18-4, 14-2 CCC) back in the championship hunt with six regular-season games left to play. The rivals entered the night tied for second place, and the Owls (19-3, 13-3) with an unbeaten record on their home court.

The Raiders trailed 45-40 at the six-minute mark of the third quarter before outscoring OIT 24-6 over the next eight-plus minutes. They dropped in eight buckets during the push: McIntyre assisted the first four and scored the next four herself, capping the run by picking Gabbie Gascon’s pocket and going coast-to-coast for a layup that gave SOU its largest lead at 64-51.

Stout defense opened the door for McIntyre’s playmaking. Gascon — who scored 22 to give OIT a 68-59 win in Ashland on Dec. 20 — went without a basket on seven attempts. The Raiders also limited Olivia Sprague, OIT’s All-American junior guard, to 5-of-16 shooting. They fell behind 26-19 after the first quarter and stuck the Owls to 32% shooting the rest of the way, holding them without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch in the second.

Kami Walk contributed 11 points, a season-high 14 rebounds — all on the defensive end — and two blocked shots. Mallory Williams scored 13, 10 of which came during the decisive run, and Izzy Hernandez knocked down three first-half 3-pointers to score 11.

McIntyre, who added five rebounds and two steals, averaged 21.6 points on SOU’s five-game trip.

Sprague’s 15 points led the Owls. They got back into the game late, thanks in large part to a technical foul that led to a six-point possession. Trailing 70-67 with 45 seconds to go, Gascon came up with a steal and passed ahead to Tatum Schmerbach, whose transition layup rimmed off. Walk collected the rebound and SOU went on to make 5-of-6 at the free-throw line to seal the outcome.

The Raiders have won at OIT each of their last four trips, marking their longest winning streak in Klamath Falls since 1977-81.

They’ve won eight straight overall entering home games Friday against Northwest (Wash.) and Saturday against Evergreen (Wash.). They’re one game back of first-place Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), which comes to Ashland on Feb. 24, the final day of the regular season.

Men’s Basketball

OREGON TECH 76, SOU 67: At Klamath Falls, Southern Oregon was a bounce away from turning an 18-point deficit into a one-possession game inside the final minute, but couldn’t get over the hump in a loss to No. 23 Oregon Tech at Danny Miles Court.

The Raiders (12-10, 10-6 Cascade Conference) trailed 58-40 at the 11-minute mark of the second half before assembling a 17-4 run over the next six minutes, during which Dominic McGarvey scored nine of his 13 points. They were down five with possession and 50 second left, when Casson Rouse misfired on a 3-point attempt and his second chance inside rolled around the rim and out.

OIT (18-4, 13-3) completed a sweep of the regular-season series, keeping its spot in third place and leaving the Raiders in a tie for fifth with six CCC games remaining.

Led the Kam Osborn’s 13 points, the Owls produced seven players with at least eight points while posting a 55% clip from the field. They hit just three 3-pointers but accumulated 52 points in the paint. After falling behind 10-2, they never trailed over the final 30 minutes.

Cole McAninch got loose during SOU’s hot start and matched a season-high with 18 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3. Brett Hollins logged 11 points and two steals.

McGarvey, who has scored in double figures four of his last five outings, went 5-of-6 in the second half.

After falling four times on a five-game road swing, the Raiders return home to play Northwest (Wash.) at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Evergreen (Wash.) at 5 p.m. Saturday. They’re 6-1 in conference play at Lithia Motors Pavilion, where they play four of their final six games.