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Owls win national title
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| H&N photo by Todd E. Swenson |
NAIA champions returning to OIT campus tonight
Updated 5:45 p.m., Wednesday, March 19: Follow the bus: Check back at heraldandnews.com at 9:30, 10, and 10:15 p.m. to see where the Oregon Tech Owls' team is on the road home. As of 5:25 p.m. the team was traveling down Interstate 205 near Portland, just seven miles from the Interstate 5 turnoff. The flight went well, according to Herald and News photographer Todd Swenson. Attendants congratulated the team while welcoming them aboard and at the end of the flight a song was sung in their honor. Once in the Portland air terminal, the team was greeted by television crews. A few people in the terminal carried signs that said "Congratulations," and "Welcome Home."
Updated 5:15 p.m., Wednesday, March 19: Follow the bus: Check back at heraldandnews.com at 9:30, 10, and 10:15 p.m. to see where on the road the Oregon Tech Owls' team is. The team is returning to Klamath Falls by bus, and is expected to arrive between 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the OIT campus. The bus will stop behind Cornett Hall on Industrial Way.
Updated noon, Wednesday, March 19: Parade Thursday: A parade honoring the Oregon Tech Owls' NAIA Division II national championship win is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday. The parade, featuring the men’s basketball team, will start near the Winema parking lot and travel down Main Street, ending at Veterans Park. The team will then travel to Danny Miles Court at the OIT gymnasium for a 6:30 p.m. congratulatory reception. Both events are open to the public. See how OIT fans reacted to the win.
Updated 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 19: Home tonight: Oregon Tech's Hustlin’ Owls men’s basketball team will be back in Klamath Falls today. Their plane, Southwest Airlines 364, is due at Portland International Airport at 4:05 p.m. The team will return to Klamath Falls by bus, with an estimated arrival time of 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the OIT campus. The bus will stop behind Cornett Hall on Industrial Way. Updated 10:15 a.m., Wednesday, March 19: Welcoming home the Owls: Oregon Institute of Technology’s Hustlin’ Owl men’s basketball team are returning as champions following the NAIA Division II National Championship in Point Lookout, Mo. A welcome-home event is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, in Danny Miles Court at the Oregon Institute of Technology gymnasium.
Refreshments, cookies and punch, will follow the proceedings. In addition to head coach Danny Miles and the team, other dignitaries will include OIT Interim President Dave Woodall, Klamath County Commissioner John Elliott and Klamath Falls Mayor Todd Kellstrom.
Rob Siems of New Northwest Broadcasters will be master of ceremonies. Supporting the team: Championship gear is available at OIT. The Paper Owl Bookstore is expecting its first shipment of championship commemorative gear Thursday, prior to the welcome-home celebration. Pre-orders will be taken over the telephone at 885-1050. Updated 9:45 p.m., Tuesday, March 18: POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — Oregon Tech held off top-seeded Bellevue of Nebraska to win its second NAIA Division II men’s national basketball championship Tuesday with a 63-56 victory. The victory matched the lowest scoring championship game in tournament history, and allowed the Hustlin’ Owls to become the first Oregon-based basketball team to win a pair of national titles.
“This is unbelievable,” Oregon Tech coach Danny Miles said after he was named national Coach of the Year for the second time. He also won the award when OIT captured the 2004 national championship, also with a victory over Bellevue.
“I guess, as Yogi (Berra) would say: ‘It’s déjà vu all over again,’” Miles said after he picked up his 847th career victory.
Jguwon Hogges, who won the tournament’s Hustle Award, nailed a three-point field goal to give the Owls a 58-54 lead late in the game, and then all but sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left to play.
After Bellevue missed its next shot, Ryan Fiegi was fouled and stepped to the free-throw line with more than 100 OIT fans chanting: “MVP,” “MVP,” and completed the game scoring.
Fiegi was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, an honor OIT’s Kevin Baker received in 2004, and then was named the NAIA Division II men’s national Player of the Year.
Fiegi finished with 22 points and edged over the 1,900-point total for his career as he captured the imaginations of hundreds of fans who watched him play in OIT’s five victories over the last six days at the College of the Ozarks.
Joshua Wetzler pulled down 10 rebounds and finished the tournament as its top rebounder with 59. Ryan Beesley, meanwhile, hit a pair of crucial three-pointers and also scored in double figures for the Owls, who completed their season with a 31-6 record.
OIT had entered the tournament as the No. 11 seed.
For Bellevue, which saw its season end with a 33-4 record, and the Bruins came up short in their bid to become the first No. 1 seed to win the national tournament since 2003 when Northwestern of Iowa did so.
This was the second straight year Bellevue entered the tournament and suffered its only loss at the hands of a team from the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Bruins lost to Northwest University in last year’s second round.
John Gray scored 14 points, and Ben Thorn 10, for Bellevue, while Hannibal Cofield had a game-high 11 rebounds.
— By Steve Matthies, H&N Sports Writer
Updated 8:25 p.m., Tuesday, March 18: It's time to celebrate. Jguwon Hogges and Ryan Fiegi each made a pair of free throws in the final 16.4 seconds to seal Oregon Tech's 63-56 victory over Bellevue (Neb.) for the Hustlin' Owls' second NAIA Division II men's basketball national championship. Fiegi had 22 points for the Owls, who shot 12-of-13 from the free-throw line, and Hogges added 14. Ryan Beesley also reached double figures, scoring eight of his 10 points in the second half. Welcome the champs — Fans are invited to welcome home the Owls in a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Danny Miles Court.
Updated 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, March 18: Halftime — Oregon Tech leads Bellevue, 26-23, at halftime of the NAIA Division II men's basketball championship game in Point Lookout, Mo. National player of the year Ryan Fiegi has eight points and three assists to lead the Hustlin' Owls, and Josh Wetzler has added five points and six rebounds. The Owls held Bellevue to 29 percent shooting in a half that saw just five free-throw attempts.
Updated 6:55 p.m. Tuesday, March 18: Top honors — Oregon Tech senior point guard Ryan Fiegi was named NAIA Division II men's basketball player of the year today. Fiegi joins Southern Oregon's Shea Washington (2006) as the only Cascade Collegiate Conference players to earn the national honor. Joining Fiegi on the first team is Warner Pacific senior Scott O'Gallagher. As for the game itself...: Oregon Tech leads Bellevue, 16-8, with just more than 10 minutes left in the first half.
Updated 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, 2008: Hoop shots — Heading into the championship game Oregon Tech's Ryan Feigi is No. 2 in total points scored with 90 and trails only Danny Hawkins of MidAmerica Nazarene who has 103 points. The Hustlin Owls' Joshua Wetzler has a tournament high 46 rebounds. Hawkins is third on the all-time career rebound chart with 124 and in the semi-finals Northwestern's Chad Schuipeman became the Division II tournament rebounding leader with 134. Bellevue's last loss was Feb. 2 to College of the Ozarks in Branson. Watch or listen to the game: Fans interested in following Oregon Tech in the NAIA division II title game tonight at 6:30 p.m. can access coverage through the following ways: Local venues — On the radio at Mia and Pia's Pizzeria, 3545 Summers Lane and on television at the City Club in Yesterday's Plaza at Ninth and Pine streets, and at the Creamery Brew Pub, 1320 Main St. (More on how to catch the game)
Television — On CSTV (now CBS College Sports) via Charter, or on DirectTV on 610 and 152 for Dish Network. Internet — CSTV is providing pay-per-view coverage. Radio — Audio coverage streamed live over the Internet (click on the "Listen Live" button at the bottom of the page). Bobby Thompson and Mike Garrard are mic-side. Air time for the pre-game show is 5:45 p.m. or on KFLS at 92.5 FM. Live Stats — Live, in-game statistics can be accessed through the NAIA Web site. Scroll down through the tournament schedule to find the link for the Oregon Tech-Bellevue matchup.
Updated 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, 2008: The Oregon Tech scouting report on Bellevue comes down to taking care of the basketball and forcing Bellevue University to take long shots. "Our No. 1 thing is that we have to limit our turnovers and take advantage of the turnovers they make," Jguwon Hogges, OIT junior, said. "They have two quick guards that will be a challenge for us again." OIT has been challenged by strong guard play on each of its opponents so far on its way to the NAIA Division II men's national basketball tournament. The top guard for Bellevue is John Gray who averages 13 points a game and, guard Chance Walleson averages 8 points and is the only Bellevue player to average more than one-third of his 3-point field goal attempts. The top inside player for the top-seeded Bruins is 6-foot-5 Klaye Rowe who averages 15.7 points and 8 rebounds a game. Bellevue is trying to become the first No. 1 seed to win the tournament since 2003 and is 33-3 this season. Oregon Tech was the tournament's No. 11 seed and has a 30-6 record this season. (More on tonight's game)
Updated 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, 2008: Watch or listen to the game: Fans interested in following Oregon Tech in the NAIA division II title game tonight at 6:30 p.m. can access coverage through the following ways: Local venues — On the radio at Mia and Pia's Pizzeria, 3545 Summers Lane and on television at the City Club in Yesterday's Plaza at Ninth and Pine streets, and at the Creamery Brew Pub, 1320 Main St. Television — On CSTV (now CBS College Sports) via Charter, or on DirectTV on 610 and 152 for Dish Network. Internet — CSTV is providing pay-per-view coverage. Radio — Audio coverage streamed live over the Internet (click on the "Listen Live" button at the bottom of the page). Bobby Thompson and Mike Garrard are mic-side. Air time for the pre-game show is 5:45 p.m. or on KFLS at 92.5 FM. Live Stats — Live, in-game statistics can be accessed through the NAIA Web site. Scroll down through the tournament schedule to find the link for the Oregon Tech-Bellevue matchup. Updated 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 18, 2008: The championship game will not be shown on the OIT campus tonight due to costs involved with airing the licensed program. "We could show it but it would be cost prohibitive for us to show it," according to Valeree Lane with the public affairs office at OIT.
Fans can watch the game starting at 6:30 p.m. via CSTV located on 610 for DirectTV and 152 for Dish Network. The Creamery Brew Pub and Grill, 1320 Main St. is also showing the game. The game can also be heard live on KFLS (92.5 FM). Updated 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, March 18, 2008: The Hustlin’ Owls will meet Bellevue of Nebraska tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the NAIA Division II national championship game in Point Lookout, Mo. Hoop shots — Bellevue University is the largest school in the tournament with just under 8,000 students. Its basketball team is 2-3 all-time versus teams from the Cascade Collegiate Conference, including a loss to Oregon Tech in the 2004 championship game. Among its wins is a 76-68 victory over Cascade College in 2003, a team that included current OIT women's head coach Matt Greenleaf as a player.
Bellevue is the tournament's No. 1 seed for the second straight year and Bruin coach Todd Eisner won his 300th career game Feb. 29. Bellevue lost in the second round last year to Northwest University of the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — Oregon Tech survived a wild final five minutes of play Monday to eke out a 74-71 victory over MidAmerica Nazarene University and gain a berth in the NAIA Division II men’s championship finals. The Hustlin’ Owls will meet Bellevue of Nebraska tonight at 6:30 p.m. (PDT) for the title, the first time two teams who previously met for a championship will meet each other again. OIT defeated Bellevue to win the 2004 crown. Monday, the Owls led throughout the second half, although the Pioneers cut the lead to one point two different times, but Mike Nieraeth’s layup with four seconds to play sealed the victory and allowed OIT to up its record to 30-6. More in today's Herald and News.
Reader Comments
Randy wrote on Mar 19, 2008 2:49 PM:
Sledge wrote on Mar 19, 2008 1:08 PM:
This is March Madness Klamath Falls Style. "
S.H. wrote on Mar 19, 2008 8:22 AM:
Palmer Muntz, Taylor University Fort Wayne wrote on Mar 19, 2008 7:12 AM:
Darin wrote on Mar 18, 2008 9:34 PM:
A national championship, NAIA Division II player of the year, NAIA Division II coach of the year, 2008 Tournament Hustle Award and 2008 Tournament MVP ... I hope you guys can get all of your bling back to Klamath Falls! "
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Jeff Swanstrom wrote on Mar 20, 2008 10:08 AM: