Oregon Tech freshman guard Kam Osborn looks for a passduring the exhibition game against the Seattle Mountaineers on Oct. 23, 2021, at Danny Miles Court.
Oregon Tech freshman guard Erik Fraser (15) guards Seattle Mountaineers guard Jawan Stepney (5) during the exhibition game at Danny Miles Court on Oct. 23, 2021.
RIGHT: Oregon Tech freshman guard Erik Fraser (15) goes in for a layup during the exhibition game against the Seattle Mountaineers on Oct. 23, 2021, at Danny Miles Court.
Oregon Tech freshman guard Kam Osborn looks for a passduring the exhibition game against the Seattle Mountaineers on Oct. 23, 2021, at Danny Miles Court.
Staff photo by Arden Barnes / Report for America
Oregon Tech freshman guard Erik Fraser (15) guards Seattle Mountaineers guard Jawan Stepney (5) during the exhibition game at Danny Miles Court on Oct. 23, 2021.
Staff photo by Arden Barnes / Report for America
RIGHT: Oregon Tech freshman guard Erik Fraser (15) goes in for a layup during the exhibition game against the Seattle Mountaineers on Oct. 23, 2021, at Danny Miles Court.
In their first showcase of the season in front of Tech fans, the Hustlin’ Owls posted triple digits in a 114-85 exhibition win over the semi-pro Seattle Mountaineers.
Tech never trailed and drained their first 6 three-point attempts before the 971-person home crowd at Danny Miles Court on Saturday. The Owls would go on to shoot 66.2 percent from the field and 59.1 percent from deep.
“It was great to be back on the court and in front of our fans for the first time in 606 days,” said OIT Head Coach Justin Parnell in a release. “We played really efficiently and aggressive offensively and gave up good shots for great ones. We can get better defensively, and I have no doubt we will get where we want to be.”
Freshman Erik Fraser, who led the team in scoring in the final game of the shortened spring season, started where he left off, scoring a team-high 18 points after hitting 4 of his 6 attempts from beyond the arc in just 14 minutes on the court.
“Over the offseason and the summer, I’ve worked on expanding my range,” Fraser said after the game. “The three-point line got moved back a little bit (this season). So that’s been a point of emphasis for me and just taking better shots overall.”
Fraser was obviously far from the only one putting up points in the triple-digit effort. Freshman guard Kam Osborn was also 4-for-6 from deep, putting up 14 points while also leading the team in assists with 5. Guard Jamison Guerra and 6-9 forward Lachlan McKimm also had a dozen points each.
Senior Garret Albrecht and junior Joey Potts — the team’s new transfer from Oregon State — tied for the team lead in rebounds with 5 each. Both also added 6 points apiece in a game where 14 different Owls saw the court and no one exceeded 20 minutes of usage.
Fraser said there’s room for improvement on defense, after the squad surrendered 85 points — 33 of which belonged to Seattle’s Jawan Stepney.
“We need to really focus on the defensive side of the ball,” Fraser said. “I think the offense will come if we can have a tough, gritty mentality and have a defensive mindset.”
Still, the Portland-native said it was nice to just play someone else.
“It feels great,” Fraser said. “We’ve had, I think five team scrimmages where we’re just playing against each other. I mean, those are great, but it’s always fun to play against someone else, someone new. Have a little scouting report for them. You know, it feels like a real game.”
The Owls will have one more scrimmage — at Western Oregon at 4 p.m. Friday — before they get to their first official contest against Menlo College on Nov. 5 in Rocklin, Calif., as part of the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic.
— Reporter Rick Childress can be reached at (541) 851-7301 or rchildress@heraldandnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @RickOChildress
