Jamison Guerra converted a driving layup with 47 seconds remaining, breaking a tie, as Oregon Tech withstood three Southern Oregon chances to tie or win in the waning moments in a 60-57 victory Tuesday night at Lithia Motors Pavilion in Ashland.
The Hustlin’ Owls (9-11, 6-8 Cascade Collegiate Conference) avenged a homecourt loss to the Raiders from December — holding SOU to two field goals over the final seven minutes.
Southern Oregon (12-8, 8-6) had its opportunities late — as Tez Allen missed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds left and, off the ensuing scrum, Josh Meyer missed a tying layup. The rebound popped out into the corner, with Atmar Mundu missing a 3-pointer and Tech secured the rebound.
Keegan Shivers made 1-of-2 free throws to give SOU a late chance to tie — but Shivers denied Will Graves a clean look from 3-point range at the buzzer, allowing the Owls to survive.
“I felt like we were walking across a desert and stumbled across a lake,” OIT coach Justin Parnell said. “We found a little lightning in a bottle. I was trying to call a time out late, but Guerra saw something and waved me off and took the ball to the basket and scored. It was and unbelievable play by a kid who is only a sophomore.”
Tech dominated the first half, as Shivers hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 14-2 run that gave the Owls their largest lead at 36-20.
The lead was 44-28 early in the second half when the well went dry for OIT — making one field goal over a 12-minute stretch. SOU took advantage, as Graves scored 11 points in a 17-2 run that got the hosts within 46-45, eventually pulling even at 48-48 on a Mundu 3-pointer.
The visitors regained a 57-53 lead on a Shiver 3-pointer, only to have Dominic McGarvey hammer home an alley-oop dunk and tip home a putback to even the score — setting up the finish.
Shivers finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Guerra scored 15 points with eight assists. Both Joey Potts and Kaison Faust had eight points and six boards, with Kody Bauman leading the way with nine rebounds.
The five SOU starters accounted for all 57 points — as Allen scored 16 points and Mundu added 13. The Raiders converted just 34% of their field-goal tries, including a 7-for-32 from 3-point range.
OIT returns home this weekend for key matchups against Multnomah and Warner Pacific.
WOMEN
Southern Oregon 62, OIT 55: Danasia Allison hit a go-ahead 3-pointer inside the final three minutes, helping the No. 23 Raiders rally past the Lady Owls.
Allison scored a career-high 23 points, including 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, helping the Raiders (15-5, 11-3 CCC) overcome a nine-point third quarter deficit.
The Lady Owls (13-7, 9-5) controlled the first half — as a pair of 3s from Olivia Sprague and treys from Melissa Lee and Elli Kent fueled a 16-3 run in the opening quarter — giving the visitors an 18-11 edge. The margin would grow to 24-14 early in the second quarter on a Jenna Wallace baseline jumper, with Tech taking a 35-29 lead to the locker room.
SOU picked up the defensive pressure after halftime — forcing seven OIT turnovers in the third quarter — eventually tying the score at 47-47 on a Kami Walk 3-pointer.
OIT regained the advantage at 53-52 on a pair of Sprague free throws, but Allison answered at the other end of the floor with a corner trey and converted a transition lay-up to give SOU the lead for good.
Sprague had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists — her 21st-straight double-digit scoring game, breaking Nikki McElligott’s modern-era record. Maddyson Tull posted 12 points, with Lee scoring 11, adding six rebounds and five assists.
SOU’s Walk scored 13 and Kalei Iwami tallied nine.
Tech returns home this weekend, hosting Multnomah on Friday and Warner Pacific on Saturday.
