Lady Owls Win Home Opener
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Klamath Falls, Ore. – The Oregon Tech Lady Owls took on the UC Merced Bobcats in a nonconference matchup in Klamath Falls, on Danny Miles Court. The Lady Owls, led by Nohea Waiwaiole with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds on the night, pick up their first home victory of the 2017-18 campaign by a score of 70 to 63, pushing their record to 2-1.
The contest started out with the two teams struggling to find an early rhythm; turnovers and contested shots saw little offensive productivity for the first few minutes. As the quarter wore on, Tech began to settle into their offensive sets, finding open looks and knocking down their shots, but the Bobcats were keeping pace with the score 15-12 in favor of the home team 10:00 minutes into the game.
The second quarter had the Lady Owls running the floor a little more and finding quality looks in transition. Holding the Bobcats to 13 points in the second quarter, the home team stretched their lead by 10, putting up 20 points in the quarter, to see the score sit 35-25 at the break.
Starting the second half with purpose, the Lady Owls went on a 13-5 run, extending their lead again, before the Bobcats coach would call a timeout to regroup. The away team began to hold their own on both ends while working to close the gap, but the point differential held at 15 as the quarter came to a close, 52-37.
To conclude the game, Tech would continue pushing the lead through the fourth quarter, until a late surge by the Bobcats cut the lead to 10 points in the final minute of play. Unfortunately, it was too late, with the game coming to a close at 70-63.
The Bobcat Ladies were led by senior Mia Belvin in double digit scoring with 16 points and 6 rebounds on the night.
The Lady Owls had three players in double-digit scoring for the evening, including Waiwaiole's double-double, freshman Abby Kreiser setting a new career high with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Megan Morris added 13 points of her own.
The Lady Owls will be back in action at home next weekend, November 17 & 18 for the Lithia – Oregon Tech Classic taking on William Jessup University and Simpson University.
