KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Oregon Tech erased an eight-point fourth quarter Beacon lead and went on to claim an 84-77 overtime victory in the Cascade Collegiate Conference opener for both schools.
 
The game featured multiple dramatic swings. OIT jumped out to the early lead and claimed a 21-15 advantage after the first quarter. The next ten minutes belonged to the Beacons as they stepped up the aggression, attacking the basket to the tune of ten trips to the free-throw line. Bushnell made good on nine of those attempts and took a 38-32 lead into the intermission.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "We put ourselves in a big hole early and didn't do a good job of coming out ready to battle. Credit to Oregon Tech, for coming out and punching us in the nose. We gathered ourselves and fought back to take the lead into halftime."
 
After a steady third quarter, the Beacon offense dropped off considerably. Leading 60-52 with 7:44 to play after a Kayce Mock three-pointer, the Beacons missed five straight field goal attempts, but with 2:36 remaining, another Mock triple made it a six-point game.
 
Kristin Farrell hit a three for the Owls on their next possession and over the final two minutes, Bushnell missed on all four of their opportunities. OIT went on to tie the game on a banked-in three from Abby Kreiser with 16 seconds to play, and time ran out on Bushnell's last attempt.
 
Meadors said, "I would have liked to see us execute a little better at the end. Getting into these opportunities is only going to give us more experience."
 
The extra period was all Oregon Tech as the Beacons went 2-for-11 from the field and were outscored 13-6.
 
Kreiser led the way for the Owls (1-0, 1-0 CCC), scoring a game-leading 18 points and 11 assists. Courtney Clemmer also registered a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds while Farrell finished with 15 points, getting all of her scores from beyond the arc. OIT shot 40% from the field and out-rebounded the Beacons, 55-45.
 
The Beacons (1-2, 0-1) were led up-and-down by Mock, scoring 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks with four three-pointers. Morgan McKinney added 14 points while Sarah Reinecker and Libby Mathis chipped in 11 points apiece. The Beacons shot 34% and had ten steals, including four from Aly Mirable and three from Aspen Slifka.
 
"This was a tough one," said Meadors. "We didn't rebound well, we were slow to loose balls, and we're losing all the 50-50s and we aren't willing to take charges. We gave up extra possessions all game long and that is something that we need to remedy moving forward. However, through all of that, we were still up three points with 30-seconds to play. Every game we played last year and these guys and a few others were close and we won most of them. They haven't gone our way this year, so we need to make sure we are focused on the right things. If we do that, this group has a lot of great stuff ahead of them. We are going to tighten things up and get better."
 
The teams will clash again on Saturday, with the opening tip scheduled for 12:00 pm.