KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Thanks to a huge second half and a 44-28 rebound differential, (RV) Oregon Tech knocked off the fifth-ranked EOU men's basketball team 98-81, Sunday evening.
 
The Owls held senior forward Bryan McGriff to only 11 points and four rebounds and only two other Mountaineers scored in double digits. Junior guard Blake O'Donnell went 8-for-11 scoring 16 points in 25 minutes to lead EOU. Not far behind was senior guard Kentrell Washington who contributed 13 points while tossing four assists and grabbing seven boards. 
 
Oregon Tech (11-7, 8-2 CCC), shot 35-for-62 in field goal range and shot 47.6 percent from behind the arc. The Mountaineers went 29-for-66 in field goals but only shot 31.6 percent from three-point range.
 
The Mountaineers (15-4, 8-2 CCC), beat the Owls in bench points, scoring 31 compared to Oregon Tech's 21. The Blue and Gold also led in steals (7-5) and forced 18 turnovers.
 
Oregon Tech controlled the first ten minutes of the first stanza until Washington drilled a pair of free throws to tie the game at 18. Less than two minutes later O'Donnell connected with a jumper from inside the paint to give EOU its first lead of the game, 22-20.
 
A trey from junior guard Cole Ashby assisted by junior guard Matt Wong and another O'Donnell jumper gave EOU a 27-22 lead with less than eight minutes before the break.
 
Oregon Tech then cut the Mountie lead to one, (31-30) until Washington knocked-down a jump shot from inside the paint to put EOU up 33-30. However, the Owls then finished the first on an 18-9 run, taking a seven-point lead, 48-41 at halftime.
 
The second half started with a 6-1 run for Tech thanks to four points and an assist from Bryan Beard. A free throw from Washington at the 17-minute mark cut the Owl lead to ten (54-44), but it'd be as close as the Mountaineers could get.
 
Following the Washington free throw, Oregon Tech went on an 8-0 run including a pair of buckets from behind the arc.
 
The Owls then built a 24-point lead, 92-68 with just over five and a half minutes to play. EOU then cut the lead to 16 following a pair of free throws from junior guard Brennan Pope, (92-76). It was too little, too late as the Owls rebuilt the lead to 20 less than a minute later.
 
EOU outscored Oregon Tech, 13-4 in the final five and half minutes but the Tech lead was just too much. The Mountaineers now find themselves in a three-way tie at 8-2 for first in the CCC with Oregon Tech and Northwest Christian.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
179 – Combined points between EOU and Oregon Tech.
72.7 – O'Donnell's shooting percentage as the junior led EOU.
72 – Total rebounds for the Mountaineers and the Owls.
 
UP NEXT
EOU heads to Eugene to take on Northwest Christian this Friday with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
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