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EOU Athletics

Women's Basketball Seth Dahle, Sports Information Director

No. 13 EOU Women’s Hoops Ready to Tussle With No. 24 Oregon Tech

LA GRANDE, Ore. – It was last season's conference tournament semifinal, and EOU women's basketball stood only six and a half minutes away from taking down Oregon Tech to clinch one of the two automatic berths to the NAIA National Championships.
 
But the Lady Owls had other plans, as they closed with an 18-2 run to steal one in Klamath Falls, Ore. Fast forward to 2017, and the Blue and Gold has a chance to avenge that loss in the semifinals of the 2016-17 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank.
 
Second-seeded and 13th-ranked EOU (26-4) will host third-seeded and 24th-ranked Oregon Tech (24-7) tomorrow at 7 p.m. This time, the semifinal rematch will take place at Quinn Coliseum – a venue where EOU boasts a 12-0 record this season. 
 
EOU'S LAST TIME OUT
EOU eliminated a pesky Corban squad on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals by a 76-66 margin.
 
After trailing by as many as five (39-34) in the third quarter, the Mountaineers erupted for a 19-6 run to close the third, and they went on to lead by as many as 19 (71-52) in the fourth stanza after junior guard Payton Parrish buried a triple.
 
EOU shot 46.7 percent (28-for-60) from the field and scored 25 points off 19 Warrior turnovers. Junior guard Maya Ah You (Dias) posted her first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while senior forward Ashley Knight added 14 points and eight rebounds.
 
Oregon Tech and EOU are the two best defensive teams in the league, ranking second (55.07) and third (55.6) nationally, respectively, in scoring defense. 
 
SCOUTING OREGON TECH
Oregon Tech advanced to the semifinals thanks to a 67-57 victory over sixth-seeded Northwest on Tuesday night.
 
After being outscored by six (21-15) in the third, the Lady Owls ended the game with a 22-11 run to seal the win. Oregon Tech was led on the evening by Morgan Robert-Ili and Nohea Waiwaiole with 16 points each. Roberts-Ili also pulled down eight rebounds. Carly McIsaac scored in double figures with 13 points, while Bailey Nelson grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
It's been a solid season for Oregon Tech, which was won 12 of its last 14. As mentioned above, the Lady Owls are the best defensive team in the conference, holding opponents to a 35.7 percent clip.
 
Alongside EOU, Oregon Tech was the only other team to knock off Southern Oregon in conference play this season. 
 
LAST MEETING
EOU's last meeting against Oregon Tech on Feb. 11 was a dandy, as the Mountaineers overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to muster a 68-63 victory in La Grande.
 
With 1:32 left to play, a free throw by junior forward Stormee Van Belle tied the game for an eighth time at 61 apiece. Over the next 90 seconds of regulation, senior guard Darian Gasseling and Knight went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to seal the victory for the Blue and Gold.
 
Gasseling led a quartet of Mountaineers in double-figure scoring with 16 points, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Van Belle added 12 points and seven boards, while Dias and Knight scored 13 apiece.
 
2016-17 CCC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Semifinals – Friday, Feb. 24
No. 5 College of Idaho at No. 1 Southern Oregon – 7 p.m.
No. 3 Oregon Tech at No. 2 EOU – 7 p.m.
 
$1 PIZZA NIGHT
Brought to Quinn Coliseum by Domino's, pizza will be $1 per slice at tomorrow's game.
 
FIRST 200 STUDENTS
The first 200 EOU students in attendance will receive FREE admission to tomorrow's game.

TICKET PRICES
Ticket prices for the 2017 CCC Tournament are as follows:
  • Reserved Seating ($10)
  • General Admission ($6)
  • Students with ID ($2)
  • Children 12 & Under ($1)
LIVE STATS/VIDEO
To watch live video and follow live stats, click here. Ken Kennedy will have the play-by-play for the Mountaineers.

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Players Mentioned

Maya Ah You Dias

#1 Maya Ah You Dias

G
5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
Darian Gasseling

#10 Darian Gasseling

G
5' 5"
Senior
Ashley Knight

#25 Ashley Knight

G/F
5' 8"
Senior
Payton Parrish

#21 Payton Parrish

G
5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
Stormee Van Belle

#34 Stormee Van Belle

F
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Maya Ah You Dias

#1 Maya Ah You Dias

5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Darian Gasseling

#10 Darian Gasseling

5' 5"
Senior
G
Ashley Knight

#25 Ashley Knight

5' 8"
Senior
G/F
Payton Parrish

#21 Payton Parrish

5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
G
Stormee Van Belle

#34 Stormee Van Belle

6' 0"
Junior
F